Why Walk When You Can Fly

Once there was a king who received a gift of two magnificent 

falcons from Arabia. They were peregrine falcons, the most 

beautiful birds he had ever seen. 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, 

the other bird had not moved from its branch since the day 

it had arrived.

 

The king summoned healers and sorcerers from all the land to 

tend to the falcon, but no one could make the bird fly. He 

presented the task to the member of his court, but the next 

day, the king saw through the palace window that the bird 

had still not moved from its perch. Having tried everything 

else, the king thought, "Maybe I need someone more 

familiar with the countryside to understand the nature of 

this problem." So he told his court, "Go and get 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."