The Eagle and the Raven: It's all about perspective

The Eagle by Houshang Mostoufi

An eagle was flying high above the mountains when he saw a raven well below him.  He remembered that ravens always live longer than eagles and so he flew down toward the raven to ask him what the secret to his longevity was.

The raven told the eagle that the secret was two-fold.  “It is my low flying, and my diet.” “I can fly low also, “said the eagle.  “But I feed off of birds I catch in flight.” And that is the problem, said the raven.  You must learn to eat as I do. Come with me to the swamp tomorrow, and I will show you how.”

The next morning the eagle went to the swamp with the raven and watched the raven feasting on the rubbish in the swamp.  He watched the raven pull apart the decomposed carcasses and sift his beak through the mud.

And to this, the eagle decided, “My friend, the raven, I can fly low, for the rest of my short life, but there is no way I can feed on this scum that gathers on the swamp floor.” The raven looked up to respond to the eagle, but all there was in the sky was the small silhouette of the eagle flying high above.

The moral of the story is:  Do you want to fly with the eagle or go dumpster diving with the raven?

Picture from here