Reece Gardner: Working together like geese

We are only days away now from President Trump's announcement concerning the direction our country will take in dealing with the coronavirus, and getting our economy going again. There are really hopeful signs that we are headed in the right direction, and that by working together we can emerge even stronger than we were before this "silent plague" came our way.   

We really need to learn how to appreciate each other. There are creatures among us that can help us understand how important it is to work together, and how we can live our lives with more meaning and purpose just by observing them.  

For example, let's just reflect on lessons we can learn from geese. (1) As each goose flaps its wings, it creates uplift for the bird following it. By flying in a V-formation, the whole flock adds 71 percent greater flying range than if one flies alone. This teaches us that when people share a common direction and sense of community, they can make getting to where they're going much quicker and easier; (2) When the lead goose gets tired, it rotates back into the formation and another goose then flies at the point position. So let's take turns doing the hard tasks and sharing the leadership position; (3) The geese in a formation honk from behind, thereby encouraging those in front to keep up their speed. 

At the center of the word "encouragement" is the word "courage," and production is much greater in groups where there is encouragement; (4) When a goose falls out of formation, it suddenly feels the drag and resistance of trying to fly alone and quickly gets back into formation to take advantage of the lifting power of the bird immediately in front.

So as we now strive to get our country back on track again, let's resolve to stay in the formation with those who are headed where we want to go, and be willing to accept their help as well as giving our help to them; (5)  When a goose gets sick or is shot down, two other geese stay behind and follow it down to help protect it and to stay there until it either dies or is able to fly again. Then they launch out on their own with another flock, or catch up with the original flock. 

Our lesson here is to stand by each other in difficult times as well as in good times. I had the good fortune of growing up in rural South Carolina, and I was intrigued by the unconditional love and trust displayed by dogs, and by the care shown by a mother hen for her young. We did then, and still can now, learn a lot about how to live our lives with more meaning and purpose just by watching what takes place among creatures,  both large and small.    

Now for a little humor:  A lady gets caught shoplifting. On her court date, she and her husband stand before the judge, who says to her, "Why did you shoplift?", and she says "I was hungry."  The judge asks, "What did you take?", and she replies, "A can of peaches." The judge pauses for a little while, comes to a decision, and asks, "How many peaches were in the can?"  "Six," says the lady. "Then you shall serve six days in jail, one day for each peach," decrees the judge. "Do you have anything else to add?"  "Ah, your honor," says the husband, suddenly raising his hand, "She stole a can of peas too."