About a week ago, I was hanging out with a group of people and one of the guys said something so profound that I had to chew on it for a while.
He said, “in life you can either choose to be a housefly or bee.”
And he further went to explain it saying that houseflies are attracted by rot or something stinking while bees will always look for the flowers or something that has a fragrance.
As he kept on talking my mind couldn’t help but think about the behaviors of a housefly and bee.
Housefly
There are those blue houseflies which I look at and they just give me the creeps especially if they land on my food. That piece of food will be thrown out without hesitation because all I can think about is how they have contaminated that part.
Though I have to admit it, there are some real ninjas out there, a blue fly once landed in a friend’s beer. Unbothered, he dipped his fingers in the drink, got the fly out and shook off whatever beer was on it and continued to enjoy his drink.
Whenever I see something dead – there they are at the crime scene, investigating it as though their lives depend on it. Actually, come to think of it, I think their lives depend on it because how else will they survive?
It’s hard to see these flies around something beautiful like a flower but if they are then it’s probably because that flower is dying.
Bee
There was a time when I was planning to go check out a beehive and the guide told me not to wear cologne on the day of the visit. Honestly, I thought he was kidding until the moment a bee stung me.
He laughed at me and said, “I told you so. They are attracted by fragrances and sugars as well, that’s why you will notice them if you eating something sweet or sugary at your picnic.”
Bees are also drawn to plants with lots of pollen and nectar. The more the plant has, the more the bees. What’s interesting though is, if the plants or flower starts to die they will move on.
Bees are vital to our planet and environment because they help with the pollination of plants and produce what I consider to be a wonder, Honey.
Which Insect Are You?
The analogy of this guy’s statement was: in life, you can choose to focus on the negative or search for what is dying just like the housefly or you can focus on the good and produce honey like a bee.
It comes down to us as a people and what we choose to do. Is the content we share with others enriching? Are we lifting others up or it’s only about self?
I recently asked a friend what kind of insect are you and he said, “I’m both, call me a house bee.” Grey areas appeal to him and I totally got him because sometimes it is what it is.
In this era where being mean or a troll is considered to be cool by some people, the world could definitely use more bees. People who will speak and stand up against injustices, people who use their voice for the voiceless and people who are willing to serve others.
