Remember Ourselves As A Murmuration
Recordándonos como una murmuración--por Zach Bush
La murmuración de las aves es uno de mis fenómenos favoritos de la naturaleza: un fenómeno en el que los estorninos se reúnen en bandadas de hasta cientos de miles a la vez para crear complejos patrones de movimiento.
La mera sincronicidad que se produce entre tantas aves a la vez es uno de los milagros de la naturaleza. Hace poco más de diez años, científicos examinaron el comportamiento de estas aves para comprender mejor el fenómeno, y lo que descubrieron fue increíble.
Aunque las aves forman una bandada de cientos o más, solo basan sus movimientos y comportamiento en las siete aves vecinas que las rodean. Y quizás esto sea otro recordatorio del diseño inherentemente comunitario de la naturaleza.
Como especie, somos miles de millones en la Tierra ahora mismo, cada uno con diferentes linajes, historias y lugares en el planeta. Y aunque no podemos extender nuestro alcance a miles de millones de personas a la vez, es el impacto que tenemos en nuestras comunidades directas lo que crea una murmuración humanitaria por el cambio: por la estabilidad, por la supervivencia. Incluso en nuestra biología celular, el aislamiento no es la base. La percepción de quórum es la comunicación que se produce entre bacterias a través de señales químicas, y este diálogo intracelular es lo que mejora la función metabólica de las bacterias: un intercambio de recursos para garantizar el cuidado de todos los sistemas.
Y aún más fascinante, ahora comprendemos que la percepción de quórum va más allá de la comunicación celular, e incluso abarca las respuestas inmunitarias de las plantas, el comportamiento de anidación de hormigas y abejas, y los bancos de peces.
El tejido de la naturaleza ofrece respuestas transformadoras para la humanidad, ya que nunca hemos estado separados de nuestra propia historia de creación, sin importar cuánto nos hayamos alejado. Pero derribar los muros que nos separan, la Madre Tierra y el cosmos en general también requiere que derribemos las barreras entre nosotros.
Hemos estado operando desde una función conductual ajena a nuestra composición genética: cada uno por sí mismo, comunidades desarticuladas y la conveniencia por encima de vivir verdaderamente como co-creadores de la naturaleza.
Sin embargo, la naturaleza nos anima cada día a recordarnos como una murmuración: a existir juntos, tal como nuestro plan lo concibió.
Preguntas semilla para la reflexión: ¿Qué opinas de la idea de que nuestras interacciones en grupos pequeños pueden generar un mayor impacto colectivo, similar a un "murmullo humanitario" para el cambio y la supervivencia? ¿Podrías compartir una historia personal que destaque un momento en el que participar en una comunidad unida haya generado una transformación significativa y positiva en tu vida o en la de otros? ¿Qué te ayuda a fomentar un sentido de conexión y cooperación dentro de tu comunidad inmediata para alinearte más estrechamente con el plan inherentemente comunitario de la naturaleza?
SEED QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION: What do you make of the notion that our interactions within small groups can create a larger collective impact akin to a "humanitarian murmuration" for change and survival? Can you share a personal story that highlights a time when participating in a close-knit community led to a significant and positive transformation in your life or the lives of others? What helps you foster a sense of connection and cooperation within your immediate community to align more closely with nature's inherently communal blueprint?
Add Your Reflection
11 Past Reflections
On Aug 5, 2025 Esther wrote :
Murmarations are a sight of wonder, suggesting what is possible.
This collective intelligence in nature speaks volumes.
This collective intelligence in nature speaks volumes.
Post Your Reply
On Aug 5, 2025 Susan B. wrote :
Lovely spotlight on murmation and the impact of that small number of 7 (leaders) that influence the huge flock of birds! Wowza. A bit unrelated but I wake every morning quite early here in northern Mexico. There is a huge flock of Great-Tailed Grakles (the blackbird of Mexico), and as they begin to wake just before the sun rises, there is this lovely bird song that begins and continues throughout the day.
My first thought upon reading, however, was that we do have this influence of a small number of humans on a group. There are several psychological terms for it, but we are seeing it in the US currently, and throughout European countries, against immigrants, and in several other nationalistic movements. The author noted this as our operating from a "behavioral function".
I do hope that our human species comes to be linked by our Quorum sensing and that we make a turn for the better, yes, for the survival of all of us, and that this turn brings us to our human murmuration, at the so... [View Full Comment]
1 reply: Angie | Post Your Reply
On Aug 5, 2025 Jagannatha Das wrote :
That is indeed a fascinating fact, that these birds or fishes doing the murmurations, are only keeping tabs of 7 of its immediate neighbours. And yet, they are able to move harmoniously with thousands involved, creating wonderful forms together.
