Big Bird

There was a giant tree in that part of forest. But on that big tree only two birds lived – one big and the other small. The big bird tried to talk to the smaller one but it didn’t feel friendly. Perhaps the small bird was scared of the big bird. The big bird felt lonely. But in that part of the forest it didn’t find any other company to keep. Every morning, it woke up and saw the small bird get up and go chirping around. Every evening, the big bird waited for the small bird to come back. The two didn’t talk. The small bird looked happy with life – perhaps it talked to the butterflies and squirrels and hence didn’t feel loneliness. Perhaps it was too young to ponder over life and lived in the moment, and hence the happiness. Whatever be the reason, the small bird became a kind of habit in the life of old bird. Time started flowing little peacefully…

One day, the small bird returned back home tired and sad. The big bird noticed it but didn’t dare to say anything. Next morning, the small bird woke up sad and worried. The same pattern went on for a few days and the big bird couldn’t control itself from interfering. It went to the small bird and asked what the matter was. The small bird told it that it wanted to fly high and long distances but didn’t have the strength and stamina. It felt life was too small and helpless. Big bird boasted its morale and promised to train it to fly high and long distances…

Training took a few weeks. Now the big bird got a purpose of life which made it look forward to the next day in excitement. Life seemed to have gotten back on track, until one day the small bird announced in its sweetest voice, “I am going away from this place to a far away land where my friend squirrel lives!!!” The big bird tried hard to persuade it not to go to an unsafe new place, but small bird won’t relent.

Had the big bird not taught art of flying to the small bird, it would have no option but to stay back to its old place. Now the big bird felt sad and it often cried – now it was all alone. But the big bird was not sorry about teaching the art of flying to the small bird. It thought, “Had I not taught it how to fly higher, it would have lived an unhappy life. And because of its unhappiness, I would also have become unhappy. Presently at least the small bird is happy.”

“It doesn’t matter if I am not…”