One day, a naturalist who was passing by a chicken farm was struck with curiosity.
He noticed an eagle, the king of all birds, living among the chickens.
He asked the farmer, "Why do you have this eagle confined to live in the barnyard with the chickens?" "Since I have given it chicken feed and trained it to be a chicken, it has never learned to fly," replied the farmer. "It behaves as chickens behave, so it is no longer an eagle." "Still," insisted the naturalist, "it has the heart of an eagle and can surely be taught to fly."
After talking it over, the two men agreed to find out whether this was possible. Gently, the naturalist took the eagle in his arms and said, "You belong to the sky and not the earth. Stretch forth your wings and fly."
The eagle, however, was confused; he did not know who he was. He was comfortable with his life and was content with the farmer providing his food and being in the company of the chickens. Seeing the chickens eating their food, he jumped down to be with them again.
Undismayed, the naturalist took the eagle on the following day up on the roof of the house and urged him again, saying, "You are an eagle. Stretch forth your wings and fly." But the eagle was afraid of his unknown self. He was afraid of the world he did not know. He was scared to fly. He jumped down once more for the chicken food.
On the next day, the naturalist rose early and took the eagle out of the barnyard to a high mountain. There he held the king of birds high above him and encouraged him again, saying, "You are an eagle. You belong to the sky as well as to the earth. Stretch forth your wings now and fly." The eagle looked back toward the barnyard. Then he looked up to the sky. He still did not fly. Then the naturalist lifted him straight toward the sun. The eagle looked up to the sky and began to tremble. Slowly he began to stretch his wings. He looked back once more to the barnyard and then fixed his gaze toward the sky.
At last . . . . With a triumphant cry he soared into the heavens.
From that moment on, the eagle was living life as an eagle.
Now it may be that the eagle still remembers the chickens with a certain fondness and nostalgia. It may even be that he occasionally revisits the barnyard. But as far as anyone knows, he has never returned to the barnyard to live the life of a chicken. He truly was an eagle, even though he had lived the life of a chicken.
Just like this eagle . . . . . people who have learned to think of themselves as something they are not can re-decide in favor of what they really are.
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2 comments:
I love this story every time I read it. This story reminds me about what happens when I'm not taking risks any farther than my comfort zone. While in my comfort zone I have a feeling of "safe", yet I don't get the beauty of life. Throughout my life, I have accepted the beliefs of others that I must act and achieve in a certain way. Taking flight has been scary, exhilarating, breathlessly easy, and I find so much more happiness.
One of my favorite stories. I lived under the rules of the chicken life for many years, even though I had taken many classes and read many books. Like the eagle, I am experiencing a new freedom from the bondage of unnecessary suffering. I feel a new level of love, and my choices of friends to support me in that love. I do miss some of my friends from my chicken days, but they find fault with my new heights of healing and love. I do not try to change them, I got that message that I cannot control another persons choices. So instead, I live my life to the fullest, and hopefully by the example of my results some of them may spread their wings as well.
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