In the Malaysian rainforests, a symbiotic relationship has been going on for millions of years between herdsman ants and mealybugs. The mealybugs chew on the leaves of certain plants and willfully share their honeydew with the ants. The ants in turn protect and care for the mealybugs, picking them up and carrying them to other leaves and trees when new sources of food are needed. The herdsman ants also accept the mealybugs into their nest, aiding them in the reproduction and care of their young. The mealybugs have been assimilated into the ant colony. Two different species have combined in a process of survival though it is obvious that the mealybugs are providing the fuel for the relationship.
Yes, the relationship is symbiotic, and each side is very content with its specific role. But this relationship developed over a very long time. We can be sure that there was a struggle for quite some time, many mealybugs not wanting to be subservient and share their food with ants. But natural selection prevailed and produced today’s relationship. Those mealybugs who did not share their food gradually died out as the ants became the ruling SN of their domain. This domain grew bigger and stronger over time with the help of the mealybugs who were subservient. But accretion is a normal part of nature and the universe. The herdsman ants and mealybugs are just another version. Sometimes it is benign and friendly, sometimes not.
As we will see, the same dynamic has been at work clearly and visibly in human civilization over the past 6,000 years or so. The IMPACTS have become the captured mealybugs to a very large degree though the process is still underway. And yes, it has been a struggle too and continues to be because all of the IMPACTS have not gone quietly. If we ever reach that state, there is little hope for the current human species. Why? Because the IMPACTS enable humanity to adapt to new conditions of any sort, and for this role they must possess an anti-status quo nature. The SN of humanity tries to control the expression of this nature, using it in measured ways.
The herdsman ants appear to understand their situation far better than we do ours, even though an ant’s brain is 1/40,000 the size of ours. How does one account for that? The ants know that the mealybugs are their sole source of energy, and they respond accordingly. The SN still does not know the origin of its energy, though it generally believes it is propagating it with its ‘enlightened policies’.
The herdsman ants and mealybugs have been living like this for millions of years because each understands its role–principally the ants know that they must care for their supply of energy, the mealybugs, in an efficient caring manner–and they do this for each and every one.
Now compare that with human beings. Our culture lets the “market” dictate who receives what. You can see why the ants and mealybugs have lasted for so long and why we will certainly not–unless we become more like the ants and start caring for our supply of energy–other people and the earth.