Of bumblebees and dung beetles | HAPPINESS | A way of looking at things

I came across a dung beetle yesterday. Certainly a good reason to update this report:

Surely you know the truism "There are two sides to every coin". - Do you also know the story of bumblebees and dung beetles?

Sure, everyone knows that they are both insects first and foremost. - But what is the main difference between them? I would say it's the focus, the view of the medal, or rather of the earth, their habitat. - The bumblebee rises proudly above the earth into the sky. Its entire perspective is focused on the expanse, on flowers and nectar.

Meanwhile, the dung beetle crawls across the damp ground. He struggles, ass first, his eyes fixed on the dirt. His focus is on the dirt and manure. That sucks, doesn't it? Sure, they're both making something, the bumblebee 🐝 honey 🍯 and the dung beetle? It rolls shit, er manure.

If you put a bumblebee on a toxic waste dump, it will either find the one flower that is blooming somewhere or set off as quickly as possible to find a flower meadow. If you put the dung beetle in a meadow with lush grass and full of flowers, it will find the pile left behind by some sheep, however small it may be.

Why am I telling you this? - Quite simply, I keep noticing that there are bumblebees and dung beetles among us humans. - Can you think of any examples?

But one thing makes us humans different. While these two insects are genetically focused on nectar or shit, we humans have a free choice. We have free will, at least in theory. We can change our point of view, or at least adopt a different perspective.

A bumblebee's life isn't just a bed of roses. From 6° it's time to get out to work. There's no complaining, it doesn't matter that the bees are still relaxed in the cold. Now they have to pollinate flowers for 18 hours a day. 3,000 to 4,000 flowers, day after day, no weekends, no paid overtime. Nothing! And for what? So that a dung beetle ends up being up to three times as old as you are!

The realist will surely remark that, statistically speaking, a pessimist is just as often right as an optimist. True, but it is also a fact that optimists lead happier lives. And who doesn't want to be happy? - I can't exactly call myself an optimist by nature. However, I am trying to become more and more of one every day. And let me tell you, I'm getting happier day by day. -

A small example of this: The last time we went shopping, Torgit forgot my milk. So if there was a question of guilt to be clarified, it would be easy to find 😉. - You have to know that I love my freshly frothed cappuccino and Torgit drinks oat milk. - Totally eco, right? Should I now focus on the fact that I'm not getting a cappuccino or on the fact that I get to drink the last cup of our delicious Van Dyck Café? All with a view of green mountains and valleys, sheep and olive groves. Better number two then, right? Sometimes it's the view that makes you happy.

 "Love it, Change it or Leave it" - Of course, not everyone can just quit their job to go traveling like we can. Not everyone can decide whether they want to do a job that fulfills them. Not everyone has a direct influence on whether they earn a lot of money or have a handsome pension. Not everyone can influence whether they are young or old, whether they are "trapped" in a healthy or ailing body. Not everyone can please their neighbors or anyone else. - Or as Torgit always says: "Even if you can walk on water, there's always someone who will ask you if you can't swim." - But everyone, really everyone, has the choice to choose their perspective. Perhaps this will also give you the freedom to free yourself from one or the other. - If not, maybe it just looks better.

Finally, I would like to take up the cudgels for our two insects. I think it's pretty cool, especially impressive, how such a well-formed bumblebee takes to the skies. Respect. Despite the bumblebee paradox, it flies, and how it flies. - My big sister has always loved bumblebees in particular - "When I grow up, I want a coat made of bumblebee fur".

And what about our dung beetle? The Geotrupidae also have a completely different side. - Not ants, but dung beetles are considered the strongest of all animals. They can pull thousands of times their body weight. This strength is a result of their exhausting mating battles. - Dung beetles seem to know what is worthwhile. - After all, they were already considered lucky charms in ancient Egypt.

Linking 'Flight Of The Bumblebee', Rimsky-Korsakov's Flight Of The Bumblebee, as a video for you now would be one view of the medal. - I prefer another ...