Introduction:
Humans can learn a lot of things from the animals God created to inhabit this earth if we would just pause to watch and study them. This story came into my life when I was part of a Critical Incident Stress Debriefing team. The team helped emergency services people to deal with the psychological trauma that is part of their work. We flocked together to help each other recover from those traumatic calls.
Do We Have as Much Sense as a Goose?
Next Fall when you see geese heading south for the winter, flying along in a “V” formation, you might be interested in knowing what science has discovered about why they fly that way. It has been learned that as each bird flaps its wings, it creates an uplift for the bird immediately following. By flying in a “V” formation, the whole flock adds at least 71% greater flying range than if each bird flew on its own. (People who share a common direction and sense of community can get where they are going quicker and easier, because they are traveling on the thrust of one another)
Whenever a goose falls out of formation, it suddenly feels the drag and resistance of trying to go it alone, and quickly gets back into formation to take advantage of the lifting power of the bird immediately in front. (If we have as much sense as a goose, we will stay in formation with those who are headed in the same way we are going.) When the lead goose get tired, it rotates back in the wing and another goose flies the point. (It pays to take turns doing the hard jobs-with people or geese flying south.) The geese honk from behind to encourage those up front to keep up their speed. (What do we say when we honk from behind?) Finally (now I want you to get this) when a goose gets sick, or is wounded by gunshot and falls out, two geese fall out of formation and follow it down to help and protect it. They stay with it until it is either able to fly or until it is dead, and then they launch out on their own or with another formation to catch up with their group. (If we have the sense of a goose we will stand by each other like that.)
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