the swarm
I found a cockroach in my room a couple of days ago. I hate cockroaches, so I spent a good while that evening looking up ways to kill cockroaches, ways to see if you have an infestation, ways to avoid infestations, etc. I know that we don’t have an infestation, although it’s probably undeniable that cockroaches have some sort of unseen presence everywhere in this town. It’s gross, and I loathe the sight of them.
Zerglings are disgusting.
I was so obsessed with reveling in my disgust that I started watching videos on cockroach swarms. I found one that showed how quickly cockroaches react to food placed near them. It’s fascinating and horrifying at the same time. But more importantly, it reminded me of a strange, apocalypic video that I saw a while ago. Koyaanisqatsi or a Hopi Indian word meaning, “Life Out of Balance.”* Humans have swarm-like behavior as well, and if you zoom out far enough, we just look like any other infestation of space, no? It really makes you wonder to what degree do humans have agency, thought, and deliberation. Is there an Overmind?
Check it out:
