It's not often that something I read just floors me philosophically and metaphysically. I'm old enough to be quite jaded and skeptical of the vacuous crap that passes for knowledge or information these days on TeeVee and the Internet. Four Point Five billion years of evolution, and we are fixated on some stupid college football player's inability to figure out that his online girlfriend doesn't exist, and still fire bullets or drones (a step up, kinda, from throwing rocks or feces instead), when disagreeing with another human's religion, philosophy, politics, or resource needs. What a waste of neural energy.
But then, there's this article, denoting how the so-called "lowly" dung beetle navigates via the Milky Way Galaxy. Just can't get it out of my mind. The "lowly" dung beetle, navigating his/her waste ball, like Sisyphus uphill, via being cognizant of a frickin' GALAXY. That's so cosmic as to make me want to try and smoke my flat screen. I mean, BILLIONS of stars, guiding this little critter's attempts to "roll it." The implications, while straight, are still amazing.
Think of the number of talking heads we see every day who's major focus in life are shiny lights, handheld devices, American Idol, and pretty colors. And this INSECT is navigating by way of viewing a GALAXY.
Eat your heart out, SIRI... sure, the dung beetle's got a tough job (probably non-union), but how unbelievably elegant in execution, dedication, and precision. I mean, I can't navigate my way through Baltimore unless my GPS is working... makes me feel kinda, well, small.... and insignifisect (yeah, just made that word up... insignificant intersecting insect... homage to Dungy).
And despite our so-called and so-vaunted collective intellect, we only now figured this dung beetle's efforts out (or so we think... what else is going on in this cunning critter? just what are they planning? why so many balls?).
I'm very concerned, as well as totally awed.
ADDENDUM: the Egyptian View of this "Insect God"