Human ants

Sun 29/12/09 KLCC

Looking down the Councouse

Shopping corridorsWhile waiting what seemed to me like hours for mother and daughter to finish the shopping at a department store on the 4th floor I strolled along the busy shop corridors taking in the sights, sounds, smells and the shoppers going about their businesses. Feeling a little tired from all the aimless walking along the endless corridors I stopped to rest my restless legs. Leaning against the railing and without being aware of what I was about to do I looked down the concourse to the ground floor.

From where I was standing on the 4th floor I saw and imagined the hundreds of frenzy shoppers as small dots scurrying about in different directions. Then along the 4 levels of corridors I also saw more dots on the move in random fashion as if oblivious to each other's presence. The dots are of course humans but I couldn't help imagining them as a colony of termite soldier ants going about their business. Then the endless lanes of corridors with the intermediate column supports reminds me of  the multitude of compartments in a termite nest.

The huge crowds of shoppers, all rushing about in a frenzy with single-minded purpose of grabbing the best buys do behave like ants hungrily feeding on their captive prey don't they?