Lessons from eagle

This morning I attended a programme for parents of Standard Six students in Sekolah Kebangsan Islah, Kota Bharu, Kelantan. I would like to share some lessons that I have learned from Ustaz Wan Mohd Tarmimin bin Wan Bakar, a speaker from Jabatan Pelajaran Kelantan. He talked about “Ibu Bapa Bijaksana dan Cakna, Anak Ceria Berjaya”. In order to ensure sustainability and success, we have to transform from what we are today, to a better person until we achieve our vision in life. Process of transformation to be a better person can be learned from characteristics of eagle.

When I researched about eagle, I am amazed to know that there are 7 lessons that we can learn from eagle:

1. Eagles possess vitality

Eagles are full of life and visionary but hey have they find time to look back at their life and re-energies themselves. This happens at about the age of 30. What happens is that when the eagles reach the age of 30, their physical body condition deteriorates fast making it difficult for them to survive.

What is really interesting is that the eagle never gives up leaving. Instead the eagle retreats to a mountaintop and over a five month period goes through a metamorphosis. It knocks off its own beak by banging it against a rock, plucks out its talons and then feathers. Each stage produces a regrowth of the removed body parts, allowing the eagle to live for another 30 - 40 years.

There are times in our life that we must look back and take stock of our life. Ponder upon the good and the bad experiences that we have been through. Are we keeping in trend with the current knowledge trend? Do we need to improve certain areas in your life?

Lesson: Great people are the ones that always do "check and balance" or muhasabah of their lives and make an effort to transform to be a better person.

2. Eagle have vision

If you ever happen to see an eagle sitting high above the tree or cliff of a stiff mountain, watch closely and see how attentive the bird is. The body sits still and the head will be tilted side to side to observed what is happening below, around and above it. Even if it is flying close by, you can observe how keen its eyes are looking for its prey. Eagles have a keen vision. Their eyes are specially designed for long distance focus and clarity. They can spot another eagle soaring from 50 miles away. 

Lesson: We must have a vision that guides and leads our life to achieve happiness, good health, wealth, success and blessing from Allah.

3. Eagles are fearless

An eagle will never surrender to the size or strength of its prey. It will always give a fight to win its prey or regain its territory. 

Lesson: Successful people are fearless. They face problems with courage.

4. Eagles are persistent

Watch an eagle when a storm comes. When other birds fly away from the storm with fear, an eagle spreads its mighty wings and uses the current to soar to greater heights. The eagle takes advantage of the very storm that lesser birds fear and head for cover. 

Lesson: Challenges in our life are many. These are the storm that we must face to rise to a greater heights. Like an eagle, we can only rise to greater heights if we take up the challenges head on without running away from it.

5. Eagles are high flyers

Eagles can fly up to an altitude of 10,000 feet, but they are able to swiftly land on the ground. An eagle doesn't mingle around with the pigeons. Pigeons scavenge on the ground and grumble and complain all day long. Eagles are not. They fly and make less noise waiting for opportunities to strike their next prey or glide with the current of the storm.

Lesson: Great person are problem solvers. They don't complain like the pigeons do. They love to take challenges as the eagle does when the storm comes.

6. Eagles never eat dead meat

An eagle never eats dead meat. In other words, an eagle does not scavenge. It only eats the meat from the prey it kills itself.

A successful person spends time with people who are vibrant and liberal in thinking. You have to be with people who can think, make informed decisions and take actions. These are the people who bring change into the society. They are lively and active people.

Lesson: People we hang around with and the books we read eventually determine the person we become.

7. Eagles nurture their younger ones

Eagles are known for their aggression. They are absolutely ferocious. What is more astonishing with this bird is their ability to nurture their young ones. Research has shown that no member of the bird family is more gentle and attentive to its young ones than the eagles.

This is how it happens. When the mother eagle sees that time has come for it to teach the eaglets to fly, she gathers an eaglet onto her back, and spreading her wings, flies high. Suddenly she swoops out from under the eaglet and allows it to fall. As it falls, it gradually learns what its wings are for until the mother catches it once again. The process is repeated. If the young is slow to learn or cowardly, she returns it to the nest, and begins to tear it apart, until there is nothing left for the eaglet to cling to. Then she nudges him off the cliff.

Lesson: Great parents grow with their children. They strive to make their children grow to their full ability. They teach and guide just like the mother eagle does. They never stop giving challenges but never give-up empowering and directing.