I also read that somehow, we can find a common connection with any body in the world, in at the latest, only 6 levels. The hypothesis suggests that any two people on Earth can be connected through a chain of acquaintances (or "friends") with no more than five intermediaries (resulting in six links or "degrees"). So, you (1) know someone (2) who knows someone (3)... and so on, until person (6) knows the target person.
In FaceBook they even shrank this connectios to only 4 degrees. We live in a "small world" socially.
Maybe it is hightime we take real and active notice of the seven individuals beside us, so that we, too, can murmurate and create a harmonious world for everybody.
I also read that somehow, we can find a common connection with any body in the world, in at the latest, only 6 levels. The hypothesis suggests that any two people on Earth can be connected through a chain of acquaintances (or "friends") with no more than five intermediaries (resulting in six links or "degrees"). So, you (1) know someone (2) who knows someone (3)... and so on, until person (6) knows the target person.
In FaceBook they even shrank this connectios to only 4 degrees. We live in a "small world" socially.
Maybe it is hightime we take real and active notice of the seven individuals beside us, so that we, too, can murmurate and create a harmonious world for everybody.
Post Your Reply
On Aug 4, 2025 DPS wrote :
Murmuration offers us agency...to turn away from despair and brokenness when we are overwhelmed by what appears to be insurmountable brutality and harrowing pain...By understanding, effecting change across a chain-holding that at heart-we release the power we do have to be transformational, to be catalysts, nurturers of good.
Post Your Reply
On Aug 2, 2025 David Doane wrote :
Our interactions seemingly within small groups not only can create but do create a collective impact, a "humanitarian murmuration." We are part of the whole, not apart from it whether we know that or not, and we go against nature and ultimately against survival in operating as separate entities. I have been part of close-knit communities, and when we were sincerely working together and helping one another there was significant and positive transformation in our lives and in the lives of all. Action creates ripples that affect all. Having experienced that helps foster behavior of connection and cooperation within my immediate community which aligns more closely with "nature's inherently communal blueprint." The challenge is to live all that much more often.
Post Your Reply
On Aug 1, 2025 Jagdish P Dave wrote :
The Murmuration of birds is an astonishing phenomenon in nature. It's an occurrence where Starlings flock together up to hundreds of thousands at once to create complex patterns in motion. The sheer synchronicity that takes place between so many birds at once, is one of nature's miracles that happen. We live in a world with a tremendous diversity in which each of us have different lineages, stories, and places upon the Earth. We have an impact on our direct communities that create a humanitarian murmuration for change- for stability and survival.
When we interact within small diversified groups, our interactions within us create a larger collective impact akin to a “humanitarian” Murmuration for change and for survival.
When I was growing up in a relatively small community in India with people of different casts, colors, and religions. In spite of such differences, we felt a deep sense of community. Living in a community like this created a strong foundation of living toget... [View Full Comment]
Post Your Reply
On Jul 31, 2025 Jagdish P Dave wrote :
The Murmuration of birds is an astonishing phenomenon in nature. It's an occurrence where Starlings flock together up to hundreds of thousands at once to create complex patterns in motion. The sheer synchronicity that takes place between so many birds at once, is one of nature's miracles that happen. We live in a world with a tremendous diversity in which each of us have different lineages, stories, and places upon the Earth. We have an impact on our direct communities that create a humanitarian murmuration
for change- for stability and survival. When we interact within small diversified groups, our interactions within us
create a larger collective impact akin to a “humanitarian” Murmuration for change and for survival.
When I was growing up in a relatively small community in India with people of different casts, colors, and religions. In spite of such differences, we felt a deep sense of community. Living in a community like this created a strong
foundation o... [View Full Comment]
Post Your Reply
On Jul 31, 2025 Jagdish P Dave wrote :
The Murmuration of birds is an astonishing phenomenon in nature. It's an occurrence where Starlings flock together up to hundreds of thousands at once to create complex patterns in motion. The sheer synchronicity that takes place between so many birds at once, is one of nature's miracles that happen. We live in a world with a tremendous diversity in which each of us have different lineages, stories, and places upon the Earth. We have an impact on our direct communities that create a humanitarian murmuration for change- for stability and survival.
When we interact within small diversified groups, our interactions within us create a larger collective impact akin to a “humanitarian” Murmuration for change and for survival.
When I was growing up in a relatively small community in India with people of different casts, colors, and religions. In spite of such differences, we felt a deep sense of community. Living in a community like this created a strong foundation of living toget... [View Full Comment]
Post Your Reply
On Jul 31, 2025 Victoria wrote :
Thank you Zack! I was fascinated to read that the birds base their movements and behaviors on the 7 neighboring birds around them. Wow.......and I appreciated then ' it is the impact we have on our direct communities that creates a humanitarian murmuration for change—for stability, for survival.' Feel like I can take a deep breath knowing that I can manage this. And if I pay attention to my direct community, it impacts stability and survival. Amazing.....