You …. on the Discovery Channel

So I have been watching a lot of Discovery Channel lately…….really the only reason to have cable.  That and all the Padre games in High Definition. Oh yeh, and an occasional stop over for some “classic” movies – that, by the way, I remember all to well as being popular (not classic).  But that is another blog altogether. Anyway….

Discovery Channel.  They were doing a special on “swarms”.  This special was dedicated to filming and documenting some of the largest swarms in nature: bees, birds, fish – etc.
While I was watching these amazing shots the narrator made an interesting comment on what drives this behavior.  For example – a sheol of sardine will turn in unison and appear to move as one.  He stated that, while it appears they are moving as one, they actually are not.  They are all following one fish – albeit very closely.  So closely that you can’t see the time lapse between their movement and the “lead fish”. Hence, appearing to move as one unit.  Now these fish (as with the other swarming species) do have a certain instinct to predict the movement of the others in the swarm – but they wait to initiate the move until the lead animal has indicated where it is going.  In most cases the survival of the individual depends on how closely they can follow the leader and mimic its moves.  And, in the larger context, the safety of the swarm in general depends on the same principle. I found this to be very interesting and thought provoking.

I always wondered how they did that………

The thought occurred to me that we humans are a swarming species as well.  What do you think?

I guess the question that is begged is “who are you following?” and “why?”  Do you follow closely – or lag behind and find that you are outside of the sheol?

Here are a few swarming examples I think we can find if we look – Facebook, Media, Church culture, Non – church culture, Mob mentality (think soccer riots – or Los Angeles), Music preference, Art, Ideas in certain scientific circles, Generational thought (postmodernism)……so on and so forth.

Now I am not suggesting that swarming is a bad thing necessarily,  certainly not (this is a blog afterall).  I am just saying that it exist in us.  And that we should take care to lead and follow with a fair amount of wisdom – least we get eaten. Is there really such a thing as an independent decision made entirely in the vacuum of your own morality or spirituality?  Are we sure that we don’t follow the “Jones” – even when saying we don’t is the core of our identity.  For example, somehow being a rebel is now so accepted that it is no longer rebellious.  Odd isn’t it. Swarm much?