The ants go marching one by one hoorah, hoorah, the ants go marching one by one hoorah, hoorah, the ants go marching one by one, the little stops to suck his thumb and they all go marching down, to the ground, to get out of the rain, boom boom boom.
It is ant season once again, and apparently, there are teeny tiny, Welcome, signs hanging out side of our home, because the little cuties are coming in, in droves. While I admire and appreciate the industrious nature of ants, I prefer them as outdoor critters, as opposed to finding them on counter tops, or clamouring in and around couches, where snack crumbs are want to hide. Ants aren't particular about where they get their food, they will take it from whence they find it, and I always grin when I think of their unstoppable inclinations to carry on with the work of gathering, even when some of them go mysteriously missing after being disposed of, by irritated humans that don't enjoy their army ant invasions!
Now, I have to confess the reason for writing this blog, and I ask early for your forgiveness as I forge my way into a comparison between ants and some humans, knowing full well that humans are created in the image of God, and ants are one of the Master's adorable reminders, that we are to be about our business in this world, not resting on our laurels, and wasting the time he has allotted each one of us while we walk the earth. Here is my guilty confession: I compare ants this morning, to shamelessly excessive, obsessive, obnoxious, persistent, annoying, relentless, intrusive, and empty minded tele and email marketers. Daily I am inundated with unwelcome calls and emails. One solicitor had the audacity to schedule a coaching session with me, and when I followed up to confirm the session date and time, the person shared that they had to be "transparent" about their reason for booking the time with me: the person had a proposal, in other words, I was a potential cash cow, and it wasn't my services they were interested in, it was my money in exchange for the great things they could do to promote my work... I ask you, dear one, How can relationship be built on an upfront lie? Does a person with one iota of understanding, actually believe that they will be trusted, after falsely presenting themselves, and misleading the one they have targeted to do business with? Just before starting this piece of writing, an email popped up on my screen from yet another, seller of marketing goods...
Now, here is the crux of the matter. Many marketers sell tchotchkes... items that are not functional, and are merely decorative, or in the case of ugly tchotchkes, items that are utterly a waste of money, plus, an insult to the senses; things one might shutter to look at. Tele and email marketers sell non-tangibles when they push promotion for say, a book I published that is no longer available for sale, or services I provide as a coach, or growing my instagram following, by boosting here there and everywhere, in a saturated market where people become famous for eating entire pizzas the size of a small flat earth planet, in front of their phone cameras. I can't compete for market share with people displaying these grotesque gluttonous behaviours, nor do I want to! My point is this: my work is a calling, and the people that want to help me empty my pockets and promote me in my calling, actually don't have a calling at all: I dare declare, that these people are a plague on our society; they are parasitic, and when I see one has called or emailed, I think of the descriptive word, pariah, outcasts that have not a clue how to live a meaningful and purposeful life, because they make a paycheque as unwelcome, unwanted pests, that have never been invited in.
You may be thinking, everybody is selling something, and I will say this in response, Not so, this is simply not so. There is work to do, and there are workers to complete tasks, and we each play a role in what must be done. You and I make garbage, and there are men that pick-up that garage from our curbs, and man alive, I am so grateful for their efforts! You and I eat food, and there are stores that sell edibles to us, and again, my gratitude abounds daily for God's blessings - but really, do I really have to have nonstop, all day long, incoming messages from hundreds of humans with empty offers that do nothing for me, my body, my family, my soul? How, pray tell, can they waste their days, being ignored, hung up on, blocked... doesn't this hurt their ego, their heart, their very being, knowing they are doing nothing to contribute to society, and knowing too, that when they catch a fish on the baited hook they cast, that the fish will end up poorer for having believed business would boom after being "marketed"?
The ants go marching two by two hoorah, hoorah, the ants go marching two by two hoorah, hoorah, the ants go marching two by two, the little one stops to tie his shoe, and they all go marching down, to the ground, to get out of the rain, boom boom boom.
Ants work for each other and by doing so, they work effectively for themselves. Every ant that finds a dot or dusting of food, carries it to the family or colony, to share. Watching ants communicate with one another and perform their duties as a crew, is fascinating.
Proverbs 30:24-25
There are four things which are little upon the earth, but they are exceeding wise: The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer.
Proverbs 6:6-8
Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise: which having no guide, overseer, or ruler, provideth her meat in the summer, and gathering her food in the harvest.
I can only imagine how empty, hopeless, and sad a life must be, when spent on nothingness, when exhausted daily, on fruitless endeavours that leave the soul devoid of meaning and purpose. Tele and email marketers are sluggards that have yet to dive deeply and discover their calling. God made each human with a divine design, meaning he made us to serve one another and by doing so, we feed ourselves too! We aren't to scam our way into someone else's schedule, or promise to promote them for pay, knowing full well, that there are no guarantees that can be made, that marketing another will bring them business success. When I work with a client, it is for their benefit, and it just so happens that I receive payment in compensation for the services I provide. The give and take is an even Steven exchange, and it feels clean on both sides of the equation.
Sigh... I am done now, with the bare bum spanking of shameless solicitors. My hope for them is that they realize they only have one life to live, and wouldn't it be grand, if when their numbered days were done, they met their Maker, and he said, Well done, good and faithful servant... rather than you sluggard, you wasted the talents I bestowed, get thee away, from me.
The ants go marching three by three hoorah, hoorah, the ants go marching three by three hoorah, hoorah, the ants go marching three by three, the little one stops to scratch his knee, and they all go marching down, to the ground, to get out of the rain, boom boom boom.
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