Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Brave little bugs

Today at work I parked next to a bush, and at some point during the day, a little bug began the climb up the hood of my car, and all then up onto the windshield - which he was about halfway across when I got in and started driving.

Unfortunately, in my distracted state, I didn't notice the little traveller until I was almost at home - which means this brave little bug held on to a slanted window at speeds in excess of 90km per hour. And I find that very impressive.

Why do I find that impressive? Aside from the obvious physical strain of hanging on (most people, in our grand gangly way, would have slid off and gone tumbling down the road) I am mostly impressed by the design that allowed the bug to continue his journey of discovery. It's hard to imagine that God (or nature, depending on what you believe) could have foreseen the need for such an ability, since there's very little in nature that's likely to suddenly accelerate to highway speed (unless by some strange chance you find yourself clinging to a cheetah - but even in that unlikely scenario, you've still got better handholds) and so I find it incredible that the insect world has: a) included this ability just in case trees someday develop engines, or b) adapted over time to the fast paced auto world for the same purposes as us - to get to other places.

Option b is probably the more likely of the two - in which case I'd like to say kudo's to evolution for making a true art of hitchhiking, and a big way to go to the little bug that could for bravely (though possibly not purposely) seeking out new worlds, greener grasses, higher elevation and giving me a true moment of amazement that something so small could do something so big.

1 comment:

  1. There is a children's book in this, you know? 'The Little Bug That Could', or something. I can imagine the illustrations now - remember the Hungry Hungry Caterpillar? Something along those lines.

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