Someone explained to me recently the analogy between pigeons and eagles.

It boiled down to a simple difference.

Pigeons, feeding on crumbs and whatever people toss to the ground in competition with all the other pigeons, have to constantly look down as they move about. They're annoying and not held in high regard.

Eagles, soaring high above all other animals, usually flying solo, have to look up. Eagles face little competition, choose what they eat and when to eat it, and are hard to keep track of. America chose an eagle to represent the country, for what it's worth.

Now to the human analogy of both:

Pigeons are down on the bottom of life's pyramid, jumbled together and fighting amongst each other for crumbs. Low on self-esteem and not even privy to how high they could fly if so inclined, Pigeons have the fiercest competition to get ahead simply because there are so many of them. Pigeons are so comfortable with their reality that they would probably fight to stay there. One pigeon dies, and another replaces it the next day. No one even notices. It's crowded at the bottom.

Eagles are always flying higher, seeking new challenges and new ways to create their own way. Seeing an eagle is an event that people tell their friends about. High on confidence, Eagles work best solo and are an endangered species: there aren't too many of them left. We do all we can to protect them and keep them around. Seeing an eagle every once in a while makes tolerating the pigeons worth it.


Which are you?