Today’s Thinking Out Loud reflection is on Aesop’s Fable, The Tortoise and the Eagle. Aesop’s Fables is available for free download here.
The Fable
“A Tortoise, discontented with his lowly life, and envious of the
birds he saw disporting themselves in the air, begged an Eagle to
teach him to fly. The Eagle protested that it was idle for him to
try, as nature had not provided him with wings; but the Tortoise
pressed him with entreaties and promises of treasure, insisting
that it could only be a question of learning the craft of the air.
So at length the Eagle consented to do the best he could for him,
and picked him up in his talons. Soaring with him to a great height
in the sky he then let him go, and the wretched Tortoise fell
headlong and was dashed to pieces on a rock.”
Note: Knowing ones’ self is tough to do. Aristotle framed it this way, “Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom.” When we know ourselves we can set boundaries. We can say, “I am this.” Or, “I am not this.” When we know ourselves it becomes easier to make decisions. We make decisions based on a solid foundation. For me, I knew I was born to love my wife and family. Everything else either supported that or I let it go. My wife is no longer here, but I have no regrets because I knew what I was born to do.
My Love Must Be As Free
Henry David Thoreau
My love must be as free
As is the eagle’s wing,
Hovering o’er land and sea
And everything
I must not dim my eye
In thy saloon,
I must not leave my sky
And nightly moon
Be not the fowler’s net
Which stays my flight,
And craftily is set
T’ allure the sight
But be the favoring gale
That bears me on,
And still doth fill my sail
When thou art gone
I cannot leave my sky
For thy caprice,
True love would soar as high
As heaven is
The eagle would not brook
Her mate thus won,
Who trained his eye to look
Beneath the sun
A friend sent me this photo of a bald eagle perched high above the Mississippi River. Soon, the eagle will take to flight and dip down toward the river and snag a fish swimming a bit to close to the surface. The eagle is a lesson in patience for me. If we want to soar like an eagle we also need the eagle’s patience to wait for the right moment to soar.
“Who would attempt to fly with the tiny wings of a sparrow when the mighty power of an eagle has been given him (Kenneth Wapnick).” We see only partially the inordinate gifts we have. We walk through life believing we’ve reached our potential without realizing that our potential is unlimited. It is up to us to keep digging, searching, and working to bring more of our potential to the surface. Once we discover it, it takes hard work and practice (like any great athlete) to hone our potential into something special.
