Is a little old ant a sentient being?

 

(Photo by Stephen Ausmus)

There’s a well-known song titled “High Hopes” which tells of a “little old ant” that can “think” about moving a rubber tree plant.  Lyricist Sammy Kahn goes on to attribute a capacity for “high hopes” to this very same creature.

Whether an ant can “think” and even “hope” remains debatable, but whether an ant qualifies as a sentient being is becoming way more acceptable. 

In 1991 the Institute for Medical Ethics (IME) drew up a list of criteria for sentience that has been instrumental in establishing animal welfare policies.  This list includes the following: receptors sensitive to noxious stimuli, behavioral follow-ups to avoid such pain, plus receptivity to analgesics. 

Anyone who’s tried to noxiously discourage an army of invading ants could affirm the presence of these IME criteria within the ants’ responses!  Add a version of “High Hopes” to the mix as they desperately flee from human attacks…

 

Resources

https://academic.oup.com/book/57949/chapter/475704868#workid-UKAC0026318-book-part-17-boxed-text-1

Getting a Word in Edgewise

(Public Domain)

There are medicalized labels for all sorts of tendencies these days.  The heretofore “blabby motormouth” is now said to be a “conversational narcissist.”  (Discerning readers are likely wondering which is worse…) 

Suggested remedies are as plentiful as silver-tongued pronouncements, and HuffPost has plenty of both.  If you’re caught between a loquacious rock and a verbose hard place, here are some of its esteemed pointers: stay in touch with your own feelings as they’re arising, try not to take the situation too personally, recall the speaker's better tendencies, empathetically communicate when you feel the need to talk, and set an internal limit on how long you will continue with this one-sided pattern. 

Resources

https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/other/how-to-deal-with-a-conversational-narcissist/

  

Something Fishy

Count d'Artagnon
(Public Domain)

“Rest in peace” does not necessarily apply to all deceased beings.  Nor does privacy.  Even one’s bodily remains can be subject to probing investigations.

One of the famed Musketeers, Count d’Artagnon,“was killed during the siege of Maastricht in 1673.” You’d think that within all this time his final resting place would be known.  But it’s not.

This makes some folks all the more determined to figure things out.  Archaeologist Wim Dijkman therefore scooped up some bones from a suspected site within the nave of a Dutch church. He  neglected to follow precise methodology and may have limited all chances of knowing for sure.

But wait, there’s a clue!  Analysis of these very bones revealed a diet that had greatly favored salt-water fish. This is not congruent with the locations in France that the Count had often lived in. 

Yet some believe that there’s still hope!  Hope never dies, even though the hardiest of swashbucklers inevitably do.

 Resources

 https://www.yahoo.com/news/science/articles/bones-contention-more-research-needed-092600384.html

One woman's trash...

UNREAL
(Photo by Hubert555)

Okay, so you’re a Taylor Swift fan.  Not a problem.  But when “fan” lives up to its abbreviation for “fanatic,” things start to feel downright creepy.

In the aftermath of Swift’s Madison Square Garden wedding, a so-called “artist” gathered up trash from the surrounding walkways and sold batches of it online for $25 apiece.  These sealed-up "tangential" momentos included “bottle caps, ring pop candy, police caution tape, [and] straws.”  Worse yet, they’re being billed as “sculptures.”

Customers of such have been known as “Swifties,” due to their undying worship of this alleged “Queen of Pop.”  However, it might be far more swift to worship that which is truly Undying.

Resources

https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/celebrity/articles/taylor-swift-fans-pay-25-210245224.html

 

  

We used to just call it hinting around...

(Public Domain)

It seems as though things have taken a turn for the dramatic, especially insofar as language is concerned.  What used to be simply called “hinting around” is now dubbed “dry begging.”

The very phrase “dry begging” conjures up images of extreme hunger and thirst. We’re talking the very bottom of Maslow's pyramid rather than just a fatigued spouse who’d rather not tackle the evening dishes.

In the latter case, one partner might sigh out loud, “Gee, that pillow’s looking mighty inviting…”  The other half then has a choice: He or she can make a beeline for the dishwasher or simply reply, “I’m feeling exhausted myself, how about helping out with this one last act of mercy before diving between the sheets?”

Direct communication can often avert cumulative resentments. When wants or needs are stated calmly and clearly, negotiations can more fairly proceed. “Dry begging” would then be reserved for dire situations that far transcend life’s everyday blips.  

Resources

https://www.msn.com/en-us/lifestyle/love-sex/what-is-dry-begging-in-a-relationship-a-therapist-explains/rk

 

Ex Marks the Spot

(Huastec Sculpture, c. 250-900 CE)

On again, off again, on again, off again…  It’s becoming a THING within certain circling circles.

We’re talking relationships.  Ones that break up only to make up.  Ones that eventually last - only after repeated trials and errors.

Some warn against this, saying: “Your ex is an ex for a reason!” But perhaps the reason is also you.  And perhaps you were brought together in the first place in order to learn from one another’s rough edges.  And perhaps no great thing is ever accomplished without a bunch of persistent tries.

John Lennon declared that karma is sometimes instant.  Although that may seem the case, it’s more likely that what seems instant is only the tip of a long-developing saga.

So buckle up and ride those waves.  Love is more of a slow burn than a hot little number. Some relationships may indeed run their karmic course in a hurry, yet others may need LOTS of practice in order to bear spiritual fruit. 

Resources

https://www.msn.com/en-us/lifestyle/love-sex/inside-the-rise-of-the-circular-relationship/

 

 

When it's your time...

Self-Portrait
(Johann Zoffany, c. 1776)

The very thing that you think will protect you might be the very thing that gets you in the end.

Umbrellas were designed to keep us safe from the sun’s burning rays and the rain’s drenching drops.  They are often attached to outdoor dining tables.

So there was nothing unusual about Dana Weinger’s seating on a restaurant patio overlooking Lake Marion in South Carolina. She and her husband were enjoying an evening meal when a gust of wind suddenly appeared.

It knocked over a nearby umbrella which then struck Dana's ”head and neck area.”  Help arrived soon, but not soon enough.  She was ”pronounced dead at the scene.”

There’s a Parable of the Ten Bridesmaids in Matthew 25 that warns of such occurrences and urges folks to prepare in advance. We’re not talking bullet-proof vests and helmets, we’re talking spiritual “dress rehearsals.” 

Although folks often plan for worldly events, they tend to ignore otherworldly ones.  Death will surely come, we just don’t know when.  An ongoing practice of soul-searching can therefore serve us well when the hourglass empties.

Resources

https://www.iheart.com/content/2026-05-26-patio-umbrella-killed-woman-while-she-was-dining-at-outdoor-restaurant/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parable_of_the_Ten_Virgins