For the Birds: Answer to Employment, Economic, and Other Presssing Problems

As reported by the Washington Post, the bar-tailed godwit, “a plump shorebird with a recurved bill,” has set a new record for nonstop flight. Scientists who’ve been monitoring the birds say that godwits can fly 7,242 miles without stopping in their annual fall migration from Alaska to New Zealand. The birds fly for five to nine days without rest, although a few stop for refueling on South Pacific Islands. Though the godwits’ journey could be wind-aided, their feat of flight is unprecedented.

Apparently the master of understatement, one of the scientists in charge of studying the godwits observed, “The human species doesn’t work at these levels. So you just have to sit back in awe of it all.” The birds use energy at eight-to-ten times the rate they do at rest. Humans who come the closet to this achievement are Tour de France bicyclists, whose peak energy output is about a sixfold increase.

Unlike the bicyclists, the godwits aren’t competing, at least as far as we know. Their long burst of energy is tied directly to their quality of life. They save time, which can be used for things they enjoy or need to do. Since they aren’t starting and stopping on their migration route down the eastern coast of Asia to rest and eat, they’re protected from predators and diseases they would likely encounter on these stopovers. Consequently, their population is stable and long-lasting.

But isn’t this just for the birds? Well, let’s see. Please indulge my turn to scripture (these are hard times), but this story reminded me of something Jesus is quoted as saying in his Sermon on the Mount. You may recall that he said a lot of things in this sermon about the way we should live (which would include working) and treat other people (like employees, coworkers, and bosses). Given what’s going on right now and has been going on for a long time in our society, his sermon comments sound more alien all the time. In Matthew 6, he gave advice that seems way out there by today’s standards. It’s about what should be important, counseling against being overly worried about the material things of life and advocating a simplicity that’s passed us by.

In Matthew 6:26, it is said: “Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?” Be like the birds. They don’t use their energy on things they can’t control. That may be why they set flight records. I’m not giving my own sermon here. But things aren’t working too well right now. Maybe it’s because we’re so focused on things. Look at the birds; listen to what they’re saying. They’re providing much needed training on employment, the economy, and life.