Ma, can I fly?’
‘Not yet, dear. You are too young to fly. Wait for a few days more.’
‘But Ma, why am I still so young?’
‘Well, your wings still aren’t developed enough…they do not have the strength to keep you in air for long. Besides, what do you want to fly so soon for?’
‘You didn’t answer my question,’ observed the baby bird. ‘Dad flies. I’ve seen him flying ever since I’ve opened my little eyes. He makes it look so easy. You both make it look so easy. Please, can I have a try?’
‘Not yet, o young one. Don’t be so impatient.’
‘But Ma, I want to…’
‘You are yet unaware of the dangers of flight, son. The world isn’t as safe as it seems to you. The nest in which you’ve grown up is but a safe haven for you to grow up in. It is in no way comparable to the world outside. What’s more, you can’t fly yet’
‘And who says I can’t fly?’
Mother bird let out a pearl of laughter.
‘How impatient you are…just like your father. Look, here he comes.’
‘What is it? You seem to be amused.’
Baby bird began even before his Ma could speak.
‘I want to fly and Ma says no. Everybody says no. They say it is not right, that I must practice and fly with everyone.’
‘And you don’t feel that is correct, do you?’
‘NO! How will I ever know whether I know how to fly or not if you do not even let me try?’
‘But you have been practicing, haven’t you?’
‘Yes, but that too under tutelage. Listen, dear father, I know I haven’t mastered the skills yet. I know you are worried about me…perhaps even more than Ma is…yet you remain quiet and thoughtful. You know I always wanted to be like you. Why not let me go?’
The wise old bird smiled.
‘You are growing up quickly, my son. You have the courage, not only to fly out into the world, but also to fly in the face of what others call ‘conventional wisdom’. I’m glad for you. You are indeed a special child. Not only have you survived a difficult childhood, but you seem to have been chosen for a great future.’
‘But how can you say that? The others call my remarks and pranks as foolish and childish. What makes you certain it isn’t so?’
‘Who, in this petty life, hasn’t been criticized or ridiculed? The difference lies in their response. I chose a certain path. And you seem to be prepared to choose a path which only you can see. Remember, do not do what others think right for you to do; they aren’t the ones who live out the consequences. Do what seems correct to you. By no means do I suggest that you don’t take a word from the wise, but your life’s decisions are but your own. It is you who will regret or congratulate yourself later.’
‘And what of those who call me foolish?’
The old bird smiled yet again.
‘Only time and destiny shall answer whether you were foolish or courageous.’
‘Now really!!’ interjected Mama bird, ‘You don’t mean to say you’re giving him the permission to fly?’
‘No, I am not. All I’m telling him is to follow his heart…showing him a path not explored by many. Whether he walks down the oft trodden path or the more adventurous (and hence, more dangerous) one, is entirely his decision.’
‘You’re right, father. My heart tells me there is yet some time left…but my hour shall certainly come…’
-------------------------------------------------------------
The days flew by.
And then, one day, the baby bird, now a beautiful adult with brilliant long feathers, flew out into the open. The bird flew into troublesome winds at first, but soon it seemed to have mastered the challenges. And even as the rest of the flock flew together and doubted the young bird’s decision to fly in a hitherto unknown direction, the young bird knew that he had achieved something the others could only dream of…he had gone out and made a piece of the sky his own.
