a lesson from the ants

it's amazing how differently each of us perceives our reality. even two people from the same cultural background that have the same demographic information will still come to a completely different conclusion about a mutually observed event. really incredible how unique we are.

recognizing and embracing this diversity provides many unique insights that would otherwise go unnoticed by our biased viewpoint. so these differing perspectives can actually bring unity rather than divide us. one interesting fact i read recently in a scientific journal was the phenomena of south american ants migration to europe (most likely via ships that trade between the continents). these ants that, in their own environment are very fierce and territorial. they will attack other ant colonies; their very nature is warlike. however, when these same ants come to a new world (ironic in this case the old world is that new world), they become very cooperative with each other and the naturally resident ants. something in them changes. it's not that they are different ants. it's that they are in a new environment. they, by necessity, must change in order to continue to survive. they have to build their networks, rather than destroy them.

there is no question that for peaceful interaction there must be a common language spoken. this may not always be an actually oral language, but it is a common bond. this common bond must lead to some form of communication between the existing parties. for without this communication the differences will be misunderstood by the opposite party. for example, i was speaking with a man from sri lanka tonight. he told me that before he met an american, he thought that all americans were violent and would kill you or beat you as soon as look at you. therefore, he had always been terrified of meeting an american. however, as he was forced to interact with americans, he found that his false beliefs were not entirely true. in this case, communication between the opposing groups must take place for any difference to be solved.

in most cases, the form of communication that develops is an oral language. it is very rare that both sides will learn the language of the other. so it becomes necessary, with few exceptions, for the immigrant to assimilate in this small area to learn the dominant language of the culture. in our american history, there have been many immigrant groups that have been forced to assimilate. in fact, this is most likely the driving force behind our own typically american prejudices. we (or to be truthful, in most cases, our parents or our parents parents, etc) had to assimilate. therefore, they must also. as americans, we think that because we pulled ourselves up by our bootstraps, so must everyone else. this, however, is far from what has traditionally made us a great nation. we are great because of our diversity. we are like those ants. we came to a new world and had to cooperate to continue our existence.

now, we have become like the ants before they left south america. they were territorial. that is how we have become. we fight over what we think is "ours". we will not even peacefully coexist with others who have a similar perspective as us, and certainly not with someone who disagrees. that is why we see a democrat and a republican duking it out. a republican-controlled congress will oppose legislation purely because it is democrat, and vice versa. we see a country which can no longer cooperate.

what if we were to appreciate the differences in others? what if we were to stop thinking of them as opponents (which i even caught myself almost writing "opponent in the last sentence) and think of them as fellow americans? we don't have to agree on every point. in fact, we shouldn't, but we should be willing to peacefully coexist. we must be willing to interact in a manner that will lead to cooperation rather than enmity. what if we recognize that our american history is rife with examples of newbies coming to a new world and by necessity learning to appreciate others' distinct and unique perspectives? what if we were to realize that this is exactly what made america great?

what if we were to take a lesson from the ants?

Proverbs 6:6-8 and 30:24-25