TIME IS a very precious gift and resource that we can’t afford to waste and daily, so many of us do just that. I am not talking about wasting it behind the television or on social media. I am talking about wasting time justifying who we are and what we do.
The human race is a very diverse one and that diversity is seen in skin colour, talents, accents, body shape, hair types, careers and so on. These aspects of diversity make us unique but also add value to the world we live in. Each person was created with a purpose and that purpose informs our behaviour. Unfortunately, so many of us become so focused and caught up in other people’s purpose, that it often leads us to feelings of inadequacy, depression and envy.
I confess I was once there as well. I would often compare where I was in life and what I was doing with what others did and if those I was observing were successful by the world’s standards, I envied them. I am no longer at that place and now have a different perception and attitude because of two birds.
Chickens and eagles have many similarities and just as many differences. If you were to interview ten random people and ask them which best represents you, a chicken or an eagle, I believe most if not all would say an eagle. I believe many would choose the eagle because the chicken is often seen as inferior to the eagle and this is perpetuated by many motivational and leadership teachers. Also, an eagle is often associated with leadership, strength, boldness and vision. I have watched, read and heard many motivation talks which used the eagle as a symbol of purpose but not one using a chicken.
This thinking or teaching is wrong, destructive and has caused great confusion and pain in the lives of people. Everyone cannot be an eagle and everyone isn’t called to be an eagle. A chicken is a chicken and an eagle an eagle, and though they are both birds, they have separate purposes and value. Interestingly enough, The Bible speaks highly of both.
Eagles have a large wingspan because of the heights at which they soar. They have large talons, large curved beaks and vision that can see prey two miles away. They live at the top of mountains, build their own homes, are solitary animals with an average lifespan of 20-30 years and have one to three chicks.
Chickens have small wings because there is no need for distant flying. Their vision is similar to that of humans. They don’t need talons or large beaks or need to build their homes because humans provide for most of their needs. Broilers’ average lifespan is six to eight weeks whereas that for layers is less than ten years. They can have numerous chicks.
There is one major difference I hope jumps out at you and it is this: chickens feed the world and contribute directly to the health and lives of humans; eagles do not. Does this mean that chickens are now superior to eagles? No. Each bird is unique and has its own purpose.
Have you ever seen a chicken wasting its time trying to justify or getting into long arguments with an eagle about its purpose and function, or vice versa? What a chicken does may never make any sense to an eagle and the same is true for what an eagle does, primarily because they were created for two separate purposes.
The situation with the eagle and chicken is often played out in our societies in the context of career choices. Some people feel inadequate and become envious of others who in their mind have an “eagle’s job”. Take a look around you and envision what the world would be like without the “chicken” careers.
Animals know their purpose and function in it. Why do we humans try to be what we are not? It is important you see the value in first who you are and then what you do. Eagles and chickens should celebrate and be appreciative of the roles each play, and seek to adopt the positive characteristics and principles that make them each great.
Please don’t send your chickens to eagle school nor your eagles to chicken school.
• Corey Worrell, a former Commonwealth youth ambassador, is director of C2J Foundation Inc., a project-based NGO focusing on social development. Email coreyworrell@gmail.com