Ant's Legacy in Understanding Finance

ANTS!!!! Why can't most people be like them? Or should I say, why can't I be like those lowly creatures in understanding finance. As simple as that. But attaining it will lead me to the humps and bumps on the road to what we call success.

Well, partly, I'm imitating my little friends to have financial security. As much as I can, I see to it that I have savings in my bank account and cash on my wallet that I can use anytime when spending money for food, clothes, internet and loads for my cellular phone. Since I'm on vacation from my work overseas as a sailor, I joined HubPages to have a passive income for now and enjoy writing that interests me as well.

Observing ants on a daily basis will reveal the foundation of financial education, we human beings are aiming for perfection but cannot attain. We should always remember the Great Depression, the 2009-2010 World Economic Crash?

Ants have a nose for their prospects, as in food and place to establish their kingdom for the safety of their Queen Ant.

One ant colony, usually composed of thousands of inhabitants are divided into workers, soldiers and those who are taking care of the Queen, mostly female ants that continue to nourish newlyborn baby ants. If you've watched the animated movie, ANTZ, the roles of those who are in the colony can also be compared to people per se.

Worker ants mostly gather food; they leave scents or pheromones on their path from their kingdom up to the location of the food (bits of bread crumbs, etc.). These trails become visible after the rain and they will follow it again for food hunting or add more to gain more food prospects. The amazing about these little creatures is that they can carry 20 thousand times  than their own weight. I also read about ants taking care of aphids because of their sweet secretions (Wow!).

The real deal is those soldiers ants are ready to bite your feet, once you get near to their ant hill. I usually get irritated by it whenever I cut grasses at our backyard. Once, I sprinkled brown sugar just to stop them from biting me; it worked.

Gathering of food happened during summer, and you cannot see them most of the rainy season.

Really, ants abide with the laws of nature. The intricacies of jiving our lives with the flows of our environment (social aspects and all) can be longer and harder than we expect it to be.

I don't think we will be like grasshoppers who are flambouyant insects that only enjoy their existence but never save for the rainy days. The fable about two friends: ant and grasshopper, should serve a lesson to people who usually end up on the streets as mendicants and beggars because they didn't saved enough for their life's security later.

If you have an ant's mentality, you have what it takes to have financial security in life.

 Ants didn't need an alarm-equipped money vault to save their income as in food parcels, etc. Examining an ant hill will reveal that the different chambers have a food storage, too! The Queen's chamber is at its safest place. If only she can double their food, only she can increase the number of her colony.

Worker ants serve as employee/customer of the colony/bank. They gather and store the food they get for the day. They do it everyday, untilthe only excuse to stop working or hibernate for awhile is the the coming of rainy season/winter time. Most of the items at the storage/bank vault are organics. They have sealed it with their saliva to prolong its shelf life. They only consume little bits of the crumbs as their interest. The economic stability depends on these vigorous ant workers who tirelessly contribute to the colony. Their payments/salaries = sweet nectars from flowers or even aphids' sweet secretions.

Soldier ants  act as security personnel for the colony. With potential invaders around them, like humans and fellow insects, they are ready to save their kingdom even if it cost their lives.

Queen ant stands for the country. The economic stability of the colony is never measured to the queen's ability to reproduce but to the worker ants who are tirelessly contributing to the food security of the colony.

Although, they dont worry about other things aside from food and the rain and human invasion, ants way of life mirrored a perfect example for a financial stability.

Important factors to consider in order to have financial security is education (whether in the academe or just being streetsmart) and the drive or focus (courage or enthusiasm) to accomplish something in life.

 We are thinking animals, that's why humans should not be compared to animals. The latter usually acts based from their instinct. For example, dogs can remember those who are good at them and those who are not. Just like ants, their behavior is just a product of their instinct to follow the path for available food near their colony.

The business sector is now applying the ants colony system to measure the progress of one's business or even predict its bankruptcy. So, what I'm saying before is not just a work of my vivid imagination. Even professionals, financial authorities, are now applying the behavior of ants when foraging for food.

Human foraging and ants swarming for food can be observed at similar level. But the big difference is that we are thinking, whenever we look for food or I may say jobs to provide us food and financial comfort. Unlike them, ants usually swarm to the food location because they smell it. They act based on instinct.

ANTS' Swarm intelligence versus HUMAN's Social intelligence...the difference is very BIG. Ants belong to the lower animal kingdom while humans dominate them. With this perception, our knowledge is more advanced than them; but we are looking at them as model for a stable businesses or secured finances. Ridiculous but it's true. The simplicity of ants' life is now being honed to collaborate with the complex existence of humans in this world.

I'm not an expert with things about finances but to keep you hook on this subject, let me link you with this topic on ants colony system to broaden your understanding.

 It's no longer a fable or a myth...the reality is larger than the bulge of my eyes.

I can compare myself with groups of ants foraging at HubPages. With the lure of monetization of hubs, I eagerly joined the mob and contributed more than 300 hubs to date.

Yes, I did receive my first payout. I was excited; spent it wisely (as stated on my other hub for the New Year).

And yet, I'm still like one of the ants, ready to forage another payout for the next two months or more. I still can smell the scent of another threshold that I will be attaining and I want to be back there again.

Swarming on HubPages is becoming the word-of-mouth these days. From family, friends or even fre-nemies (between friends and enemies), more and more are encourage to join this viirtual writing community and establish their niches here, whether to be a serious or commercial writer or function as both.

The smell of money is here. It's up to us to use those available resources: hub tools, affiliates and backlinks. Then as you go on writing, you can create an identity of your own.

Kidding aside, there are many kinds of hubber. Stay-at-home moms, college students, business owners, environmentalists, educators and ordinary people, like me, converge at HubPages with goals like, contributing ideas that will benefit most of the people around the world.

With many topics being offered to be developed, unlimited possibilities will be realized here.

Unless, you want to become one of the grasshoppers.

Can I re-tell it as I've heard and read way back elementary grades? Well, allow me to refresh your memories with this kind of bedtime stories.

One summer day, the Grasshopper was busy hopping from leaf to leaf of nearby trees; then, after getting tired, he retired at the nearest shade. When he came across with his friend Ant who's busy carrying loads and loads of food, to and fro from the source to his home.

Grasshopper: "Hey, bro! Why can't you be like me? Enjoying the summer for FUN, FUN, FUN!"

Ant: "I'm sorry to disappoint you brother, but I am doing it because winter time is fast approaching. So, I better be prepared for the long lean months of cold and hunger."

Grashopper: Whoa! But that's far away yet. You better come with me and let's jam for a good time."

Ant: "Sorry, bro. But I can't."

The ant continued his routine for a month, until winter came. The grasshopper was unprepared for the change of season. He scrambled for shelter near ant's house. Until, he can no longer bear the cold and hunger, he knocked at Ant's front door. The ant opened the small window.

Grasshopper: (trembling) "Brrr...bro, can you have spare room and extra food for me? I-I-I-m-m d-d-d-ying..."

Ant: (with pity) "Okay, come in. What did I say to you? You're my friend. You can stay here until spring."

Thankfully, the Grasshopper promised that he'll change his attitude. He'll be like his friend Ant. Saving for the winter or rainy days.

That's what this fable story ended. But nature prevails. Ants are stll saving for cold weather but grasshopper still continue to hop and live flambouyantly.