WHAT'S UP WITH THE BISON?
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The bison is our national mammal, whose implied ethics are a much more accurate expression of the purpose of the United States of America (e pluribus unum, "Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness", "All... created equal", "To form a more perfect union"). As I explore in Purpose Work Nation, the implied ethics of our national bird, the bald eagle have led us astray. The eagle is a raptor, a solitary hunter, who swoops down from its protected nest to steal, exploit, scavenge and retreat. Like the distribution of wealth and power in our nation, it is also white on top and brown on bottom.
The bison on the other hand have a presence and behavior much more consistent with our mammalian nature and the stated purpose of the nation. The myth of the bison elicits something deep in our souls. It connects us to rolling prairies, lush forests, rushing rivers, majestic peaks, the rising sun, a prismatic dusk, and a starry sky. It calls us into individual and collective power. It calls us into relationship with wild nature, play, community, and adventure. It beckons us to be grateful for natural beauty, and summons us to care for all that is sacred. It also comes with its own operating system, a new set of national ethics far different than those of the bald eagle:
COURAGE - Unlike cattle, bison run straight into an approaching storm to move through it quickly—an apt metaphor for the hard truths we must face as a nation and the necessary reforms we must implement to address polarization, racial justice, rape culture, climate change, and income inequality.
CARE - Bison care for the most vulnerable by placing them in the center of the herd—an equally apt metaphor for the way we must holistically care for our sick, depressed, traumatized, young, elderly, disabled, and historically marginalized.
INCLUSION - Bison make room for other species to graze, drink, and play, sharing close space with elk, moose, deer, and winged ones—another metaphor for the diverse relationships we are summoned to develop in our economy, communities, ecologies, and foreign policy.
PLAY - Bison spend a good deal of time at play with each other, laying about, nudging each other, or running off together.
INDEPENDENCE - Bison make room for themselves. Although they move about as herds, they can often be found wandering alone, as if solitude, leisure, and discovery were all that mattered.
GENERATIVITY - Through their play, wallowing, and grazing, bison till the soil, protect fresh water springs, and play a vital role in the ecological resilience of their habitats, cultivating the diversity of plant, insect, and bird populations. Bison are a symbol of genuine prosperity for many First Nations, a symbol of “give-away,” of purpose, of contributing their “100 gifts” towards the betterment of all.
PROTECTION - Bison are ornery if provoked. They are fiercely protective of themselves and their community, leveraging their incredible strength, acceleration and speed (up to 40 mph) to ward off threats, and gore if necessary. Another apt metaphor for the spirit we must bring to tending to the social, emotional, and environmental health of our people and communities, as well as the power and responsibility organizations have to protect and heal our nation.
REDEMPTION - To clear the west for farming and railroads, the bison were nearly exterminated. Because of their majesty—their aesthetic and moral value— and the critical role they play in many ecosystems, we have chosen to bring them back, to make room for them to thrive, and allow them to guide us into a deeper expression of who we are.
So, what does this mean for us? It means that we can allow the mythos of the bison to work on us individually—to move through us and into greater courage, care, inclusion, play, independence, protection, generativity, and redemption. This set of ethics is neither liberal nor conservative, but rather evokes the fullest expression of both attitudes. Within these ethics, we find greater compassion and power, greater equity and individual achievement, greater connection and courage.
If you'd like to continue the conversation about our nation's purpose and the power of the bison, consider picking up a copy of Purpose Work Nation or a conversation starter in the store.
The bison on the other hand have a presence and behavior much more consistent with our mammalian nature and the stated purpose of the nation. The myth of the bison elicits something deep in our souls. It connects us to rolling prairies, lush forests, rushing rivers, majestic peaks, the rising sun, a prismatic dusk, and a starry sky. It calls us into individual and collective power. It calls us into relationship with wild nature, play, community, and adventure. It beckons us to be grateful for natural beauty, and summons us to care for all that is sacred. It also comes with its own operating system, a new set of national ethics far different than those of the bald eagle:
COURAGE - Unlike cattle, bison run straight into an approaching storm to move through it quickly—an apt metaphor for the hard truths we must face as a nation and the necessary reforms we must implement to address polarization, racial justice, rape culture, climate change, and income inequality.
