Once
upon a time there was a large mountain side where there an eagle’s nest rested.
The eagle nest contains four large eagle eggs.
One day an earthquake rocked the mountain causing one of the eggs to
roll down the mountain, to a chicken farm, located in the valley below. The
chickens knew that they must protect and care for the eagle’s egg, so an old
hen volunteered to nurture and raise the large egg.
One day the egg hatched and a beautiful
eagle was born. Sadly, however the eagle was raised to be a chicken. Soon the eagle believed he was nothing more
than a chicken. The eagle did what the other chicken did. It scratched in the
dirt for seeds. It clucked and crackled. It never flew more than a few feet
because that is what the other chickens did. The eagle loved his home and
family but his spirit cried out for more. While playing a game on the farm one
day he looked to the skies above and noticed an eagle soaring gracefully and
majestically in the skies. He asked the chickens: “what is that beautiful bird?’
the chickens replied, “That is an eagle. He is an outstanding bird, but you
cannot fly like him because you are just a chicken.” So the eagle never gave it
a second thought, believing that to be truth. He lived the life of and died as
a chicken depriving himself of his heritage because of lack of vision.
What a waste! He was born to win but
conditioned to lose.
The same thing is true for most people. The unfortunate part of life is
as Oliver Wendall Holmes said, “Most people go to their graves, with music
still in them.” We don’t achieve excellence because our own lack of vision.”
Don’t let negative people drag you
down. Remember that a person’s character is not only judged by the company they
keep but also by the company they avoid.
