Putting Our Differences to Work by Debbe Kennedy: The Prophecy of the Eagle and the Condor

"The Prophecy of the Eagle and the Condor" offers both new hope and a call-to-action --- an invitation for us to come together --- it speaks of the potential for us putting our differences to work.

I was first introduced to this legend by New York Times bestselling author, John Perkins in his book, Confessions of an Economic Hit Man a few years back. It was an unusual book for me to read at the time, but one that served as a wake-up call to look at our troubled world with a different perspective. It is in many ways scary, because it puts pieces of a very complex, frightening puzzle together that we've seen in the world vividly in recent years. However, the visionary part of John Perkins' message brings with it a new hope and also a deep call for responsibility for each of us. This is demonstrated in one specific place when he shares the Prophecy of the Eagle and the Condor (Page 209). Below is the text from his book and also a brief video that John Perkins did for the Omega Institute summarizing the story. I wanted you to hear him tell the story and hear his call to action to us all.

The Prophecy of the Eagle and the Condor
by John Perkins

Nearly every culture I know prophesies that in the late 1990's we entered a period of remarkable transition. At monasteries in the Himalayas, ceremonial sites in Indonesia, and indigenous reservations in North America, from the depths of the Amazon to the peaks of the Andes, and into the ancient Mayan cities of Central America, I have heard that ours is a special moment in human history, and that each of us was born at this time because we have a mission to accomplish.

The titles and the words of the prophecies differ slightly. They tell variously of a New Age, the Third Millennium, the Age of Aquarius, the Beginning of the Fifth Sun, or the end of old calendars and the commencement of new ones. Despite the varying terminologies, however, they have a great deal in common, and “The Prophecy of the Condor and Eagle” is typical. It states that back in the mists of history, human societies divided and took different paths: that of the condor (representing the heart, intuitive and mystical) and that of the eagle (representing the brain, rational and material). In the 1490's, the prophesy said, the two paths would converge and the eagle would drive the condor to the verge of extinction. Then, five hundred years later, in the 1990's a new epoch would begin, one in which the condor and the eagle will have the opportunity to reunite ad fly together in the same sky, along the same path. If the condor and eagle accept this opportunity, they will create a most remarkable offspring, unlike any seen before.

“The Prophecy of the Condor and Eagle” can be taken at many levels — the standard interpretation is that it foretells the sharing of indigenous knowledge with the technologies of science, the balancing of yin and yang, and the bridging of northern and southern cultures. However, most powerful is the message it offers about consciousness; it says the we have entered a time when we can benefit from the many diverse was of seeing ourselves and the world, and that we can use these as a springboard to higher levels of awareness. As human beings we can truly wake up and evolve into a more conscious species.

When John Perkins reviewed my book, he affirmed that we know that to create a sustainable, peaceful, and socially just world, we must change our attitudes toward relationships and the ways we conduct business. As I re-visited his sharing of this prophecy and his call to action, it reminded me that my book comes with a personal invitation in this regard...to join me and others leaders in pioneering a new era marked by the mastery of putting our differences to work.The opportunity for each of us, and all of us, is to distinguish the twenty-first century as a time where, through the strength of our differences across the world, new levels of meaningful and useful innovation are realized, transforming business and society.

This may seem a lofty goal --- it was when I first wrote in down --- but isn't that the role of leadership---to paint the picture of the future for those who follow us? By claiming this goal, we are destined to leave enduring fingerprints on the beginning of this century, don't you think? Futurist Joel Barker helps us realize the significance of our leadership and what is at stake:

"We can and should shape your own future. If you don't someone else surely will."

What do you think?

Debbe

Debbe Kennedy
founder, President and CEO
Global Dialogue Center
and Leadership Solutions Companies
Twitter @debbekennedy @onlinedialogues

author, Putting Our Differences to Work
The Fastest Way to Innovation, Leadership,
and High Performance (Berrett-Koehler 2008)
Buy a Copy at Amazon.com