At 05:15 this morning I walked barefoot to the kitchen. I switched on the light and made a beeline straight over to the kettle to brew a cup of personality.
I didn’t get far. I came to an abrupt halt as I felt little squishy things pop under my soles and little gooey things squeeze between my toes before they too popped and became a little slimy mess in the toe gaps.
When I looked down at the tiled floor it appeared to be moving. Hundreds of legless maggots inching their way seemingly aimlessly over the tiles.
Instant revulsion.
Only the second time I have witnessed a kitchen invasion by an army of maggots. It is not something I want to get used to!
As they teamed under the lid of the rubbish bin to drop unceremoniously, bouncing on the tiles far below, those that had fallen moments before were already starting their journey in search of food.
It took more than 15 minutes to clean the floor. Each time I finished sweeping and mopping more of the little buggers wormed out of crevices under appliances and between cupboards. I berated myself for not taking out the rubbish yesterday before my trip to Sun City as I had meant to. It takes one day for fly eggs to hatch.
I needed a STRONG cup of personality when I had completed the mop up operation.
But it got me thinking…
We hate flies. They are pests. Carriers of disease and bacteria in their faeces and on their bodies. Ruining food and making us sick.
We clump maggots in the same category. Disgusting carriers of disease. Spreading pestilence.
But we are wrong in doing so.
Maggots are becoming an increasingly vital part of the ecosystem. They are essential in helping to break down the mountains of waste we are producing at an alarming rate. Sterile little waste disposal units.
In WW 1 they were referred to as ‘white gold’. 70% of the of soldiers who had festering open wounds died. Maggots eat dead rotting flesh and clean out infected wounds. Their spit contains antibacterial disinfecting agents. (Maggot Debridement Therapy)
Maggots were bred and shipped off to war zones. Often more effective than medicine, and used extensively in areas where medicine was in short supply. Cheap and effective.
Fast forward to 2019 where tons of money is being spent on producing and shipping maggots to Syria and Yemen to do exactly that, and MDT is used in hospitals around the world. Maggots are also a great source of food. Maggots are pretty amazing!
But flies, not so much.
In WW 2 whilst maggots were used to heal, the Japanese used flies to kill. Yagi bombs were developed. A compartment to house hundreds of house flies, and another to house a bacterial slurry of choice, one that causes Cholera. The flies were coated with the slurry as they were released. More than 400000 people were killed in China. The occupying Japanese troops were vaccinated ahead of time.
One insect, many facets.
Just like you…
You can be like a fly, buzzing around spreading negativity and causing harm in others. Or you can be like a maggot, a negativity disinfectant. Replacing negativity with positive vibes.
Your choice.
Be a maggot, not a fly.
doingitwright 