Many books have already been written on the one thousand and one things that are learnable from the indisputable king of aviation, the eagle. And for the reason of those many enviable sterling qualities of the eagle, countries and institutions that have a magnificent obsession for excellence have adopted the eagle as their emblem; the eagle was the emblem of Ancient Rome, and has remained the emblem of the United States of America.

Interestingly, there is next to nothing about the eagle that doesn’t hold a larger-than-life significance. The eagle’s vision, for instance, is eight times that of humans; it can see so clearly from miles away. The eagle’s flying skill is legendary; it can ride on the wings of the most ferocious storm. And both the way the eagle contracts relationship and raises its young are enviable.

However, I’m particularly intrigued by one of the rituals of the eagle: “renewal.” When old age begins to set in, leading to the weakening of its feathers and beak, the eagle goes on a retreat – for renewal. Guess what it does while in that most solemn solitude? With its beak it pulls out all of its feathers, and then keeps jamming its beak against the rock until it is broken. Hell painful! Now, stark naked and without a beak, the eagle remains there until it grows new feathers and beak. Then, after this overhauling and life-threatening exercise, the eagle not only renews its strength but lives longer.

I’m tempted to do a commentary on this mind-blowing practice of the eagle. But on a second thought, I leave it to you to draw out the lesson yourself. And maybe share with us here in the comment box.

Take this from Henry Ford: “Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young. The greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young.”