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July 2009 
leader?
Posted on Feb 10th, 2008
by 
lightenup
lightenup
Leader?
Of what?
Of whom?
to where?
All questions that are relevant to all who follow
and All who lead.
I put that designation on my icon here, and replaced my original "role" when zaadz/gaia was rolled out. I considered myself a leader in pointing out a direction that the community was being taken in that I didn't agree with so I changed it. Now, I still like this "role". It feels good to me. I am an aries after all.
A flock of Canadian geese fly in a V formation during migration, all going in the same direction with a bird flying the point position. This has been scientifically studied and it has been found that this is the most efficient way for the flock to conserve energy. This leading bird changes over time as they tire and another takes over. Looked at from a single point of reference from below, a sort of snapshot in time, there appears to be a leader and followers.
In the same way, there are those who go first into different areas, blazing trails that others also may choose to take. You could look at these as "leaders" but everyone that decides to "follow" has decided within themselves to go in that same direction. Some just happen to be going first, and when they tire, maybe others will pass them.
Looked at in this way, "followers" are not dependent on a leader, they may just be taking an easier path than they would find if they were blazing their own trail to get to the same destination. They are still truly leading themselves. Does that mean they couldn't get off that particular path and that if something caught their fancy, they couldn't just turn and go a different way? As a free being they would be, and are, perfectly free to pick and choose when, how, where, why and who they want to follow.
I don't mind being a leader and I don't mind having followers, but I sure as hell won't take any responsibilty for them. If they want to let me go first and they want to follow, that is their choice. On the other side of this I also don't mind being a follower of someone going where I'd like to go and who seems a bit farther on the way.
*thanks to greg7 at flickr for use of this creative commons licensed photo
Some rights reserved
Of what?
Of whom?
to where?
All questions that are relevant to all who follow
and All who lead.
I put that designation on my icon here, and replaced my original "role" when zaadz/gaia was rolled out. I considered myself a leader in pointing out a direction that the community was being taken in that I didn't agree with so I changed it. Now, I still like this "role". It feels good to me. I am an aries after all.
A flock of Canadian geese fly in a V formation during migration, all going in the same direction with a bird flying the point position. This has been scientifically studied and it has been found that this is the most efficient way for the flock to conserve energy. This leading bird changes over time as they tire and another takes over. Looked at from a single point of reference from below, a sort of snapshot in time, there appears to be a leader and followers.
In the same way, there are those who go first into different areas, blazing trails that others also may choose to take. You could look at these as "leaders" but everyone that decides to "follow" has decided within themselves to go in that same direction. Some just happen to be going first, and when they tire, maybe others will pass them.
Looked at in this way, "followers" are not dependent on a leader, they may just be taking an easier path than they would find if they were blazing their own trail to get to the same destination. They are still truly leading themselves. Does that mean they couldn't get off that particular path and that if something caught their fancy, they couldn't just turn and go a different way? As a free being they would be, and are, perfectly free to pick and choose when, how, where, why and who they want to follow.
I don't mind being a leader and I don't mind having followers, but I sure as hell won't take any responsibilty for them. If they want to let me go first and they want to follow, that is their choice. On the other side of this I also don't mind being a follower of someone going where I'd like to go and who seems a bit farther on the way.
*thanks to greg7 at flickr for use of this creative commons licensed photo
Some rights reserved 
Access: Public
Thanks for this…
In my training I've been shown that in order to be a good leader one must understand also how to follow. How to see where the leader is going and choose to support that path. Without followers there are no leaders and vice versa. I'm still uncertain sometimes how to apply this to day to day life in the here and now.
Blessings, David
In my way of thinking, in order to be a “good” leader, you would be going somewhere others want to go. By that definition, your followers know they want to go in that direction too. How hard is that? Being a good follower then, only means being sure you are heading in the direction you really really want to go. My advice? Throw your training out the window and feel the free breeze on your face. Pick and choose your own way and trust yourself. For the goose, it comes natural. It doesn't think, it feels. It KNOWS where the leader is going.