the spider and the moth
Written at: 19:40 23 Aug, 2002
There's a spider living on a web outside our kitchen window. I've been watching him for several months now.
To my knowledge, the spider hasn't caught much of anything. He (or she, as if I could possibly sex a spider) just sits there a lot. Every once in a while, he seems to disappear for a day, only to return with a new web.
Still, I have come to admire the spider. He makes big plans on how he's going to provide for himself, spinning a big web and all, and then sits back and lets things come to him as they will. It's not that he's lazy, but rather, patient. There is food out there, and eventually some will come to him.
Or he dies, I suppose. Which is the downside to his plan. And yet he's survived several months on this scheme. So he's got that going for him.
Contrast that with the moth that showed up last night. The minute I turned on the kitchen light, he was there up against the window. I watched him for ten minutes (no, really – I need help), making his way back and forth and back across the window, all the while flapping furiously.
And to what end? To reach a light? Is he so hungry for photons that he would waste critical female moth cruising time repeatedly bumping up against glass?
It was rather apparent to me that no amount of flapping was going to get him through the window pane, and even if he had, he likely would have died upon touching the rather hot light bulb that was his aim.
I'm sure there's a very good and very unpoetic explanation for all this, but I'm shooting for the metaphorical view, of course.
In short, I hope to be more like the spider, patiently sticking to my plans though times may be tough, and less like the moth, which wastes its energy trying to overcome barriers it cannot break, only to reach a goal which is not only not helpful, but in fact potentially lethal.
Maybe I should turn the whole observation into some sort of inspirational greeting card, with a picture of the spider on his web, next to a caption reading "hang in there!"
And maybe there's a dead moth stuck in the web or something, too, and on the inside of the card, it says "Death is part of nature".
Of course, it's not just the advantages in metaphor-space that make the spider better. Consider the following table:
| Spider | Moth |
|---|---|
| 8 legs | 6 legs |
| 8 eyes | 2 eyes, I guess |
| Often killed in an extreme act of violence involving shoes wielded by much larger creatures | Often die for no reason at all |
| Portrayed as cool embodiment of evil in many books and movies, including The Lord of the Rings, Arachnophobia, and some movie starring David Arquette which conscience dictates I not name | Portrayed as embodiment of cheap special effects in Godzilla vs. Mothra |
| Portrayed as cool embodiment of good in Charlotte's Web | Come on, no one thinks moths are cool or good (although they can be nice) |
| Kill with speed, cunning, and awesome venom | Kill by repeatedly flapping against its victim until it grows weary of life, or something. What am I, a moth expert? |
I hope you'll forgive the ending of this article, but I get hives if I go too long being serious. Plus, I didn't want anyone confusing Cock-a-hoop with the Hallmark site.
Comments on "the spider and the moth"
1 comment so far.
Just a few days ago I was outside with my friend at her work. she was freeking out about something so I went over to her and she was looking down at this thing and I asked what it was and she told me it was a moth-spider. I just looked at her like she was crazy. So it was in a really bad spot so she moved it and when she did it opended its wings. it was the most beautful thing I have ever seen. But I don't understand why I have nevr heard of it before? I would like to get some more info one this spider. thank you for your time.
Written by: Jessica
Written at: 16:12 09 Jun, 2003