Self Reliance

The owners of a Rocky Mountain resort lodge kept an eagle in a large cage for their guests’ entertainment. The eagle was well cared for and grew into a healthy, noble bird. But one day a group of visitors expressed resentment that so wild and beautiful a creature shouldnt be confined. The lodgekeeper opened the door of the cage, but the bird would not leave. Eventually the eagle left, but he died soon after that. He had long since forgotten how to hunt for his own food, and with no one to feed him, he could not survive.