Eagle and chicken

It was years ago, in one of those typical training courses that we used to have in the company. It was about implementing a very innovative system that would allow notable improvements in working methods, internal and external communications, control of activities and processes and, above all, without a doubt, economic improvements.

A group of employees from various European countries were invited to a preparation course. The change was very notable and the group members were selected based on personality criteria related to openness to change, capacity, interest and predisposition to try something unknown that it could bring about. NOT to be afraid of losing what we had but to be open to knowing something new that, in our hands, could be something very good.

We had all been performing the current functions for some time. We knew them perfectly, we were in our comfort zone and still had professional upgrade options. However, we all felt that taste of trying to do something different, a new scenario that offered us new challenges including even more fun. It was the eternal struggle, we enjoyed the day to day, but we were attracted by the desire to try a, perhaps, impossible but attractive new scenario.

The two days of sessions were held in a nice location on the outskirts of Dusseldorf. We all knew each other and had an excellent relationship, we had a good time every time we got together.

The course was taught in two parts. In the first, the objective was to prepare ourselves for the objections and "hits" that those who were openly against the change were going to put us. He remembered another earlier course, taught by Dr John Daly of the University of Texas, and his classification of people into four groups, based on two criteria: what they knew and their interest in learning. The second part was the implementation project of said project and what our function would be.

I perfectly remember having forgotten everything related to the second part of that course, but on the contrary, I have the first 15 minutes fresh, which was the duration of that first part. In it, a guest, mentally prepared us to be successful by returning to our subsidiaries.

To illustrate how we should approach our companions, he told us a story and did not reveal its origin until the end, so that we listened to him without knowing if it was a true fact or on the contrary it was his invention.

A peasant went out into the woods to capture a bird and keep it in captivity in his cage. He managed to get hold of an eaglet, took it home and left it in the pen where he had chickens.

For several years, the harrier grew up among chickens, he walked like a chicken, he even reproduced sounds similar to chickens, he had not caused any fight, he was like another chicken. He had grown like a chicken.

One day, the peasant received a visit from a naturalist. Seeing the eaglet, who was already almost 5 years old, he commented: “that animal is not a chicken, it is an eagle”

The peasant agreed. Indeed, I picked it up from the forest, I took care of it and it grew up among chickens. It is no longer an eagle, it behaves like another chicken.

The naturalist was a little dismayed. NO!!, he told him, he is an eagle, he has the heart of an eagle and that heart, one day, will make him fly!!

The peasant denied it. Impossible, it has turned into a chicken, it will never fly like an eagle.

The eagle

The naturalist, visibly uncomfortable with the situation, took the eagle in his hands, raised it as high as he could and said: “You are an eagle, you do not belong to the earth, your place is in the sky, spread your wings! and fly!!”

The eagle did not move, it stayed on the naturalist's arm, it seemed distracted, and when it saw the chickens in its pen, it jumped up and went to eat with them.

The farmer reaffirmed himself, he is just another hen, he is no longer an eagle.

The naturalist, visibly upset, replied: NO!! It's an eagle, tomorrow we'll try again.

The next morning, the naturalist returned. Again he took the eagle in his hands, entered the house, climbed to the highest point of the house, and told him again: “you are an eagle, spread your wings and fly!!”

The eagle saw the pen with the chickens below, jumped up and rejoined them.

Again, the farmer reaffirmed that it was a hen, the naturalist continued to defend that NO, that it was an eagle and would fly, so they agreed to return the next day. Tomorrow, it will fly.

The naturalist thought of a way to provide the eagle with a more suitable environment. The next morning, he took the eagle in his hands again. This time, they walked away from the house, and reached a nearby mountain. The naturalist climbed as high as he could, where the house could not be seen and the height of the mountain revealed a wide valley. The sun was rising on the horizon, giving a reddish color to the tops of the mountains.

The naturalist raised the eagle, as much as he could, putting its face in front of his, he said again "you are an eagle, you belong to the sky and not to the earth" and bringing her closer he looked into her eyes. and yelled “spread your wings and fly!!!”

The eagle looked around, did not see the chickens, began to tremble and did not fly. The naturalist held it high in his hands and turned to face the sunrise. The eagle's eyes filled with light and you could see the vastness and depth of the valley, as well as the deep horizon.

Then it happened. The eagle stood up, spread its powerful wings and began to fly. It climbed and climbed to the heights, flew towards the sun and halfway made a turn to go back over the oak tree of the naturalist and the peasant who were watching it with emotion. It was the farewell, it flew and flew and never came back.

An interesting discussion was opened on the history of the eagle or the hen, which is out of the question now. At the end, he told us that the story had happened in Africa, specifically in Ghana at the time of decolonization and was pronounced by James Aggrey, to conclude that his people had been raised like chickens, but they were eagles.

Later, I read Leonardo Boff's book "The Eagle and the Hen" where the author reflects on how this story can be analyzed from the perspective of the human condition.

The eagle and the chicken, by Leonardo Boff

As Leonardo indicates at the beginning, “Every point of view is the view from a point”. Everyone is sure to draw their own conclusions.

Today, with the situation we are experiencing in Spain, someone might think that they love us like chickens, but always remember, we are eagles. To fly!!