Post B1Wrzvx9AXBFn39pg0 by clew@ecoevo.social
(DIR) More posts by clew@ecoevo.social
(DIR) Post #B1WgcdAdjhy1Ni9e6K by futurebird@sauropods.win
2025-12-23T02:33:26Z
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King Solomon and the Ant(I will tell the story of King Solomon and the ant. I've read a lot of versions of this story and this is my own based on what I know about ants.)King Solomon continued his journey flying over a vast desert on his flying carpet. Below him his army marched in neat rows. He could see for miles from the great height. "This is magnificent." he thought. And because he could understand the speech of the animals he heard the birds agree. 1/
(DIR) Post #B1Wgs2k6wSmj2H5xTc by futurebird@sauropods.win
2025-12-23T02:36:13Z
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"Maybe I am magnificent too." He mused as the desert air ruffled his lovely robes. But then he heard another voice. A tiny voice but one very self possessed. "Beware of these men, my daughters! They do not look where their boots may land. Take heed!" Said the tiny but somehow imperious little voice. It was coming from far far below. Confused, and a little offended the King brought his magic carpet down to the earth. Settling not far from the voice.
(DIR) Post #B1WhEi1O9KQpQiz5yC by futurebird@sauropods.win
2025-12-23T02:40:19Z
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Confused he looked around, but only saw his own soldiers who were now standing wondering why they had stopped. "And now it seems he's come down to look at us." Said the little voice. "But he's still not even looking where he is going."But, then the King Solomon at last found the source. There in the sand a colony of ants was struggling to cross the road. And amongst them their queen."Why do you disparage my men?" Said Solomon."Pick me up so we can speak properly." Said the ant queen. 3/
(DIR) Post #B1WhYHMayN8eXlEevo by futurebird@sauropods.win
2025-12-23T02:43:51Z
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So, the king bent over and the ant queen climbed on to his hand. He lifted her up so they could speak eye to eye. "These are my daughters and colony." She explained. "Your soldiers would have trampled them. I do not 'disparage' I give factual warnings."And Solomon could see the sense in this. He found it amusing somehow, that the queen was so self-possessed. "Ant Queen, who do you think is the most magnificent in these lands?" he asked.The ant queen seemed to think about it for a bit. 4/
(DIR) Post #B1Whq92MfVJHvsI9E8 by futurebird@sauropods.win
2025-12-23T02:47:02Z
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"I suppose I must be. I am responsible for many thousands and must guide them past perils like the feet of your soldiers!" Said the ant.Solomon laughed at this but the ant queen did not join him. "But you are tiny!" he tried to explain. "How could you be greater than a King like me?""We are more alike than not." Said the ant "And anyway, who is resting on the hand of the great King? It is I, isn't it?"She said. 5/
(DIR) Post #B1Wi3EsAHdcxnNlT3w by futurebird@sauropods.win
2025-12-23T02:49:24Z
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Solomon told his soldiers to walk with more care and let the queen go back to her people. As he looked down from his flying carpet after at the tiny rows of his own men after that he found that he had much to contemplate. He might be magnificent, but on whose palm did he rest? Would any of his works or achievements be anything if not for nature and the world made by God?The End.
(DIR) Post #B1Wi9kYzN4L1ottrGK by lemgandi@mastodon.social
2025-12-23T02:50:35Z
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@futurebird Ants rule the earth. Our opinion that we are significant is just an accident of scale.
(DIR) Post #B1WibzS7bgG66f9b9s by futurebird@sauropods.win
2025-12-23T02:55:43Z
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Commentary:In reality ant queens don't lead their people much at all. But, I don't think the story works unless Solomon encounters a tiny version of himself. I do think ant queens feel immense responsibly to lay eggs. And all ants think they are doing the most important project in the world. The scale of the adversaries only proves this more.
(DIR) Post #B1WngFWOIwj2s907s0 by futurebird@sauropods.win
2025-12-23T03:52:31Z
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There are many stories and traditions about "the great king gets perspective"... I also like the tradition that if you were some great Roman general being cheered by a crowd you should have a guy who follows you about whispering "memento mori*" in your ear. These are things we have understood for a long time in many human cultures.Now why am I going on about this and feeling exasperated? Hm.*remember you will someday die
(DIR) Post #B1Wq5iYbgfms4aJFPE by futurebird@sauropods.win
2025-12-23T04:19:24Z
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@Wyatt_H_Knott Older more experienced ants will take charge and heard others. Or simply ants that feel they have better information. If an ant *really* wants another ant to come to a location and she isn't following she may pick her sister up and simply carry her to the task or problem she wants help with. (I sometimes wish someone would do this with me.)
(DIR) Post #B1WqE9fQmD0GTCWa9Y by futurebird@sauropods.win
2025-12-23T04:20:59Z
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@Wyatt_H_Knott But "ant leadership" is very small and local. Maybe one ant leads five or six sisters at most. But never any large portion of the whole colony. That is a network.
(DIR) Post #B1WqIP5POJ3LRvhXeq by futurebird@sauropods.win
2025-12-23T04:21:46Z
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@Wyatt_H_Knott Is that why everyone kept talking about eggs during the last election?
(DIR) Post #B1Wrzvx9AXBFn39pg0 by clew@ecoevo.social
2025-12-23T04:40:47Z
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Do two ants ever try to pick each other up? @futurebird @Wyatt_H_Knott
(DIR) Post #B1WsIQdHqDp09bgfSq by futurebird@sauropods.win
2025-12-23T04:44:13Z
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@clew @Wyatt_H_Knott I have not seen ants trying to pick each other up, but I did see two minums fighting over who would carry a much younger (and much larger) major somewhere. They both were struggling to move her since she was so much larger, but if one would rest the other would take the big ants mandible and run off with her as the other one followed.
(DIR) Post #B1WtxBtBf74qFr7pGS by futurebird@sauropods.win
2025-12-23T05:02:42Z
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@apLundell @Wyatt_H_Knott You are thinking of army ants and driver ants. This has been studied and there are some wonderful diagrams showing how they explore and decide where to go. It varies by species. But, there isn't a lead ant. There are forward exploring ants, and through a kind of building minimal consensus the main body will follow in the most promising direction. But also, driver ants "know" the area around the bivouac. So they already have a sense of where they might go next.
(DIR) Post #B1Wu1MuubRLlcCvMPY by futurebird@sauropods.win
2025-12-23T05:03:33Z
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@apLundell @Wyatt_H_Knott Wrong Answer: There is no "lead ant" since the river of ants extends all the way around the world and it never ends. BEHOLD!
(DIR) Post #B1XUqYbGWOvAy6RUxs by Tattie@eldritch.cafe
2025-12-23T11:56:06Z
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@futurebird I like this queen. She's got sass. She knows where it's at.
(DIR) Post #B1XYyquqhu97uJoVZg by hal_pomeranz@infosec.exchange
2025-12-23T12:42:29Z
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@futurebird I had not heard this lovely story before.King Solomon and insects is apparently a popular theme. Kipling wrote “The Butterfly Who Stamped” which concerns some overly proud butterflies and wise old King Solomon pranking them.