Why Eagles Fly, and Chickens Flutter

by DON WILDMON,
AFA founder and chairman emeritus

Once upon a time, a long, long time ago, the eagle and chicken were very good friends. Everywhere they went, these friends went together. It was not uncommon for people to look up and see the eagle and chicken flying side by side through the air.


One day, while flying, the chicken said to the eagle, “Let’s drop down and get a bite to eat. My stomach is growling.”


“Sounds like a good idea to me,” replied the eagle.


So the two birds glided down to earth, saw several animals eating, and decided to join them. They landed next to the cow. The cow was busy eating corn but noticed that the eagle and the chicken were soon sitting on the ground next to her.

“Welcome,” said the cow. “Help yourself to the corn.”

This took the two birds by surprise. They were not accustomed to having other animals share their food quite so readily.


“Why are you willing to share your corn with us?” asked the eagle.


“Oh, we have plenty to eat here. Mr. Farmer gives us all we want,” replied the cow.


Well, the eagle and the chicken jumped in and ate their fill. When they finished, the chicken asked more about Mr. Farmer.

“Well,” said the cow, “he grows all our food. We don’t have to work at all.”


“You mean,” said the chicken, “that Mr. Farmer simply gives you all you want to eat?”


“That’s right,” said the cow. “Not only that, but he gives us shelter over our heads.”


The chicken and the eagle were shocked! They had never heard of such a thing. They had always had to search for their food and work for shelter.


When it came time to leave, the chicken and the eagle began to discuss the situation: “Maybe we should just stay here,” said the chicken. “We can have all the food we want without working. And that barn over there sure beats those nests we have been building. Besides, I’m getting tired of always having to work for a living.”


“I don’t know about all this,” said the eagle. “It sounds too good to be true. I find it hard to believe that one can get something for nothing. Besides, I kinda like flying high and free through the air. And providing for food and shelter isn’t so bad. In fact, I find it quite challenging.”
Well, the chicken thought it over and decided to stay where there was free food and shelter. But the eagle decided that he loved his freedom too much to give it up, and he enjoyed the consistent challenge of making his own living. So, after saying goodbye to his old friend the chicken, the eagle set sail for the wild blue yonder.


Everything went fine for the chicken. He ate all he wanted. He never worked. He grew fat and lazy.


But then one day he heard the farmer say to his wife that he was yearning for fried chicken. Hearing that, the chicken decided it was time to check out and rejoin his good friend the eagle. But when he attempted to fly, he found that he had grown too fat and lazy. Instead of being able to fly, he could only flutter. So the next day, the farmer’s family sat down to chicken dinner.


When you give up the challenges of life in your pursuit of ease and security, your ability to fly turns into a flutter.


And that’s the reason eagles fly and chickens flutter.

Dinner With the President, A Parable.....

"Once upon a time, I was invited to the White House for a private dinner with the President. I am a respected businessman, with a factory that produces memory chips for computers and portable electronics. There was some talk that my industry was being scrutinized by the administration, but I paid it no mind. I live in a free country. There's nothing that the government can do to me if I've broken no laws. My wealth was earned honestly, and an invitation to dinner with an American President is an honor.
I checked my coat, was greeted by the Chief of Staff, and joined the President in a yellow dining room We sat across from each other at a table draped in white linen. The Great Seal was embossed on the china. Uniformed staff served our dinner.The meal was served, and I was startled when my waiter suddenly reached out, plucked a dinner roll off my plate, and began nibbling it as he walked back to the kitchen."Sorry about that," said the President. "Andrew is very hungry.""I don't appreciate..." I began, but as I looked into the calm brown eyes across from me, I felt immediately guilty and petty. It was just a dinner roll. "Of course," I concluded, and reached for my glass. Before I could, however, another waiter reached forward, took the glass away and swallowed the wine in a single gulp."And his brother Eric is very thirsty." said the President.I didn't say anything. The President is testing my compassion, I thought. I will play along. I don't want to seem unkind. My plate was whisked away before I had tasted a bite."Eric's children are also quite hungry."With a lurch, I crashed to the floor. My chair had been pulled out from under me. I stood, brushing myself off angrily, and watched as it was carried from the room."And their grandmother can't stand for long."I excused myself, smiling outwardly, but inside feeling like a fool. Obviously I had been invited to the White House to be sport for some game. I reached for my coat, to find that it had been taken. I turned back to the President."Their grandfather doesn't like the cold."I wanted to shout, 'That was my coat! " But again, I looked at the placid smiling face of my host and decided I was being a poor sport. I spread my hands helplessly and chuckled. Then I felt my hip pocket and realized my wallet was gone. I excused myself and walked to a phone on an elegant side table. I learned shortly that my credit cards had been maxed out, my bank accounts emptied, my retirement and equity portfolios had vanished, and my wife had been thrown out of our home.Apparently, the waiters and their families were moving in. The President hadn't moved or spoken as I learned all this, but finally I lowered the phone into its cradle and turned to face him."Andrew's whole family has made bad financial decisions. They haven't planned for retirement, and they need a house. They recently defaulted on a sub-prime mortgage. I told them they could have your home.. They need it more than you do.
"My hands were shaking. I felt faint. I stumbled back to the table and knelt on the floor. The President cheerfully cut his meat, ate his steak and drank his wine. I lowered my eyes and stared at the small grey circles on the tablecloth that were water drops."By the way," He added, "I have just signed an Executive Order nationalizing your factories. I'm firing you as head of your business, I'll be operating the firm now for the benefit of all mankind. There's a whole bunch of Eric's and Andrews out there and they can't come to you for jobs groveling like beggars."I looked up. The President dropped his spoon into the empty ramekin which had been his Crème Brulee. He drained the last drops of his wine. As the table was cleared, he lit a cigarette and leaned back in his chair. He stared at me as I clung to the edge of the table as if it were a ledge and I were a man hanging over an abyss.I thought of the years behind me, of the life I had lived. The life I had earned with a lifetime of work, risk and struggle. Why was I punished? How had I allowed it to be taken? What game had I played and lost? I looked across the table and noticed with some surprise that there was no game board between us.What had I done wrong?As if answering the unspoken thought, the President suddenly cocked his head, locked his empty eyes to mine, and bared a million teeth, chuckling wryly as he folded his hands."You should have stopped me at the dinner roll," he said."

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