I know…this sounds like a strange post, but check it out. We’ve all seen geese flying in the well-known “V” formation. Have you ever wondered why? Or perhaps you’ve wondered, but never really looked it up. Well, not only will you learn that today, but also what we can learn about relationships from geese. Check out why geese do what they do and what we can learn from them. When done reading, ask yourself, “Do I have a sense of goose?”
A Sense of Goose
Next Autumn, when you see geese heading south for the winter, flying in a “V” formation, you might consider what science has discovered as to why they fly that way. 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 percent 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 more quickly and easily, because they are travelling on the thrust of one another.
When 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 in front.
If we have the sense of a goose, we will stay in formation with those people who are heading the same way we are.
When the head goose gets tired, it rotates back in the wing and another goose flies point.
It is sensible to take turns doing demanding jobs, whether with people or with geese flying south.
Geese honk from behind to encourage those up front to keep up their speed.
What message do we give when we honk from behind?
Finally – and this is important – when a goose gets sick or is wounded by gunshot, and falls out of the formation, two other geese fall out with that goose and follow it down to lend help and protection. They stay with the fallen goose until it is able to fly or until it dies; and only then do they launch out on their own, or with another formation to catch up with their own group.
If we have the sense of a goose, we will stand by each other like that.
The Takeaway
It’s funny how we see things in nature and just accept them for what they are. We tend to think that things just happen because that’s the way it works, and rarely ask why. I can honestly say that I never knew why geese fly in the “V” formation. So many advantages and a lot of security in such a simple thing. We can use what we’ve learned from geese to help one another. We can go farther in life together, taking turns leading, encouraging each other towards success, and never leave anyone behind or alone.
We can adopt these great traits and build up relationships, communities, and countries. Together we can go a lot further than apart. Take a look at yourself and ask how many of these great traits you have. Where do you fall short? Do you have a sense of goose???