Soar like an Eagle in 2017

 Stop listening to turkeys trying to advise you on what you can or cannot do. After all they are just turkeys advising you on what they know, yes, they mean well but they are sadly wrong about your potential.

Some times in order to see where you are headed in life all you need to do is to look at the folk you associate with. Birds of the same feather flock together. This simple but profound proverb tells us that indirectly we are dearly influenced by the people we most hang around. They either challenge us to be bigger and better than ourselves or they drag us down to the abyss of mediocrity

There is allegory once told by Peter Lord that; there was two eaglets, who for some reason were separated from their parents. Cutting a long story short they were found by a hen turkey. The hen turkey told the eaglets that they could come and live with her and that she would take care of them. She wanted kids; they wanted a momma - a perfect match. Things went well for a while, but the eagles never fully fit in with the turkeys they were being raised with. For if you are a turkey, you raise your children to be a turkey. One of the two eaglets, (we’ll call him Pfunekani Mathonsi), had an especially difficult time adjusting to life as a turkey.

For one thing, he was no longer getting fresh meat from his parents but was out scratching and digging for worms and grubs, and eating seeds and grains. Every now and then he’d see a rabbit in the forest and for some reason unknown to him, he would start salivating.

Once when he saw a rabbit, he said to his brother Tosh, "hey Tosh let’s go kill and eat that rabbit." "What are you talking about," said Tosh. "We are turkeys, we don’t eat rabbits, we eat worms, and bugs, and grubs, and grain. But rabbit? we never eat that." Pfunekani Mathonsi put the idea out of his head for the moment, but it just seemed to keep coming back and coming back.

One day on a spring morning the turkeys were all out in a cow pasture, sifting through the cow pies for seeds. It seems cows can’t digest the seeds, and they are an especial delicacy to the turkeys.

Pfunekani Mathonsi had his beak all covered in dung, he looked over and saw his brother was as covered with mess as he was, he turned to his brother and said, "Tosh something just doesn’t seem right." "What are you talking about, Pfunekani Mathonsi." "Well Tosh, it just don’t seem right,sticking our head down in these cow patties hunting for food. I felt like eating the cow, never mind these patty seeds." "Cut it out Pfunekani Mathonsi, we are turkeys, this is what turkeys eat. I am a turkey, you are a turkey, our mother is a turkey, our father is a turkey, our cousins are turkeys, everybody we know are turkeys, just cut it out Pfunekani Mathonsi." (They had been adopted at such an early age, they had forgotten about their true parents) "I don’t know Tosh, I just can’t eat this stuff anymore. Beside that I want to fly." "Now what are you talking about Pfunekani Mathonsi, we fly all the time?" (Turkeys fly by continually flapping their wings, and they usually only fly for short lengths of time, while eagles by adjusting their wings tips can soar for hours and love to do so.)

"No, I don’t want to fly, I want to really fly. High up above all the trees, I want to soar in the clouds." "There you go again Pfunekani Mathonsi, you know turkeys don’t soar. What is all this dreaming in your head? How many times do I have to tell you, I am a turkey, you are a turkey, our mother is a turkey, our father is a turkey, our cousins are turkeys, everybody we know are turkeys, just cut it out Pfunekani Mathonsi." With that Pfunekani Mathonsi took off for a walk in the forest. Deep inside a great struggle was going on, between what God had made him to be and the way he was living.

As he walked in the woods that day he went weeping, and who do you think he happened upon as he walked that day? That’s right a wise old owl, who saw Pfunekani Mathonsi weeping and asked him what was wrong. Pfunekani Mathonsi told him he wanted to soar in the clouds and eat some fresh meat. The wise old owl then asked him, "well why don’t you just go do it?" Pfunekani Mathonsi looked at him with a look as if to say, "how can you be so dumb to ask such a question?" Then he said to the owl, "I am a turkey, my mother is a turkey, my father is a turkey, my cousins are turkeys, everybody I know are turkeys, and everybody knows turkeys don’t soar and turkeys don’t eat rabbits and things like that."   "You are not a turkey, you are an eagle," said the wise old owl.   "What are you talking about," said Pfunekani Mathonsi with a stunned expression, then added, "I am a turkey, my mother is a turkey, my father is a turkey, my cousins are turkeys, everybody I know are turkeys, so don’t try to get my hopes up with such foolish talk."   "Young man I have been in these woods a very long time, and I know an eagle when I see one. Haven’t you ever noticed you look and feel different from all the other turkeys?"   "Yeah, I have thought about it many times, but every time I bring it up to my brother, who happens to look just like me, he says, I am a turkey, you are a turkey, our mother is a turkey, our father is a turkey, our cousins are turkeys, everybody we know are turkeys, just cut it out Pfunekani Mathonsi."   "Believe me young man, you are not a turkey, but an eagle. Have you ever tried to soar or eat rabbit?"   "Why should I, I am a turkey, my mother is a turkey, my father is a turkey, my cousins are turkeys, everybody I know are turkeys, and everybody knows turkeys don’t do such things."   "Would it hurt to try? I see by your tears, it is hurting you terribly not to try?"   "I don’t think there would be any harm in it, it just seems like it would be a waste of time to try."   "Go ahead, give it a shot, what have you got to lose?"   "Nothing much I guess, ok I’ll give it a try." With that, for the first time in his life, Pfunekani Mathonsi took off for the sky, and attempted to see how far he could go. He climbed higher and higher, the higher he got the happier he got. ’This is cool,’ he thought to himself, as he finally began to be what God had called him to be.  

