Watching a butterfly battle to leave its cocoon, the young boy helps by cutting it away.
Expecting it to take flight, the boy is surprised to see the butterfly instead limp along the ground.
By circumventing struggle, sadly the butterfly’s wings haven’t developed enough strength to support its weight in flight.
One of my favourite parables, the story of the butterfly so beautifully evokes the allure of ease and the harm it may inadvertently cause.
- It’s often easier to do things ourselves rather than train someone else.
- It’s often easier to remove obstacles for others so we don’t have to see their struggle.
- It’s often easier to avoid struggle ourselves and aim for a frictionless life.
The weird thing about struggle is we only appreciate it in hindsight. Instead of resenting it, perhaps think of it as developing our strength to fly?
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