The Butterfly
A boy went up to a guru who was sitting and looking at something in his hand. The boy didn’t understand what he was seeing and asked the guru what is was in his hand.
“It’s a cocoon,” answered the guru, “and inside the cocoon is a butterfly. Soon the cocoon is going to split, and the butterfly will come out.”
“Could I have it?” asked the little boy.
“Yes,” said the guru, “but you must promise me that when the cocoon splits and the butterfly starts to come out and is beating it’s wings to get out of the cocoon, you won’t help it. It is important not to help the butterfly by breaking the cocoon apart. It must do it on its own.”
The little boy promised, took the cocoon, and went home with it. He then sat and watched it. He saw it begin to vibrate and move and quiver, and finally the cocoon split in half. Inside was a beautiful damp butterfly, frantically beating its wings against the cocoon, trying to get out and not seeming to be able to do it. The little boy desperately wanted to help. Finally, he gave in, and pushed the two halves of the cocoon apart. The butterfly sprang out, but as soon as it got out, it fell to the ground and was dead. The little boy picked up the dead butterfly and in tears went back to the guru and showed it to him.
“Little boy,” said the guru, “You pushed open the cocoon, didn’t you?”
“Yes,” said the little boy, “I did.”
The guru spoke to him gravely, “You don’t understand. You didn’t understand what you were doing. When the butterfly comes out of the cocoon, the only way he can strengthen its wings is by beating them against the cocoon. It beats against the cocoon so its muscles will grow strong. When you helped it, you prevented it from developing the muscles it would need to survive.”
So often, what seems harsh or cruel in nature, is in reality wisdom and kindness for the time ahead.
There are times in everyone’s life when we “build a cocoon” around ourselves. Sometimes we call these “walls” or “shells”. They are coping skills which we have created in order to protect ourselves, to “feel safe”.
Eventually this seeming solution then becomes a part of the problem. While these defenses do indeed protect us from the outer world they also imprison us in our own little space so that we are not able to enjoy our lives to the fullest. It is painful to remain at this stage and not move on into the next phase of development, becoming mature and happy inside our own skins.
Just like the butterfly, the time arrives when we begin struggling to escape our self -imposed prison. This is not easy. Unlike the butterfly, we can have help to escape our “cocoon”. Though the struggle is ours alone, we can choose to ask for help to accomplish our own metamorphosis.
Judith Tremblay is the owner of “Paths to Change”, a counseling company located in Northern Ontario and serving clients all over the world. Check out her website ay www.pathstochange.ca and sign up for her monthly newsletter “Visions for Change”
