063 Walk Beside Me
Hey Egret, you walk at the buffalo's feet and eat the insects its hooves stir up, and the buffalo never once shakes you off.
Who do we let walk beside us?
Whom do you let walk beside you?
In a wet field, a buffalo grazes slowly. At its feet, a white egret walks in step.
Each time a hoof stamps, insects jump from the grass, and the egret's beak darts down.
What really happens
Cattle egrets follow grazing animals and eat the insects their feet disturb.
Studies show egrets catch more food this way, for less effort. The buffalo is not harmed, and lets the bird stay.
How we know: The foraging gain of cattle egrets beside grazers is a classic study in animal behaviour.
The turn
We often keep others away, as if their gain is our loss.
The buffalo lets the egret walk beside it. Its own work feeds someone else, and costs it nothing.
Three takeaways
- Your everyday work may feed someone else.
- Letting others benefit costs you nothing.
- Make room for those who walk beside you.
Let the egret walk with you.
The more that he expends for others, the more does he possess of his own; the more that he gives to others, the more does he have himself.