| Fantasy Fiction posted June 9, 2023 |
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A fable
The Queen Ant & the Worker Ant
by Jim Wile
“Your Majesty?”
“What is it that brings you here to interrupt my beauty sleep so late at night?” said the queen of the ant colony to the lowly worker ant.
“I noticed a large tent being constructed by men not 10 yards from our colony. We appear to be in the direct path of the stakes they are driving into the ground to support their tent. I’m afraid that if we don’t move by morning, we will be in grave danger of a stake being driven through the heart of our colony. The men seem to have ceased work for the day.”
“I suppose you are right. That’s the fourth such report I’ve heard in the last half hour. I want you to spread the word to the other worker ants to begin digging a new colony over by the sweetgum trees.”
“But ma’am, the soil is very clayey over there. It is much sandier and easier to excavate a little farther away.”
“I don’t care. I want a colony that will be shaded by trees. It’s too hot in here when we are out in the open.”
“Ma’am, we don’t have much time—only tonight. I fear we won’t be done in time.”
“Work faster then. Now go!”
So, the worker ant spread the word, and all the workers began excavating a new colony beneath the sweetgum trees. The work was arduous as the soil was very heavy, but by 4:00 AM, they had dug enough to house the queen’s burrow and a few others. It was time for her to move.
When the worker ant who had reported the tent told the queen of the great progress they had made working through the night, the queen said, “Did you make my burrow extra spacious? This present one is far too small.”
“The new one is about the size of this one, ma’am. We felt we needed to hurry.”
“Go back and make it larger. If we are moving, it might as well be to a larger, more comfortable abode.”
The worker ant hurried away to instruct the other workers to make the queen’s burrow larger. An hour later she returned to inform the queen that her burrow was half again as large, and the sky was beginning to lighten.
“Have you lined my burrow with smooth pebbles? The walls of the current one are far too rough for my smooth carapace."
“No ma’am. It is similar to this burrow.”
“Then go back and find smooth pebbles to line it with. No sense moving into the same sort of place that we find here if we are bothering to move.”
“But ma’am, I fear that the men will begin work very soon, and we must be out of here lest a stake be driven right through, killing many.”
“You worry too much. I have watched these men before, and they are slackers compared to my worker ants. Be off! You are wasting time arguing about it.”
An hour later the worker ant was back. “Ma’am, your burrow has been lined with the smoothest pebbles we could find. Please, we must move immediately, for the sun has made its morning appearance and there are signs of activity among the men.”
“One more thing,” said the queen. “Have you built an extra-tall entry mound? We want it to be distinctive looking so that outsider ants won’t bumble into our colony by mistake.”
“Your Majesty, I implore you to move before it is too late. We can build the extra-tall entry mound after we have moved.”
“Silence! If we wait until then, other priorities will doubtless prevent us from ever completing that. I want to do it now while we are busy with this single task. Not another word—now go!”
The little worker ant trudged away to tell her fellow workers of the newest task. When it was completed, she trudged back to tell the queen. She was exhausted and barely made it back, but when she did, there was no longer a queen’s burrow, for a giant metal stake now occupied the place where the burrow had been. The queen was no more; her endless delays had sealed her fate beneath a tent stake driven through the heart of her realm.
Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good.
“Your Majesty?”
“What is it that brings you here to interrupt my beauty sleep so late at night?” said the queen of the ant colony to the lowly worker ant.
“I noticed a large tent being constructed by men not 10 yards from our colony. We appear to be in the direct path of the stakes they are driving into the ground to support their tent. I’m afraid that if we don’t move by morning, we will be in grave danger of a stake being driven through the heart of our colony. The men seem to have ceased work for the day.”
“I suppose you are right. That’s the fourth such report I’ve heard in the last half hour. I want you to spread the word to the other worker ants to begin digging a new colony over by the sweetgum trees.”
“But ma’am, the soil is very clayey over there. It is much sandier and easier to excavate a little farther away.”
“I don’t care. I want a colony that will be shaded by trees. It’s too hot in here when we are out in the open.”
“Ma’am, we don’t have much time—only tonight. I fear we won’t be done in time.”
“Work faster then. Now go!”
So, the worker ant spread the word, and all the workers began excavating a new colony beneath the sweetgum trees. The work was arduous as the soil was very heavy, but by 4:00 AM, they had dug enough to house the queen’s burrow and a few others. It was time for her to move.
When the worker ant who had reported the tent told the queen of the great progress they had made working through the night, the queen said, “Did you make my burrow extra spacious? This present one is far too small.”
“The new one is about the size of this one, ma’am. We felt we needed to hurry.”
“Go back and make it larger. If we are moving, it might as well be to a larger, more comfortable abode.”
The worker ant hurried away to instruct the other workers to make the queen’s burrow larger. An hour later she returned to inform the queen that her burrow was half again as large, and the sky was beginning to lighten.
“Have you lined my burrow with smooth pebbles? The walls of the current one are far too rough for my smooth carapace."
“No ma’am. It is similar to this burrow.”
“Then go back and find smooth pebbles to line it with. No sense moving into the same sort of place that we find here if we are bothering to move.”
“But ma’am, I fear that the men will begin work very soon, and we must be out of here lest a stake be driven right through, killing many.”
“You worry too much. I have watched these men before, and they are slackers compared to my worker ants. Be off! You are wasting time arguing about it.”
An hour later the worker ant was back. “Ma’am, your burrow has been lined with the smoothest pebbles we could find. Please, we must move immediately, for the sun has made its morning appearance and there are signs of activity among the men.”
“One more thing,” said the queen. “Have you built an extra-tall entry mound? We want it to be distinctive looking so that outsider ants won’t bumble into our colony by mistake.”
“Your Majesty, I implore you to move before it is too late. We can build the extra-tall entry mound after we have moved.”
“Silence! If we wait until then, other priorities will doubtless prevent us from ever completing that. I want to do it now while we are busy with this single task. Not another word—now go!”
The little worker ant trudged away to tell her fellow workers of the newest task. When it was completed, she trudged back to tell the queen. She was exhausted and barely made it back, but when she did, there was no longer a queen’s burrow, for a giant metal stake now occupied the place where the burrow had been. The queen was no more; her endless delays had sealed her fate beneath a tent stake driven through the heart of her realm.
Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good.
 Recognized |
The inspiration for this fable came from a project I once worked on as an IT guy. We had completed a 3-year-long development of an automated Customer Information System, and a fully functional system was ready for installation, but the Customer Information department manager kept stalling and holding out for more and more features to be added because she was afraid they would never be done in a Phase 2. (She was wrong about that.)
Aside from the frustration this caused us and the lost productivity the new system promised, no lasting harm was done by waiting. A company director finally took charge of the project then and insisted it be implemented immediately without any further stalling, much to the relief of the IT department who was getting sick of waiting.
This experience also served to prove the Fallacy of Aristotle, which is: "An external force is required to keep a body in uniform motion."
Pays
one point
and 2 member cents. Aside from the frustration this caused us and the lost productivity the new system promised, no lasting harm was done by waiting. A company director finally took charge of the project then and insisted it be implemented immediately without any further stalling, much to the relief of the IT department who was getting sick of waiting.
This experience also served to prove the Fallacy of Aristotle, which is: "An external force is required to keep a body in uniform motion."
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