The first female Nobel Prize in Literature was Swedish children's author Selma Lagerlöf (awarded in 1909). Her Nobel Prize-winning work, “The Wonderful Adventures of Nils Holgersson,” was introduced worldwide under the titles “Nils' Wonderful Journey” or “Nils' Adventures”. In Korea, it was broadcast as a TV cartoon for one year starting in 1981, beloved by children.
The protagonist Nils was always a troublemaker who drove his parents crazy. One day, he falls under the spell of a dwarf fairy and shrinks to the size of a squirrel. Nils sets off on an adventure with Morten, the goose he raised at home, following a flock of wild geese on a journey around Sweden. Ultimately, he becomes a good boy who realizes the importance of family and nature, and returns home.
When the columnist as a child read the book, he didn't know geese were domesticated wild geese, so he found it truly amazing that geese could fly like wild geese. Similar to ducks but larger with longer necks.
Geese are migratory birds belonging to the Anatidae family. They inhabit Siberia and fly in flocks to Korea each autumn to spend the winter before returning. Their V-formation flight over the approximately 4,000 km journey from Siberia to Korea is quite impressive.
In 2014, a research team led by Professor James Asherwood of the University of London published in Nature that migratory birds fly in a V-formation to minimize energy expenditure during flight. This is achieved by the birds following the leader, which creates an aerodynamic updraft. The lead bird is typically the most experienced and oldest goose. When the leader vocalizes, other geese in the flock respond vocally, encouraging each other. However, the lead bird faces the greatest wind resistance, causing significant energy expenditure. In such cases, the lead goose yields its position to a following goose. In this way, the geese take turns at the front to conserve energy, helping each other. If a companion falls behind during flight, one or two others stay by its side until it can fly again.
Did the geese know the African proverb quoted by former U.S. Vice President Al Gore at the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize ceremony: “If you go alone, you go fast. If you go together, you go far?” The wisdom of geese holds profound implications for humanity. Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. stated, “Leadership should aim not at management but at encouragement; a true leader persuades opponents and motivates followers.”
What qualities should leaders in our era's political, economic, social, cultural, religious, and workplace communities possess? Could they not embody the courage and wisdom of a flock leader while also demonstrating the humility to yield their own position? Moses, the indomitable leader who guided the ancient Israelites out of Egypt, exemplifies the qualities of a true leader for us today. “Now Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth.” (Numbers 12:3)
