Perhaps you have heard that old story about a peasant who found an eagle’s egg and put it in a hen’s nest. The eagle egg hatched and the eagle grew up with the chickens. All his life he did what the chickens did, thinking he was one of them. It scratched the ground in search of worms and insects, flapping its wings and flying a few meters.
Years passed, and the eagle became very old. One day, he saw a magnificent bird high above in the sky. It glided with majestic grace through the mighty wind currents, with barely a flap of its strong golden wings. The old eagle stared in amazement.
“Who is that?” she asked. “That’s the eagle, the king of birds,” said his neighbor. “He belongs to heaven, we to earth, we are chickens.” So the eagle lived and died like a chicken, because that’s what he believed he was. A sad ending, and even sadder is that this may be our own destiny.
When I heard this story for the first time, I was quite shocked. It reminded me of a period in my life when my main concern was to please others. He was concerned with projecting and defending an image of perfection. The idea that people who esteemed or loved me could know my faults created me anxiety, fear, and concern. The deepest fear in that period was rejection.
Today I recognize that it was a stage in which I allowed my false self, that is, my ego and its fears, to lead my existence, instead of to live bravely, allowing my authentic self to come to light, strengthen, manifest.
So, when I heard that story, I made a big decision: the determination not to continue living like a chicken, and get rid of my false self. Because I knew that, inside me, like inside each one of us, lives an eagle, and I wanted it to be able to spread its wings, fly high, and manifest all its power.
We are not limited beings, but unlimited. I mean, I wanted to write a different ending to the story. One where the eagle suddenly awakens its authentic identity, its essence, thus ceasing to be a chicken and living like an eagle, leading its life from authenticity.
Perhaps, in order to do that, there is to transcend emotional traumas, develop skills, find a life purpose that inspires and motivates us. There is work to be done and it is fascinating work. It is not an exercise without pain, but there are no thorns without roses. In fact, there is a great reward for those who do the work, fulfillment, which is to shine from your essence.
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