For thousands of years, flocks of geese
have been flying in unison from the
Northern Lakes to their winter homes in
Chesapeake Bay. No flock has ever flown
more than a few miles without naturally
forming flight patterns. When migration
occurs, the flight patterns become very
special.
Scientists have tried to explain the
aerodynamics of geese flight patterns,
but they still do not understand how
these patterns are established. The whole
flock instinctively creates a V
formation, almost like one giant bird.
In order for the flock to fly, there is a
lesser and a greater wing in the
formation. The left side is of lesser
strength and is shorter. The lesser wing
is manned by the older, infirm birds and
by those that are too young to work the
greater wing. The stronger birds are able
to sustain the phenomenal stress of
flying in the greater wing. They bring
the flock safely to their new home, a
place prepared for them when autumn
arrives.
For every animal in nature, the changing
of the seasons has a different meaning.
To the young, it represents the wonder of
the many faces of life. To the old, it
brings a sense of reassurance in the
constancy of change. For a young goose
named Gomer, the change of seasons,
though marked by wonder, caused a
stirring in his heart that left him
feeling uneasy.
All summer, nature had seemed unwavering,
but now the days were getting shorter and
the evenings growing longer. Gomer Goose
had noticed that the leaves were turning
many shades of red and gold. There was
unusual activity in the flock, and
Grandpa Goose had been trying to get
Gomer to go to flock training, to take
the lessons that all geese must learn
before their first migration.
To Gomer, the idea of discipline was
repulsive; there just didn't seem to be
any merit in it. Flying meant being
free—free from life's problems,
free from responsibility, just plain
free!
He refused to accept the idea of learning
to get the Flock Thought into his mind.
He wasn't really sure that he wanted to
leave the area of the Northern Lakes
anyway. The summer had been so much fun.
He had hung around with the other geese
and had had a wonderful time frolicking
in the water, fishing, and playing all
day. The days were getting shorter,
though, and the weather seemed to be
getting colder.
The older geese kept talking of flying to
another bay, but because it was so far
away, he tired just thinking about the
long trip. And then there was this Flock
Thought that he just didn't understand.
Sometimes the older ones called it
Flockmindedness, and others called it the
Flock Mind. Since it had so many names,
how was he to understand what Grandpa
called "just one big idea"? How
could he fly with them if he really
didn't have a grasp of what they were
talking about?
For the past few days, he had seen the
other geese talking. They would get
together and discuss their visions of the
beautiful new home that Nature was
preparing for them. Every cycle she did
this, yet in Gomer's mind there was no
guarantee that this event was going to
happen again. The older members of the
flock seemed to be certain that their
winter home was waiting for them. They
told Gomer that they intuitively knew and
were convinced of its beauty and
readiness.
Gomer was skeptical. It just couldn't be.
Grandpa had warned him that he must fly
south with them or suffer in the cold
weather and experience immeasurable
hardships. The geese who stayed behind
were never seen or heard from again. The
shelters that the stragglers built never
seemed to last through the winter; they
were destroyed when the great freeze
came.
Even though Gomer had his doubts about
going, he could see from the activity of
the flock that just about everyone
believed that it was better to make the
migration than to remain. A strange time
it was, the changing of the seasons, and
it made Gomer feel a certain pressure to
do something, even though he wasn't
certain what it was. No matter what he
did, he never felt that he was prepared
for the long flight.
For some time, Grandpa had been grooming
Gomer for the migration. Gomer had heard
numerous stories of how the geese would
develop the Flock Thought to such
intensity that the migration would become
automatic, but he didn't believe them.
Grandpa understood Gomer's dilemma. In a
comforting voice he said, "Not to
worry, little one. When the time comes
for the great migration to our winter
home, your natural instincts will enable
you to develop the Flock Thought."
He could hear his grandfather's words
echoing in his mind.
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