CARE - Bison care for the most vulnerable by placing them in the center of the herd—an equally apt metaphor for the way we must holistically care for our sick, depressed, traumatized, young, elderly, disabled, and historically marginalized.
INCLUSION - Bison make room for other species to graze, drink, and play, sharing close space with elk, moose, deer, and winged ones—another metaphor for the diverse relationships we are summoned to develop in our economy, communities, ecologies, and foreign policy.
PLAY - Bison spend a good deal of time at play with each other, laying about, nudging each other, or running off together.
INDEPENDENCE - Bison make room for themselves. Although they move about as herds, they can often be found wandering alone, as if solitude, leisure, and discovery were all that mattered.
GENERATIVITY - Through their play, wallowing, and grazing, bison till the soil, protect fresh water springs, and play a vital role in the ecological resilience of their habitats, cultivating the diversity of plant, insect, and bird populations. Bison are a symbol of genuine prosperity for many First Nations, a symbol of “give-away,” of purpose, of contributing their “100 gifts” towards the betterment of all.
PROTECTION - Bison are ornery if provoked. They are fiercely protective of themselves and their community, leveraging their incredible strength, acceleration and speed (up to 40 mph) to ward off threats, and gore if necessary. Another apt metaphor for the spirit we must bring to tending to the social, emotional, and environmental health of our people and communities, as well as the power and responsibility organizations have to protect and heal our nation.
REDEMPTION - To clear the west for farming and railroads, the bison were nearly exterminated. Because of their majesty—their aesthetic and moral value— and the critical role they play in many ecosystems, we have chosen to bring them back, to make room for them to thrive, and allow them to guide us into a deeper expression of who we are.
So, what does this mean for us? It means that we can allow the mythos of the bison to work on us individually—to move through us and into greater courage, care, inclusion, play, independence, protection, generativity, and redemption. This set of ethics is neither liberal nor conservative, but rather evokes the fullest expression of both attitudes. Within these ethics, we find greater compassion and power, greater equity and individual achievement, greater connection and courage.
If you'd like to continue the conversation about our nation's purpose and the power of the bison, consider picking up a copy of Purpose Work Nation or a conversation starter in the store.
ABOUT Brandon
BIOI'm a Midwesterner, best-selling author, impact entrepreneur and am crazy about in purpose, leadership + culture change. Prior to founding Unity Lab, I worked at two leading social learning companies, ion and Imperative, to activate empathy, trust, belonging, purpose and leadership at scale.
I'm trusted as a keynote speaker, consultant and program leader by organizations such as Google, Johnson & Johnson, Stanford University, JDRF, Morgan Stanley, U.S. Marine Corps, University of California - Berkeley, LinkedIn, the U.S. Navy, Slalom Consulting, the U.S. Coast Guard, and the University of Minnesota. I've written / co-written five books on purpose and leadership and his work has been featured by news organizations such as USA Today, U.S. News & World Report, and Forbes. I recieved my MBA in Leadership from Columbia Business School, am an Imperative Certified Purpose Leader (TM) and a PGI Certified Purpose Guide (TM), serve on the Council of the Global Purpose Leaders, and the Leadership Council of ManKind Project San Diego. |
LIFEMy wife, Stephanie Staidle (she/her), and I live in San Diego, CA. Although for us the lines between work, life and purpose are very blurry, we don't always work. We like adventures, travel, yoga, hiking, costume parties and simple things like making dinner with friends and family, and attending local festivals. I am also obsessed with our nation's purpose, pocket knives, and karaoke.
Below is a pic of my wife and I goofing around at our wedding: 
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