The Paradox of Freedom
A beautiful butterfly had just loose from its cocoon. It felt good to be out after long days and nights of silence and darkness. It stretched out its wings and fluttered…up
Up and went over the garden of the flowers. The butterfly was free and it wanted to share the secret it had found.
As it hovered over the flowers, it spotted a caterpillar crawling in the ground. Gently alighting beside the crawling creature, it smiled and greeted…
BUTTERFLY: Good morning! Beautiful day, isn’t it? Just got out of my cocoon. I never
knew the garden was so beautiful until today.
CATERPILLAR: You must be new here.
BUTTERFLY: Not really. I’ve been around quite some time. But it’s my first time to fly
over the garden… And you, what are you doing down here?
CATERPILLAR: Can’t you see yourself?
BUTTERFLY: I can see… you’re munching leaves…
CATERPILLAR: So why’d you ask?
BUTTERFLY: Don’t you think it’s the time you go and bury yourself inside your
cocoon?
CATERPILLAR: Don’t be silly. Why should I?
BUTTERFLY: You’re a caterpillar… and soon you’ll be a butterfly…
CATERPILLAR: Ah…I’m just a worm. Look here, wise guy…Life is short, so you’ve
got to make it…the most of it…The world is so beautiful, and there’s so much to see and enjoy… I wouldn’t want to turn my eyes away from it a single moment…
BUTTERFLY: But you can enjoy the world mush more when you’re free and flying over
it. Down here, you get bogged down to a few delights… You don’t see e verything from crawling on the ground…
CATERPILLAR: Big deal! I’m satisfied with the way I am.
BUTTERFLY: You’re satisfied with being a worm all your life? But you’ll never be
happy… You’re meant to be free and fly! Don’t you want to be a butterfly?
CATERPILLAR: On second thought, I think I would, but…
BUTTERFLY: Then go and bury yourself in your cocoon before it’s too late.
CATERPILLAR: But I’m afraid…
BUTTERFLY: Scared of what?
CATERPILLAR: …the dark… of missing the world… of losing my freedom. The
freedom that you’ll enjoy as a butterfly will be nothing with the passing joys you’ll be missing for a while.
BUTTERFLY: Everyone has to die a while if one wants to live and become what one
was meant to be.
CATERPILLAR: Ah… it’s too much trouble… I’ll settle for the way things are at the
moment. If you’d excuse me… there’s too much of the garden I have not seen yet…
The caterpillar left the butterfly speechless and very much disappointed, and went on its
way. It spent the rest of its days crawling on its belly and munching leaves. It grew old and died –A WORM.
The butterfly flew away but more determined than ever to share with all caterpillars the secret of freedom he had discovered.
If a butterfly happens to alight upon you don’t shoo it away…
You must just be missing THE SECRET OF FREEDOM.
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