Freedom

What lessons can we learn from the Eagle?

If you’ve been following my posts lately, you would have noticed that my last posts are from my archives. These are posts I wrote in 2015/2016 as a young undergraduate student but they never got to see the light of day.

Well, this one is also from the archives. It doesn’t need much introduction. Instead, I’ll let it speak for itself.

Freedom

Imagine a bird, not just any bird but imagine one of the highest-soaring birds on earth. In this case, our bird is the eagle, so imagine an eagle. Firstly, let me introduce you to Mr. Eagle.

The eagle has been deemed extraordinary and a symbol of greatness. Its distinctive characteristics have set it out as an epitome of strength and vigour, in comparison with no other animal-of-flight but itself. For the purpose of simplicity, we shall make use of figures for the elaboration of these characteristics;

(1) the eagle remains the only bird or animal that has been found at heights 13,000–15000 feet above ground level. It means that at heights where there is expected to be absolutely no natural animal existence, the eagle is found there; it is no wonder it abhors low altitudes.

(2) the eagle can sight a rodent on the ground level from more than 200 miles away. Its sharp and precise vision is unparalleled. A biological mechanism that aids this feature is the eagle’s ability to see 5 colour ranges, compared to the 3 colours humans see. On implication, animal camouflage does not really work when hiding from an eagle, the eagle might see through the camouflage.

(3) the eagle is the only bird that has been presumed to fly against the wind. It isn’t bothered by the direction of wind flow and functions irrespective of the wind flow.

(4) the eagle plucks out its skin even if it is weak and about to die, and remains on the mountaintop until its feathers are restored after which it flies out strong and new. It’s more like giving itself a new life; self-resurgence. No other bird possesses this ability.

After deeply considering these exquisite and exclusive qualities of the eagle, imagine a bird. Not just any bird, but imagine an eagle. Firstly, a mature and agile eagle that has been tied to an iron bar. To fortify your imagination, assume that this eagle is tied with a rope so strong and the iron bar is fixed to a wall and unmovable. Mr. Eagle is in good physical and mental condition; he knows how far and high he can fly and really wants to fly but just as he flaps his wings in flight, alas he is tied! Oh! The places he could fly to, the tall trees he could perch on, the wind he would love to ride but all he can do now is wish and pray for as long as the ropes hold him down, imagination is his leisure by default.

Now imagine a second eagle. This eagle has been raised with chicks and therefore made to think that he is a domestic fowl. He has all the physical characteristics of an eagle; in strength and vigour, he does not lack. His only problem is his mind; his thinking, and his philosophy. Sometimes he looks around him, sees the chicks and hens around, and might even feel out of place. Something in him knows that there is a difference between him and the chicks. He can tell from the physical appearance that there is a difference but his mind has been programmed not to accept that truth so he writes it off as a mere delusion. His wings are broader and stronger, his feet are tougher and bigger, his beak is different, and his eyes are much wider, but his mind is not any bigger than the hens and cocks around because he has been made to limit its growth. If the fowls could talk, “You are different!”, they would say for they can sense that something doesn’t seem right. Anyway, they were comparatively born low-life scum bags so they wouldn’t give it much thought. The end result; he talks, walks, dines with, thinks, and hunts the same prey as the fowls. He might even get preyed on someday by an eagle, a real eagle who knows himself and his worth. How sad!

Now imagine a third eagle. An actual eagle, a free eagle. An eagle that has discovered himself and is not bound by any rope to any bar. Think about the heights he could reach;13,000 feet. The places he could fly to; anywhere in the world he wants to because his wings are so strong and he is not afraid of the winds. Imagine the prey he could hunt; he doesn’t have to eat nuts and waste food every day instead he eats real meat that he kills by himself. The places he could live; on trees and mountain tops, not in some rickety and abandoned cage somewhere where he will be woken up in the middle of the night by somebody who doesn’t want the fowls in his cage. On the mountaintop, he gets a good sleep, he is undisturbed. The partner he could mate with; a fellow eagle: the highest pride there is and of course the dream of any other bird. It is unimaginable the things he would be free to do for he can do anything in the world he can dream of. It is this quality of the eagle that has made it a symbol of excellence and it is the reason it appears in the coat of arms, flag, symbol, or anthem of more than fifty (50) nations, states, and kingdoms of the world. He didn’t have to work for this feat, he just had to be an eagle and live life like one!

What if the first eagle is able to cut loose from his bonds? He is an eagle and he knows that so he doesn’t let his mind get tied down like his body is. His mind sees the skies, the prey, the trees, and he refuses to let go, he refuses to give up. The only thing between him and his imagination is the ropes so he decides to cut through, no matter how long it takes. He decides that he wouldn’t let his mind be defeated and derailed from the idea of his envisioned freedom no matter how long it takes to come off the ropes. By continuous and painstaking effort, he cuts himself loose from the ropes, and off he goes! His dream is now reality and he can fly as high and as far as he wishes. He goes to meet the third eagle on the mountain top and they become best of friends. They fly together, laugh together, play together, hunt together, conquer the world together. Sometimes the first eagle tells his story, the hurdles he overcame to get to the mountain and the first eagle listens carefully hoping to learn from it for he wants to be prepared for any situation he finds himself in someday.

At the least of it, there is one lesson the third eagle learns from the story; he could have chosen to be defeated in mind by the rope tied to his body but he chose not to. He had two (2) choices, and he made one (1). Whichever one he chose, he had to live with the outcome for the rest of his life.

Imagine that your mind is an eagle, imagine that the eagle is your mind. Be a true judge of your mind, which eagle best describes your mind?

As always, I’m looking forward to your comments and thoughts. Feel free to flood the comment section, its free!