Most of us have, at some point of time in childhood, gazed with a sense of wonder at a bird soaring almost effortlessly. I could not fathom it then, nor did I try to.
Several years later, or a few years back, a course in paragliding revealed the levitation secret to me. Some school physics helped understand (now, rather than then) the phenomenon. My paragliding instructor explained the concept of ‘thermals’ - a column of hot air above the surface of earth – that keeps a bird or paraglider aloft longer than gravity or reason usually permits. A thermal is characterized by the presence of a natural umbrella over it called a cumulus cloud. So birds and paragliders can sustain longer in the sky by riding from thermal to thermal, using cumulus clouds as a aerial street guide to find these free sources of energy.
So why should I care so much about thermals?
Well, it appears we more often than not use the principle of thermals – intuitively rather than knowingly - in our individual and collective transformational journeys across careers, changing homes, vacations, relationships, books and even across wi-fi hotspots in coffee shops and on buses.
Are you currently riding a thermal, for how long, and what will trigger your search for the next one? Will you hitch a ride intuitively, or need to look out for the telltale cumulus clouds that allow you to decide? Look at the skies to let those soaring birds inspire you with an answer.
