The Eagle's Lesson

9-2020/11-2025

I decided to take public transportation! Since I work in a region quite far from home, the traffic jams were becoming too exhausting. During my bus ride, I had the chance to cross a bridge overlooking the entire city. It's fascinating to see that from up there, the streets and the ground seem less congested. You see the city stretching out before you, magnificent and peaceful… while inside, it's often chaos!

It's exactly like life. When we're in the midst of a challenge, everything seems insurmountable. The situation can feel suffocating, overwhelming. We tell ourselves that this time, we won't make it. But when we gain some perspective, like I did on my bus, and look at our journey as a whole, we realize that we've faced other challenges before. With hindsight, we learn to live with these difficult moments, to accept them, and to understand that adopting a different perspective can be beneficial. Afterward, once we've emerged from them, we realize that they've helped us grow. Pain gives way to experience, and it's ultimately this experience that allows us to gain value. We often talk about the eagle, and I believe it has a true life lesson to teach us, especially if we're weary of life. 

First of all, the name "eagle" comes from the Latin "Aquila." This name appears in the Bible and identifies a man who fought for his faith alongside his wife, Priscilla. He became a recognized martyr of the Church because he persevered to the very end (Romans 16:3). In the Middle Ages, people were identified by "coats of arms," ​​which identified lineages (families). A female eagle, in this context, was the symbol of a "standard." The eagle is therefore a powerful symbol of identity, struggle, patience, and perseverance in the face of adversity.

It also possesses a keen eye, a vision so powerful that it allows it to "charge straight ahead" to its goal (its prey). It flies through storms and, more than that, it thrives on them! During a storm, it soars to the "core" and rises above it, sometimes reaching altitudes of 6,000 meters! Then, it spreads its wings and uses the current as a propeller, its speed reaching its peak and lifting it even higher, all while carrying it. If it experiences a setback, it tries again, and it's important to understand that its life is made up more of failures than successes, but this doesn't stop it in the slightest… It builds its nest in the "highlands" (between 1,000 and 2,500 meters). 

The eagle is so adaptable that it has been able to spread to many parts of the world. Its most fascinating characteristic is the height it can reach. This is its protection, as humans are its worst enemy. But although humans are its greatest enemy, it's worth noting that, among its kind, the only one that truly dares to attack it is the raven. Possessing remarkable intelligence, at times approaching that of humans, the raven develops its own strategies to reach its target. It generally targets the most vulnerable areas: the head for humans, and the neck for eagles. Contrary to what we would do instinctively, the eagle doesn't try to fight back. It knows that it would be pointless to fight the raven directly, which would only intensify its attack upon seeing a reaction. 

Rather than wasting its energy fighting the inevitable, the eagle chooses another path: it soars. As it does in a storm, it gains altitude, again and again, until its assailant runs out of oxygen and falls, the raven defeated by the height the eagle has attained. We ourselves, when the contrary winds are too strong, should "propel ourselves with His current," let ourselves be carried by God in the trial, and "lift" ourselves higher, closer to Him by gaining altitude, keeping our vision of the goal to be reached. This would allow us to see things from a different perspective, with enough "height" to see them as they truly are and not as pain compels us to perceive them. The raven's "prick" may hurt, but it doesn't rot us from within; at most, it frightens us.

Of course, sometimes tragedies are more profound, sometimes simply rising above them is no longer enough. In such cases, let us simply go with the flow, let us spread our wings in this current, and allow ourselves to be guided by the Lord, like the eagle. Many people, after experiencing great tragedies, have propelled themselves forward in life. Instead of being crushed by pain, death, or failure, they have chosen to live through it by renewing their vision, gaining an even deeper and more powerful understanding of their purpose and their mission here on Earth. Want examples? 

Consider Malala Yousafzai, an ordinary young girl who survived an assassination attempt by the Taliban. At just 15 years old, instead of retreating into hiding after this tragedy, she rose up and actively campaigned for girls' right to education. After another assassination attempt, she received the Nobel Prize and became a symbol of the right to education.

On September 11, 2001, United Airlines Flight 93 was hijacked by terrorists who intended to crash into the White House. The passengers, knowing they were going to die, changed their perspective and decided to revolt. They even managed to enter the cockpit. In this voluntary rebellion, they knew that death would be the only way out. To die, yes, but to save others! Thanks to them, the nation's capital was saved; they spared thousands of lives. I could give you many more examples, and I'm sure you yourself are familiar with some: the changing perception of slavery… Perhaps it was a father who changed the system so that children could also be granted custody. Women's rights, retirement rights, and so on. Or perhaps it was simply someone who became involved in their community or a family to change the course of their lives. A friend who changed the course of your life…

And you, have you experienced a tragedy that propelled you forward? Do you know someone in your circle who has? Perhaps you are suffering and in pain… I have good news for you: God can help you propel yourself forward! He can be the driving force you need in your life, if you let yourself be carried by Him. Perhaps no one will hear of you either, but those close to you will speak of you as an example of courage and perseverance. Then you will know that one day you too were propelled forward, you knew how to soar like an eagle.

“But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not faint” (Isaiah 40:31).

*Photo Philipp Pilz-Pixabay