Slices of Life

By: Jill Pertler

Life may give you crap, but it’s what you make of it that matters.

People, animals, fish, birds, snails, reptiles – we all deal with crap. We all create crap, even though most of us would rather not think too much about it – or perhaps not at all.

There are a number of different ways to say it: crap, poo, poop, excrement, doo doo, deuce, BM and dung. But no matter which synonym you choose, crap happens – to all of us.

Let’s get that right out there in the open. Crap exists. We all deal with crap.

But, it’s what you make of your crap that really defines you, or bugs you – take your pick.

Speaking of bugs. They also create crap.

Most bugs see crap and label it as such: a waste product, garbage, stinky, gross, poopy and grimy.

Certainly not something to gather, harvest, collect and, dare I say, eat.

Most bugs don’t eat crap. But most bugs aren’t the dung beetle – aptly named, I might add.

The dung beetle sees a pile of crap and makes it something more, something useable, something bigger, something sustaining.

Food.

As much as I try to avoid eating crap, I think we can all learn a few things from the dung beetle – without having to actually ingest anything unappetizing.

First, adaptability. The dung beetle is extremely adaptable. They are found living (happily) on every continent except Antarctica in farmland, forest, grassland, prairie and even desert habitats. In short, they live wherever crap happens, and that’s pretty much everywhere, isn’t it?

Second, versatility. There are three types of dung beetles and each group manipulates poop in different ways. Rollers roll and bury. Tunnelers tunnel and dwellers literally take a pile of poo and make it their home.

Third, strength. But not necessarily emotional strength. Dung beetles are strong as in muscle mass. In relation to its size, the dung beetle is not only the world’s strongest insect, it’s the world’s strongest animal, with the ability to move poop balls more than 1,100 times its own body weight. Take that, Popeye!

Fourth, eco-friendly. Our dung friends revitalize a waste product, by ridding the landscape of crap. This protects livestock, like cattle, from stepping it their own poo as well as reducing pests like flies. The American Institute of Biological Sciences reports that dung beetles save the U.S. cattle industry more than 300 million annually simply by burying above-ground livestock feces. It’s composting at its best, returning nutrients to the soil. Go team dung!

Fifth, amazing and star-gazing. Dung beetles look to the stars. Literally. One nocturnal African dung beetle navigates and orients itself using the Milky Way. This makes one realize that there are things bigger than us, and sometimes they are smaller than us.

Finally, sacred. Yes, it’s true. Ancient Egyptians saw the dung beetle as a symbol of the heavenly cycle of the sun god – rolling across the sky each day igniting the idea of rebirth and regeneration.

Like all of us, dung beetles are on earth to fulfill a mission, to do their job. Some of us aren’t quite sure (yet) what that is. The dung beetle is undoubting.

They take poop and use it not only to nourish themselves and their offspring, but they literally make their homes in it. They nourish themselves and help the world in the process.

One can only hope to be as big and important and impactful as a dung beetle.

You read it here first.

Jill Pertler is an award-winning syndicated columnist, published playwright and author. Don’t miss a slice; follow the Slices of Life page on Facebook.