THE TAPESTRY OF FABLES

THE FEAR THAT BINDS AND THE COURAGE THAT FREES

Father and Mother eagle once made their nest on the mountain side;  an eyrie over looking the savannah plains of dear Africa.

In time,  their first brood
arrived. These new hatchlings grew with each passing day.

Soon, the eaglets were ready to learn the magnificent art of flying.

In the manner of eagles, the eaglets would leap off the nest to try out their new wings: flapping, rising and gliding.  They imitated their parents, who were ever alert  to  swoop down swiftly,  to catch any eaglet in the danger of falling.

All, but one eaglet took the leap.  This eagle chick on reaching the edge of the nest, looked down to see the distant rocks below with jagged edges. Fear filled his young  heart and he withdrew  into the nest. No amount of cajoling by his parents could make him take the leap.

So, day after day as the other eaglets perfected their flying skills, this lone bird stayed in the nest. This, of course worried his parents. For everything in nature had its ways,  the fish was certain to swim, as the eagle was meant to fly.

In time, the other eaglets learnt how to fly. They would confidently swoop down from the nest, to hunt for food in the plains. They would glide in the air currents, riding on the storm in an aura of majesty, filling the air with their awe inspiring screeching calls.

All the while, the one eaglet in the nest would look with longing at his flying siblings and wished he could be like them, free in the sky.  But
whenever he looked below the nest, his fear overcame his desire.

His siblings on their part, treated him unkindly with indifference.
He couldn't share in their stories of flying, or what they had experienced in the world beyond the nest.

The boldest and meanest of his siblings called him a chicken in an eagle's body.  His father scolded this unruly sibling, but the insult had already jabbed at the heart of the eaglet.  He was sad, for whoever had heard of an eagle afraid to fly?

One day, his mother called him to the edge of the nest and urged him to look into the plains, to see a sight she wanted to show him.

Down in the plains, a lioness was crouched  low among the long grasses, sneaking up on a herd of wildebeests, who were grazing.  On getting wind of her, the herd broke into a stampede, running away in fear. 

Unfortunately, a fawn was left behind.  As the lioness made ready to pounce on the fawn, its mother on hearing the cries of her young,  turned around from its flight and  boldly  rushed into the lioness, goring  her by the  side with its horns.   This stunned her,  allowing the wildebeest and her young to escape from this predator.

The eaglet watching from afar, couldn't help exclaiming in admiration, "Wow! That was really brave."

His mother nodded  in agreement and began her lesson. "What did you observe, why did they wildebeests run away from the lioness?"

"Because they were afraid." The eaglet answered.
"That's correct. Why did the mother wildebeest turn around to attack the lioness?" She asked again.

The eaglet answered, "To protect her young."

The mother eagle nodded in agreement. She had arrived at the heart of her lesson. 
"Most things in nature are afraid at one time or the other of different things. For some it's predators or the lightning, as for others it's dread of the unknown. We are all scared of something, sometimes.

It's the ability to act in the face of fear, that is bravery. You maybe scared, but then that is really when true courage is tested and shown.

You saw the wildebeests flee from the lioness in fear, and you saw the mother wildebeest turn around to face the lioness, to face her fears,why?  Her love for her young was stronger than her fear.

Is your fear of falling stronger than your desire to rise  and fly? My child, fear binds, but there is courage that frees."

The lesson was over. The eaglet was overcome with a new emotion— courage.   Determination shone in his eyes,  his  was mind firmly made up.

For the first time in his life, he spread his wings and  took to flight.

Dear readers, I believe you can guess the end of the story—and no! For the odd few who think the eaglet fell to his death, he didn't.  In time, he  mastered the art of flying. He was now brave because he understood that, though he was afraid that was the only time he could truly be brave. 

And so he flew near and far, beyond the plains....  And that my friends, is another story.

Let's us ponder on the lesson here. We all have eagles in us, whether they soar to the skies or tremble continuously in fear is up to us.

Although,  we may be afraid, we are certainly not without the courage to dare to fly.

I suppose this is where I should  say the end.  So there you have it:  THE END.
 
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