He suddenly became aware of another talent that had laid dormant in his life, he had phenomenal vision. He could see the littlest details even though he was so high up, one of the things he saw was field mouse, moving through some grass. It wasn’t exactly a rabbit, but he thought it might be a good start. He quickly swooped down, rejoicing as he felt the wind flowing past his body, the tension of the hunt, and the excitement of a fresh meal. Quickly he killed and ate the mouse and he thought it was the best thing he had ever eaten in his life. ’I’ll never stick my beak in a cow pie again,’ he thought as he relished every morsel of his fresh kill.  

Finally Pfunekani Mathonsi was living like he always felt he was meant to live. Finally Pfunekani Mathonsi was living the way God intended for him to live. Imagine being an eagle and living like a turkey! As he finished his meal he thought of his brother, and he said to himself, "If I’m an eagle, so is Tosh!" He flew back to his brother and tried and tried to convince him he was an eagle, but all he ever got out of his brother was, "I am a turkey, my mother is a turkey, my father is a turkey, my cousins are turkeys, everybody I know are turkeys, cut it out Pfunekani Mathonsi." Dismayed at his inability to change his brothers mind, he at last bid him good-bye and started out for his grand adventure.

For there is no greater joy than an eagle, who lives like a turkey, but finally finds out the truth and begins to pursue their vision unapologetically with fresh enthusiasm.  

Let’s take a closer look at these two very different birds.

An eagle is always above the elements, it can fly above the storm clouds in stormy weather. An eagle always has plenty of room to move unlike chickens and turkeys that are always cramped up, struggling for space and dealing with chicken coop. The eagle is recognized as the “king of birds”; by reason of its great size, its remarkable power of flight, and its immaculate vision. The Eagle also builds his home to heights where the atmosphere is always below freezing, and descends to the warm earth almost every day. They have great strength and can kill small mammals, large birds, etc., even though they never slay except to eat.

The Eagle is also known to be an intelligent Bird. They are beautiful flying birds, loving to fly soaring high in the sky for hours at a time. They were made for flight. They are also birds of prey, meat eaters, hunting, killing, and devouring, as opposed to other birds (turkeys) that are primarily grain/grub eaters. Meat eaters look down on grain eaters.

Real men eat beef! The idea being conveyed is that eagles are tough, strong and totally cool birds.   Turkeys on the other hand are considered to be bird-brained. They are not as intelligent as the Eagle and in many cases will peck each other to death if they don't receive proper care.

Turkeys can be downright mean at times and can drown in a rain storm. They hear the thunderstorm and usually look up with their mouths open, and after swallowing too much water, they drown. So many folk are in this predicament. Like the eagle in this anecdote you are not satisfied with where you are in life, your progress gets you depressed. Do you find that you are always in a position where you are always killing time? Are you pecking at other people instead of flying high above the clouds where it is not as crowded?

You need to fly high and remember that the top is not as crowded as the bottom. Eagles don’t suffer from chicken coop. Stop listening to turkeys trying to advise you on what you can or cannot do. After all they are just turkeys advising you on what they know, yes, they mean well but they are sadly wrong about your potential. Like zoo Elephants are you finding that life has unnaturally tamed you to live below your potential? Has the passion and zest for life been quenched in your life? Are you killing time like prisoners trying to wind down the clock on their detention? Has virtual reality taken over your view of reality? Is your joy found on social media as opposed to day to day interactions? I encourage you now to lift your head and fly above the elements and unleash your true potential. You are wonderfully and fearfully made and by design you are not a turkey, you are meant to mount up with wings as eagles. Break out of that self-imposed prison and spread your wings and fly.  

Regards

TD CA(SA) www.thembadlamini.co.za

Anecdote courtesy of Peter Lord