An eagle
was soaring in the sky and enjoying the beauty of the world. The eagle was
thinking, “I cover long distances and see valleys and mountains, seas and
rivers, meadows and forests. I see many
animals and birds, cities and villages where people live. A rooster does not
know anything except his own yard, a few people and cattle. I'll fly and tell
him about the greater world.”
The eagle
landed on the roof of a village hut and saw the rooster walking amidst his hens
bravely and happily. The eagle thought, “He must be satisfied with his fate,
but I think I should tell him about the things that I know anyway.”
The eagle
started informing the rooster about the beauty and the richness of this world.
The rooster listened to him attentively at first but he could not understand
anything. The eagle was disappointed that the rooster did not understand
anything. The rooster, on the other hand, was bored and tired of listening to
the eagle because he could not understand anything. However, each one of them
was satisfied with their own fate.
This is
what happens when an educated person talks with an uneducated person; even more
so when a spiritual person talks with a non-spiritual person. A spiritual
person is like an eagle, while a non-spiritual person is like a rooster. The
spiritual person studies God’s Law day and night and lifts up his soul to God.
The non-spiritual person’s mind is bound to earth or busy thinking his idle
thoughts. The spiritual person’s soul enjoys peace, while the non-spiritual
person’s soul remains empty and unfocused. The spiritual person is like an
eagle soaring in the sky, feeling God and seeing the entire world even if he
prays in the darkness of the night. The non-spiritual person enjoys vainglory,
hoards up wealth or seeks pleasures for his flesh. When a spiritual person
meets a non-spiritual one, both of them are bored and tired.
By St. Silouan the Athonite
Translated
by The Catalog of Good Deeds
CONVERSATION