I have always felt that a Mentor is like a good coach, my Aqua Aerobics instructor is like a Mentor or a good coach, as he has the task of overseeing between 30 and 50 people. He sets the pace with 70 &80’s music, he calls out instructions to remind us of the steps or movements we will take and at the pace needed. We all know the steps and movements but may not do them in a manner that will give the body the same benefit of the exercise nor keep our heart rate up in the same way if we did them alone. We come to him to gain maximum benefits from doing these exercise for the time and effort we put into it.  Likewise, someone wanting max benefits in Translation or RHS should consider using the services of a Mentor.

Speaking about my Aqua Aerobics class. I was glad to be back in the pool again after about a week and a half away, doing prep and participation at the Prosperos Assembly 2018 event. Within a few days, I had gotten back into the routine. in sync with the others, as we all moved across the pool like a pod of dolphins. It took a few days, but I once again felt part of the group.  Strange, but at that moment one of my aqua buddies came over gave me a hug, smiled, and said the pod missed you, I made some kind of guttural sound and smiled. 

In the ocean, the “school” (or, in the case of dolphins, the “pod”) is the basic social unit. It provides for a cooperative, social way of life and increases the chances for individual survival. The pod uses both acoustic and non-acoustic means of communication. Cooperation and forming alliances are ways in which the more complex mammals attempt to manipulate their social environment. Such alliances require sophisticated means of communication in order to manage relationships.

 Every dolphin develops a specific whistle pattern unique to that animal. This is called a “signature whistle”. dolphins remember the signature whistles of “friends” for up to 20 years. This so-called “social memory” is the longest recorded ever in the animal kingdom. The ability to remember these whistles is an advantage to the dolphin who lives in a “fission-fusion” society where they continuously join and leave different groups over a lifetime.

Dolphins are very social creatures and appear to need each other. Pods may combine for several minutes or hours to form larger social groups called “herds”. Pod size appears to be related to the availability of food, and the size, depth, and openness of their Ocean environment.

Pod composition is largely based on sex, age and reproductive status. Pods provide advantages vs the dolphin Feeding alone is inefficient and in danger.

One type of pod is the Adult males. Once mature, they “pair-bond” with another male and come and go to mate with the females. These pair-bonds are intended to be lifelong associations. Should a male lose his pair-bond, he often tries to pair up with another male. Most male mammals do not work cooperatively with each other Male dolphins, on the other hand, find an advantage in working with their male pair-bond.

Like a Human Mentor, or Coach, or Aqua Aerobics Instructor, there are pods that will naturally form around those dolphins, who through evolution is tasked with the overseeing of the pod/herd. These leaders through age have become the repositories of learned knowledge and behavior and act as group leaders to pass on this information to the young and for the continuation of the species.

Have you considered a Mentor in your efforts toward self – actualization or finding your pod?