The home of Scouting in Central
and Northern New York
Scoutmasters
Minutes
submitted by: Jess Olonoff
Lessons for Life From Geese
As each bird flaps its wings, it
creates an uplift for the bird following. By flying in a V formation,
the whole flock adds a 71% longer flying range than if each bird
flew alone. Lesson: People who share a common
direction and sense of community can go where they are going quicker
and easier when they travel on the thrust of one another.
Whenever a goose falls out of formation, it suddenly feels the drag
and resistatance of trying to fly alone and quickly gets back into
formation to take advantage of the lifting power of the bird immediatly
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 too go.
When the lead goose tires, it rotates back into the formation and
another goose takes over at the point position. Lesson: It pays to take turns
doing the hard tasks and sharing leadership because people, like
geese, are interdependent upon each other.
The geese in formation honk from behind to encourage those up front
to keep up their speed. Lesson: We need to make sure our
honking from behind is encouraging--not something less helpful.
When a goose gets sick or wounded or shot down, two geese drop out
of formation and follow him down to help and protect him. They stay
with him until he is either able to fly again or dies. They they
launch out on their own, either with another formation or to catch
up with the original flock.
Lesson: If we
have as much sense as geese, we'll stand by each other like they
do.