Aren't flies the most annoying thing?
It seems like a petty thought at first, but when the thought is broken down, it suddenly becomes apparent that the mere existence of flies is simply to annoy the ever loving piss out of you. The fly does not serve any sufficient means of usefulness, the fly does not aid to the planet, the fly doesn't even look appealing. Bug eyed (no pun intended), monochrome palette, desperate for attention, overpopulated, flies are just...abrasive. There can be no one single person on this Earth that does not see this aggravating creature as a nuisance. How pitiful for a creature to feel utterly useless, receiving the short end of the stick in the evolutionary chain. Simply labeled a louse.
But how are flies one of the most inspiring entities we know of?
The life cycle of a typical housefly lasts anywhere from two weeks to a month. To some, this case may bring even more evidence to the uselessness of a fly. However, imagine living as a fly, born from the start as a mere insect, confined to such a short amount of time to live. This thought brings forth the question as well: are flies capable of consciousness? Of course not, a bug cannot produce the same complexity of thought that human beings possess the capabilities of doing, but there certainly must be something that drives these flies to behave in the manner that they do. Frantically buzzing about, careening in a mesh of flight, escaping the plight of swatting hands, desperately attempting a shot at life, and a short one at that. When analyzed from a different point of view, a comical fly suddenly becomes a courageous hero who simply wants to do what any other creature desires to do: live a full life. That phrase is important because it allows us to ask the same questions:
Are we living the same way as flies do?
Although the life cycle of a human is much longer than that of a fly, this could potentially spoil the opportunity that we have in our own lives. Is 75 years of life too generous? Are we using every single second to our advantage? Or, say, if we only had two weeks to a month to do all we wanted to do...would we do it? In reality, flies exist to be born, reproduce, and die. Perhaps it is the natural order of beasts to simply live out the purpose of a life. But does that devalue the life of a human? The reason flies are seen so negatively is because of the fact that the purpose of a fly is expendable. Flies are meant to reproduce. If a human simply lived for a purpose that was deemed unfit for a human to live for, are we no better than a fly on the wall?
Well, let's look at it this way.
Flies, obviously, possess no consciousness in order to have the power to appreciate their life and the sights they see. Flies are born with the ability of flight, even named after the ability of flight, something that many people see as one of the grandest luxuries. But humans are able to perceive emotions, appreciate the belongings we claim, use our lives for more than just the purpose of reproduction. As today is the last day of summer, many of us reflect upon the last three months and how quickly they may have went by, along with the memories correlating with the time span. In such a way, this is the end of one life cycle, and the beginning of the next. Perhaps, this life cycle was not as memorable as we would have desired. But the beauty of life is that our lives keep going. We continue to persevere through obstacles, stress, and troubling times, with the hope that there is a tomorrow waiting for us. Just as a fly does. Does this mean that we are no better than flies? No. It means that life is what you make of it. Make it worth it.
Time flies, after all.
