Pride, Obsession and wisdom

The constant appearance of the fatal flaw in the literature is well known, and for the same reason some people think about it as part of the fiction word, but what it is a fatal flaw? Is it real or just an invention to indoctrinate children who misbehave? The fatal flaw also known as the "tragic flaws" in Greek literature. The fatal flaw in simple worlds is the fatal defect that someone possessed. In the stories usually appear as the cause of why somebody falls or as a self-destructive behavior. In books as Percy Jackson it is described as the most dangerous for heroes, but also it is described as a common problem for humans. The fatal flaw is not only part of the fiction history as some people believe, but it is also a real problem in the real world. It is true that literature is full of it, but it is just because is the easy way to explain a big problem. The better way to prove the real existent of the fatal flaw is looking of history as C.S Lewis said "That is the key to history. Terrific energy is expended - civilizations are built up - excellent institutions devised, but each time something goes wrong. Some fatal flaw always brings the selfish and cruel people to the top, and then it all slides back into misery and ruin. In fact, the machine conks. It seems to start up all right and runs a few yards, and then it breaks down." There is no better way to explain this than with a little story.

Once upon a time, there were three friends. The first and older was an eagle, the second was a crow, and the last one and youngest was an owl. They were always really good friends since they broke the shell.

They were young, and they liked to go out and had fun. One night they decided to go to a big party. The problem was that the party was all the way back to the forest, passing the enchanted jungles and crossing the river of desires, but it was going to be the party of the year, and all-important younger animals of the forest were going to be there, so they were really excited.

Together they started the way through the forest. The forest was a safe place for them, and they did not have any problem flying through it because they had had living there since they born. The danger was in crossing the enchanted jungle and the desires river, but according to the eagle, it was not really a problem for them because they were going to make all the way flying, and it was not any danger in the sky. He also said that they were not going to be really inside the jungle or near the rives, so they just had to fly over it. The owl who was really intelligent did not think that it was true, but he knew that better follow her friend than try to convince him.

The eagle was a good friend, but he was very superb, so if her friends flew high, he flew higher. He always wanted to be the best and made other forest animals felt less than him. With the past of the years, he had won many enemies.

These three friends were entering theenchanted jungle, and the eagle wanted to show his friends how high he couldfly then he started to fly higher and higher to the point that his friendscould not see him anymore. He was very proud of himself and forget to pay attention to the strong air currents that circulate high in the sky.

The wind was blowing hard, and the eagle plummeted like a chick. The trees broke their wings. Now, they were in the ground of the jungle. The owl asked the eagle how he felt, but he was very proud to admit how bad he was so with a condescending voice he ordered his friends to follow him through the ground.

The three friends continued their way through the forest floor. When they were in the middle of the jungle, they saw a family of bats. The Crow was very sweet, but his mother died when he was a chick and he was very obsessed with it, so he felt a huge envy for how the little bat had a mother with him. The jungle started to be darker and more mysterious, and the only thing the Crow could think was about his mother.

Finally, they arrived at the river of desires. They were nervous because the animals of the forest always said that strange thing happened in the river. The three friends decided to cross the river as fast as they could, so they could arrive at the desired party, but how they could cross the river if the eagle could not fly. The crow and the owl were smaller than the eagle, but he was a good friend of them, so they carried him through the river. When they got to the other side, a big butterfly suddenly appeared. The butterfly was big as the crow, beauty as the eagle and intelligent as the owl. She said to the three friends that she was a fairy godmother, and for crossing the obstacles of the jungle and the river, she would grant a wish to each one. The owl that was really intelligent understood that the offer of the butterfly was a test, so he communicated what he thought to his friends. Also, he advised them to be careful with what they wish. The eagle who was so proud to follow an advice and the crow who was obsessed with have what he did not have, ignore completely the owl's advised because they already know what they want.

When the fairy godmother asked the eagle, which was his wish the eagle with pride answer that he wanted to be the best of the forest animals, handsome stronger, powerful and that never other animals could best him. The butterfly with a flapping of wings granted his wish to the eagle. Then she asked the same to the crow. He said that the only thing he did not have and want to have was her mother. The crow told to the fairy mother that his wish was could see his mother again, and the butterfly granted it to the crow. Finally, she asked the owl what he wanted. The owl answer that he wanted the wisdom to help other forest animals. After that, the fairy godmother disappeared as suddenly as she came.

The wings of the eagle healed, and its beauty was enhanced, its strength was amazing, and an aura of power surrounded him. The crow started to see the spirit of animals already dead as his mom, and the owl started to see everything clearer also he became more intelligent and wiser.

What none of the three understood at that moment was that both the jungle and the wishes were tests for each one of them. The jungle turned the fateful defects of both the eagle and the crow into something more real and lived that was the magic of the jungle. Finally, the wishes give them the opportunity to change those fateful defects in something good, but they fell the test making reality and increasing its fateful defects to death. Unlike his friends, the owl only had a chance to prove himself with the wish, and he passed showing how he wanted to be better to help other forest animals.

A couple of months later everybody was calling the eagle as the golden eagle, but the enemies of him did do nothing more than grow and grow. The other forest animals always avoid him because of the insufferable of his arrogance and pride. Also, he put away his family arguing that no one could never see him with animals like them. The golden eagle desperate to receive the attention of other animals as before decided to fly to the higher mountain where the earth mix with the clouds. When the eagle notice that no one was paying attention to him, he decides to become the top of the mountain in his new home because he believed he was better than all forest animals and they did not deserve his presence. The golden eagle died along no long time after because of his pride and superb.

The crow became crazy because of his obsessions, and the presence of all those spirits around him was more than he could support. Now, he could see his mother, but the spirit of her was not as he believed it was going to be, so he killed his self to follow the spirit of his mother. The crow became in the symbol of death approaching for the other animals that saw how crow's obsession with his dead mother drove him to mad and finally to death.

Many years after the owl died of old and after having a happy and good life shared his intelligence and wisdom with all the habitats of the forest, but he never forgot the fatidic end that his friend had.

The moral of the fable "Pride, obsession and wisdom" is clear you must learn how to control your fatal flaw because these could lead you to ruin. Pride and arrogance are both very dangerous fatal flaws that can damage to misery. The obsessions can lead to madness to the point of not distinguishing the fantasy of reality as happened to the crow. as the owl. Everybody has a fatal flaw, and everyone must live with it, but the difference is between those how always try to control it and those who lose their selves. As Annabeth in the sea of monsters said "I don't know, Percy, but every hero has one. If you don't find it and learn to control it ... well, they don't call it 'fatal' for nothing."