The falcon that flew

The falcon that flew

October 2014

Once a king received a gift of two magnificent falcons. He gave the precious birds to his head falconer to be trained. Months passed, and one day the head falconer informed the king that though one of the falcons was flying majestically, soaring high in the sky, the other bird had not moved from its branch since the day it had arrived.

The king summoned healers and sorcerers from everywhere to tend to the falcon, but no one could make the bird fly. He presented the task to the members of his court, but the bird still did not move from its perch.Having tried everything else, the king decided to summon someone more familiar with the countryside to understand the nature of this problem. So he asked his court to entrust the case to a farmer. In the morning, the king was thrilled to see the falcon soaring high above the palace gardens. He said to his court, “Bring me the doer of this miracle.”

The court quickly located the farmer, who came and stood before the king. The king asked him, “How did you make the falcon fly?”

With his head bowed, the farmer said to the king, “It was very easy, Your Highness. I simply cut the branch where the bird was sitting.”

Desmond Tutu