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from Cossondra This mural sits near the corner of St. Michael and N Conception Street. When I first saw it, I recognized the name of the man it honors, but I didn't know who he was. Then, last December, E. O. Wilson passed away, and I was reminded to find out more about him. Some celebrate him as a biologist and a naturalist. Others celebrate him as a renowned author, Harvard professor, and evolutionist. I think he's important because he claimed to identify the first colony of fire ants (an invasive species) in the United States. Locals will not be surprised that he found them in the Mobile area. But my favorite fact about Wilson is that he suffered an eye injury when he was young. Wait, wait. That doesn't sound very nice, but you will see what I mean. After a rough treatment and surgery, he lost the far sight in one of his eyes but gained greater near sight. Because of this change in his vision, he was able to look more closely at small things. This ability led him to his fascination with bugs and, specifically, ants. Because of that fascination, he is credited with identifying numerous species of ants and becoming an elite in the science of ants, which I learned is called myrmecology. A change in his physical ability that could have been so devastating turned out to be a path for knowledge, discovery, and even recognition and fortune. However, while looking at the small things, Wilson missed the big picture. As I said above, he was an evolutionist. He considered himself an agnostic, unsure of God's existence. On the contrary, when we see details, we should be more and more convinced that God exists and is more creative and mathematical than any human artist or scientist.
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