Honey bees are tiny creatures who wear bushy coats of charcoal and gold. They have dainty, delicate wings which appear frail at first. However, these fragile, crystalline wings bear the weight of a bumble bee’s pudgy, stout body. These wings are as thin as the skin of an apple yet they offer strength and motivation for a bee’s flight. A miniscule bee receives this gift upon its birth: the aptitude to soar through the crisp air with vigor and to generate momentum from the wind’s embrace. The hum of their vivacious, fiery wings empowers the soul of a petite bumble bee. Humans and bees share this thirst for motivation, an invigorating fuel. The thirst of the bee is quenched by its wings; The thirst of humans is often quenched by their religious beliefs.

Honey bees are selfless and magnanimous creatures who dedicate their lives to their craft. This craft aids the nourishment and sustainment of a stable, flourishing environment. Bees cradle a vital trickle of pollen and with it they nurture each body of nature and in every form. However, honey bees request little in return, merely honey which is their sole source of nourishment. Humans often contribute to charity and help others because they believe their virtuous deeds will be recompensed in an afterlife or will act as a shield for misfortune in a current life. This motivation to perform noble deeds often stems from a person’s religious beliefs.

A critical part of the Hindu religion is the belief of karma which is a person’s total of righteous deeds and wicked, evil deeds. Hindus believe that good deeds result in good fortune and bad deeds result in bad fortune. Followers of Hinduism are motivated by their religious beliefs to become humanitarians and to be virtuous, helpful people. Islam followers share a similar belief of weighing one’s good deeds against bad whereas their reward or punishment is being sent to either heaven or hell. Christians and Jews also believe that G-d wants humans to help others and be charitable people. For example, Jews call good deeds mitzvot and they consider it to be a holy, moral duty owed to G-d. In addition, the 613 Mitzvot is contained in The Torah and is an imperative writing to the Jewish people. The 613 Mitzvot is a list of different ethics crucial to the religion.

Innumerable people unknowingly have fragile, delicate wings which propel them throughout a philanthropic life. Sometimes acts of kindness and altruism are not noted or punctuated with appreciation. Honey bees are not glorified or celebrated for their eternal contribution to our planet. On the contrary their indispensable source of food, honey, is constantly being stolen by the greedy hands of humanity. The bee’s cherished home, the honeycombs, are raided every day. Humans can learn from the honey bee’s noble example. The honey bee continues to nurture our environment like a mother to our planet. Perhaps the honey bees are the tiny faces of Mother Nature herself.