7 lessons you can learn from Ants

Sairam friends,

I am really making all of you get bored with my articles mostly centered around my life. No body needs my story. Either I must write about Shirdi Saibaba or simply be calm but then all of StarSai is about how a devotee must hold on to Sai irrespective of what happens in his/her life.

So I believe writing about whats happening in my life will make you understand every one has sufferings and problems. Everyone who are devoted to Sai also have to face the stages in life when he/she can’t do much but have patience and bear it all.

Anyway, Today I wanted to try something funny and make you smile.

Last week, they moved us to a new place at work and I really don’t feel that comfortable. It doesn’t make much difference and I already got used to it.

One of my friend got us some Rasagulla in a box and distributed it for his birthday. I took a Rasagulla and by the time, I was about to swallow, a drop of sweet jeera fell down on my desk. With in few seconds, few Ants came from no where and started tasting the little drop of sweet.

I felt like wiping them away and continue my work and was about to do it. Suddenly, I felt pity for these little Ants and started to get some other thoughts.

I thought

“How uncertain is life? We can simply wipe of these Ants in no time but they believe that they are going to live for ever and doing their work.”

I told myself that today alone, I won’t harm the Ants and I will adjust myself allowing them to move around my desk searching for food. I went for lunch and came back to see lots of Ants over the cover of the Rasagulla box.

There must be at least 50 Ants in all moving around the desk and mostly over the cover.

Everyone asked going by my way saw these Ants and asked me to throw the Rasagulla box away. I told them, I am experimenting with these Ants and learning about life. he he…. So today alone, I don’t want to harm them and let them be there. I did my work and kept watching all the activities of these Ants.

By evening my one of my friendasked me what did I learn from these Ants. I immediately told them 7 Points quickly. I did it for fun but deeply thinking, Ants really have something good to teach us.

7 lessons you can learn from Ants

You might be an IT professional, an Architect, a Doctor or Engineer,Research Scientist,  Student or anyone doing some Job or even someone looking for a better career. I write this article to you.

1. Ants don’t know that there are bigger life on earth than them.

We see someone is bigger or higher than us in terms of position, education and status. Hence we suppress our self and doesn’t even try to do things we consider as too big for us. Ants doesn’t care about other lives bigger and smarter than them. Ants might know or may not know that there are bigger life on Earth than them but they really don’t worry about how big others are.

Lesson 1: You must not feel discouraged thinking about people smarter than you. You can do any work small or big as you wish.

2. Ants just mind their business

Do we really mind our Business alone? We often like to talk about others, our friends, society and how bad the world is but we never try to change our bad qualities. We have lots of time to talk about others and poke into others business. Ants on the other hand minds their Business.

Lesson 2:  Focus on what you do and don’t worry about what the world comments on you. You will be rewarded for your single minded effort.

3. Ants do get attracted to each other

Have you seen little Ants moving around and suddenly there meet each other for fraction of second and going away after a while. he he…..I have noticed this in most of the Ant groups and this experiment concludes that Ants do get attracted to each other. ( I write this for fun but there’s more to it).

I have seen many of us including me wasting time chatting with friends, speaking to friends or our dear ones, going to restaurants and hanging out some where etc in the name of socializing. Today, most of us are addicted to communicating through mobile phones. Its important to open up your heart to others and I appreciate you have someone to share your day to day happenings.

The difference between meeting of Ants and Humans is that, they meet just for few seconds and get back to their work but we spend hours meeting, communicating and loose the focus on our work.

Lesson 3: Be good to your friends and dear one’s. Meet them. Be with them but be dedicated to your work and  never waste much of your time in socializing. 

“You are what you do and not what you speak”

4. Ants are really workaholic and keep working always

From morning until evening, I had 2 coffee breaks. A lunch break and often spoke to my friends off topic, about work and about how the world was about to come to an end. Look at these Ants. They never seem to take breaks nor they have a lunch hour. They keep working as long as I could watch them.

Lesson 4: You don’t have to be workaholic but you must enjoy what ever work you do so that you make yourself perfect when you continuously do your work.

5. Ants don’t go home until the task is over

This is something I wrote for fun. I just told all the headings to my friends. The girl near me asked me again what you learnt from this experiment. I showed her these headings and she said “I don’t like the 5th point”.

So I changed it as below…

“They go home after task gets over.”

She said, “It means the same again”.

So I changed it as below…

“They might go home even if task doesn’t get over.”

Now she got satisfied and smiled.

Did you understand basic human nature by this. We always postpone our work. We procrastinate. Let’s do it later. Let’s go it tomorrow…Next week…Month and it goes on

Lesson 5: If we have enough time to complete a work on the same day or moment, we must ignore all distractions and do it immediately. You can relax peacefully when all the work gets over.

6. They don’t bite you because they want to. They just don’t want you to disturb them.

When I was doing my work with Ants all over my desk, my friends told me that it might bite me. I told them that they won’t because they are busy collecting food to save for future. Ants or any animals don’t really harm us purposely. They are just irritated with us disturbing their livelihood.

Lesson 6:  Do not argue with anyone. Try to be humble. Even if someone irritates you, say a word or two and move away. If your work gets disturbed because of someone, then react to it sharply but do not hate anyone. Live in peace.

7. They don’t know that we call them Ants and not by their names

I say this for fun but there’s another meaning to it. We all develop a ego in us that we need recognition for what we do. Even in Bhagavat Gita Lord Krishna asks us only to work with out expecting the result or the fruit of the work.

Ants don’t know how we perceive them or call them. They just don’t have any ego in them to ask for a special treatment. They simply contribute their part in their own little world.

Lesson 7: Do not expect the fruits of your work to be always positive. Your ego to be recognized might hinder your growth. At times when you are upset, try to come out of your worries and cheerfully continue your next work.

Hope you like it friends.

I used the photos courtesy of the Animation Movie Ants and Bugs life to add interest to this story. I just told my friends the points I wrote in green and started working on this article today as its week end.

Sai lives in every life and hence I try to do little good to all the lives I come across. In 2003, I used to drop 3 packs of sugar to Ants in the road side and even today when I have a chocolate, I throw some part of it in the bushes as I believe some Ants will be happy to have it.

Love you all,

Venkat

Disclaimer: Please do not try this at your work. I care for all of you and I don’t want you to be named fool or bitten. After I told the 7 points one of my friend added “And these Ants don’t know one stupid is researching them from morning”… he he