"Sadder still, all identical by default and so ingrained in their genetic make-up. The tragedy for me as mortal is that they cannot change, they must continue to wear the armor they were born with, perform a role already defined.
How both a blessing and a curse At least they know what their role is going to be from life to death...dvh"

Dawn, I find this bit above so very frightening; especially from someone as near enlightened as you; at times I would suspect or have suspected a racist mindset; gestures, things you'd say; not that you are not free to it; as it is you who have to live with it; and against such things we must each manufacture our own insulation and carry our shields or know how to disregard; so certainly you're free to it.

Then again it might not be based upon race at all because what race are you of or do you have or I, apart from the human race to which we all belong.

Maybe it is just good, old delusions of grandeur; imagining yourself, deep down and in your head, to be all a dis; all a dat; while at the same time, in the same breath, assuming others to be lesser mortals.

It cannot be that they are as splendidly made as I, you'd imply. You'd do this it seems, unwittingly. This is when and where, exasperated, abruptly, I used to end the conversation.

Once you e-mailed back after we'd rung off to ask: "What did I do? What did I say?" seeming entirely unaware.

Suggesting what you do regarding ants here, is for me a more extreme fallacy and even bigger nonsense than: "All Chinese look alike" or "All black people look alike" or "All white people look alike".

To imagine that there are no differences in character among ants because you are incapable of observing them, is the very same as ants or some other species imagining that Bahamians or human beings are all the same and are all doing the same routine.

What I do wish to grant you though, is that this latter conclusion might be entirely so, entirely correct only among us, with our different jobs, professions, churches; believers and nonbelievers; nationalities, classes; poverty, wealth; we imagine our differences are vast, are infinitely varied. These might very well all amount to but extremely minor differences. And what you imagine to be the situation among ants might be quite exact for us.

Among ants though, or any other species, maggots, flies, buffalos, termites, bacteria, viruses, mosquitoes, they too have their churches; their Hasties, Hannas, Thynes, Butlers, Smiths; their clashes, their parties, their conflicts.