Look at an anthill. Very regimented. Each little individual has its place in the ant universe. Find food and take it back to the hill. Feed the Queen Ant. Be a good little soldier ant.

But they have no brains…they run on instinct, as do all insects. And the different species feed on each other. It’s a jungle out there, be it at anthill Ground Zero when Mr. Anteater arrives for lunch or over at the Honeybee house when Mr. Bruin gets a hankering for some desert.

Not like us humans.

WE have big brains and can think in complex trains of thought and make meaningful decisions. We have opposable thumbs and can create tools. The world is ours. We rock.

But look again. From a distance.

The human anthill looks strangely familiar. It’s a jungle down there. Some of the little humans lead humdrum lives, going about their business in a predictable fashion. Others are hell-bent on destroying “enemy” anthills. Some anthills are healthy with all members contributing while others are sickly with more taking than giving. Others are burdened with too many aged and malformed individuals.

In nature, when something is weak or ill it dies.

Is it possible that is what is happening to the human species?

Been wondering about this for some time. I’m not a dooms-dayer…generally a positive person with a love of life and the people around me.

But lately I look and see how dysfunctional the (human) world has become and I wonder…

Is this a built-in culling system Mother Nature set in place to prevent or slow down total destruction of the ecosystem? Are we really taking ourselves down as a species? Step back – way back and look at our existence as a scientist would, looking at an anthill.

There are some pretty tell-tale signs. Entire groups of people refusing to cooperate for the common good, each claiming their side is right. Other groups attempting to take down entire cultures because their belief system is different. One country deciding its system of government is what every country should have.

The voices of some little humans are becoming more and more strident as they proclaim their right to rule and tell others how to live while other humans turn away and recede from the process in disgust, leaving leadership to the loonies.

We are building momentum towards…..what?

And also built into this little para-box are pandemics we keep suppressing. Could these be good ole Mom’s way to culling the herd to make way for stronger stock? Are we thwarting Mother Nature enough to get her REALLY mad? With something we CAN’T control?

Frankly I don’t know…I’m just a simple old retired newsie speculating. But I sure hope the genetic material I passed on (with my loving husband’s help) to my children survives whatever is stalking us.

(although I suspect the stalker is none other than ourselves…)