This week the word "courage" has featured many time in my work and personal life. Regardless of whether we are facing big changes in our life or just making it through each day, we all need courage. If we are lucky enough, we may have people in our life who will encourage us to move forward and meet the challenges that we all face. Facts About Geese is an interesting article which I have attached below as it talks about courage. It teaches us that we can all learn from nature and interpret animal behaviour in terms of how we can take steps to live a better life.
Wishing you the courage to cope with all your challenges whether they are life changing or just getting through each day.
Facts About Geese
Milton Olsen (the Naturalist) said it’s very interesting that, particularly with geese, we have a lot to learn.
Fact One: As each bird flaps its wings, it creates an uplift for the birds following it. By flying in a V-formation, the whole flock adds 71 percent greater flying range than if the bird flew alone. Lesson: people who share a common direction and sense of community can get where they’re going quicker and easier because they’re travelling on the thrust of one another. A universal collective lesson.
Fact Two: Whenever a goose falls out of formation it suddenly feels the drag and resistance of trying to fly alone and quickly gets back in formation to take advantage of the lifting power of the bird immediately in front. Lesson: If we have as much sense as a goose, we will stay in formation with those who are headed where we want to go and be willing to accept their help, as well as give ours to others.
Fact Three: When the lead goose gets tired, it rotates back into the formation and another goose flies at the point position. An invaluable lesson for us to apply to all group work. It pays to take turns doing the hard tasks and sharing leadership. With people as with geese, we are interdependent on each others’ skills and capabilities and unique arrangements of gifts, talents, resources, or what indigenous societies call “the good, true and beautiful.”
Fact Four: The geese in formation honk from behind to encourage those in front to keep up their speed. Lesson: we need to make sure that our honking from behind is encouraging. And not something else. In groups where there is greater encouragement against great odds, the production is much greater – the power of encouragement. Now, I love the word courage because it means “to stand by one’s heart, to stand by one’s core.” To encourage someone else’s core, to encourage someone’s heart – that quality of honking.
Fact Five: When a goose gets sick, or wounded, or shot down, two geese drop out of formation and follow it down to help and protect it. They stay with it until it is able to fly again or dies. Then they launch out on their own with another formation or catch up with the flock. Lesson: if we have as much sense as geese, we too will stand by each other in difficult times as well as when we are strong.
