Heroes Not Zombies

Sometimes I see flocks of starlings create murmurations in the sky above the vineyards. They seem to love the few trees which stand at the top of the hill. I hear the noise they are making before I see them arrive and settle into the branches of the trees. They land in their thousands making the bare trees appear as if they are fully leafed again. The noise tails off and in a single moment they go utterly silent for a second or two, then they take to skies as one.

I have no idea how they coordinate so brilliantly and I don’t know why they go silent before they take off in a single surge but it astonishes me every time.

All forms of life coordinate and collaborate.

Yes, competition exists too, but I think we focus on it too narrowly. We often fall into the trap of thinking that competition is the most important feature of life, the thing that drives all of creation to “improve” and evolve.

But we are seriously off course with that view. Without collaboration there would be no life. It’s the ability to connect and coordinate, to care for and learn from each other, which is our core super power….not just we humans, but all forms of life.