Joshua Worthington Eagle

     Drawn onward through the dark, Joshua silently moved toward the tree, as if compelled. He felt tired and frustrated, and kept asking over and over in his mind, "Where’s the truth? Where’s the balance? Is there contentment?" It was a long walk to the eagle’s tree, but Joshua kept on.
     Physically drained, Joshua fell to the ground at the base of its trunk, his mind exhausted to a point of numbness. Peering upwards through the dark, he again caught sight of the bird he had followed. "That is who you could be." Joshua looked up, startled, "Who said that, where are you?"
     "I did," said Owl who was sitting quietly on a low branch of the tree, only five feet from Joshua.
     "What do you mean by that? You obviously do not know the truth. I’m a barnyard chicken, and my home is that nearby farm," Joshua insisted, as he gazed in Owl’s direction. "If, as you profess to believe, that a chicken is all you can be, you would not be here. A life was given to you, but living your life is something you must do and is something for which you must take responsibility.
     "A life is not meant to be compared, one to another, as you did with the other barnyard animals. The pig is happy, but lives blinded to his ultimate demise; the horse has security in her slavery, but no freedom; and, the rabbit is securely caged, yet is free in spirit. You cannot stand in judgment of someone’s life when you are looking from the outside in. First, you have to look at yourself, from the inside. The answers you need will come from understanding the questions. You’re seeking answers to unknown questions; seek first the clarity of your questions, then you will find the answers." said Owl.