ASR-Black swallowtail or papilio maackii butterfly on oriental cherr

The Moth and The Butterfly

The Moth and The Butterfly

Below are three short stories that may speak to you<3

The Moth: 

Once upon a time I was at my old apartment, and outside of my door there was a bright shining light with a moth attached to it. The apartment was set up so that the hallways were completely open to the outside. I watched this moth stick to this really ugly light for weeks. It just wouldn’t leave. All it had to do was walk into the dark hallway and right around the corner there was a wide open space making it super easy for the moth to be free to wander to literally go anywhere. There were many openings and exits this moth could have taken. 

But nope it wanted this light and no other light. The light wasn’t even a real light! It was an ugly bright light that I wanted to smash if I could. The moth just could not take the chance, it could not see the way out past this artificial light. I felt sad for the moth, and I realized this moth is just trying to survive and play it safe and it just doesn’t know! If only the moth could trust and take the chance to fly just a little they could see that they were free to roam the wild!

I slowly gave up on the moth, not because I wanted to but because I began to understand the moth. I felt for the moth. I was the moth. Then one day, the moth was on my door. As I flung my door open, I watched the moth FINALLY go outside to the wide open space and be free. I was so happy. And then I think a few days later, another moth returned. I saw other moths near other lights. I didn’t get why they were so stuck on these lights when the outdoors was right there.

 But this is in our nature. This is the cycle. We break free from what’s safe to go outside, until the next thing and then maybe we get a push to go out into the wild once more, and then we find the next thing. This is life. There is nothing wrong with where you are at. This is the cycle of life. It’s natural to want to hold on to what’s safe. But we totally don’t have to.. We don’t know what’s around the corner. Sometimes we need a push to be able to see it though.

The Butterfly and the Cocoon:

Sometimes we find ourselves deep in the cocoon. We can be so deep in the cocoon, we have no idea how to get out. Or when to get out. Sometimes we feel like we may stay way too long cocooning . 

When the hell am I going to be a god damn butterfly? When am I going to leave this cocoon and do I even want to leave? Do I want to go into the outside world? Not really, it sucks. The process of coming out of the cocoon is HARD. It takes SO much energy. 

“But I can’t stay in the cocoon forever,” said the butterfly. “I have to spread my wings and fly. I have to go see the world, smell the flowers and butterfly with the others. I want to be pretty, I want to be part of the earth. This cocoon is lonely ! But there is comfort in loneliness and I don’t want to leave! I am warm and cozy and I don’t know what life will be like when I am out. Will I be safe? How long am I going to be here? When is it time to go? How will I know? I am so scared to go outside. Will I get eaten?”

It’s normal to be afraid of coming out of the cocoon! But this is nature! Nature will eventually push us out of the cocoon. Sure there will be pressure, but nature happens whether we like it or not.

We cannot stay in the cocoon, when we were meant to be a butterfly.  

The Moth and The Butterfly:

The moth says “I am ugly, no one wants to look at me. I am not pretty, I leave weird smells and everyone hates me. I have a bad reputation, and I am dark. I like my artificial light, I like the night. “ 

 The butterfly says “I am scared to leave my cocoon. I just want to fly on the flowers and be beautiful and enjoy my life. I want to fly in the clouds next to my sunshine. See the beauty of life. I just want to be happy, joyous and free and go where I want to go.”

    The moth is enraged that the butterfly is cocooning too! Both go through the process of being reborn into the world. But the moth is pissed that the butterfly looks different. “Why am I not the butterfly? Hey butterfly stop doing what I’m doing can’t you see I’m in my goddamn cocoon and it’s mine and my space. Go flutter elsewhere.”

   But the butterfly sees the moth for what it actually is. “Hey fellow moth, we are from the same animal family. You are much needed don’t you see.” 

  The moth wants to be left alone, but the butterfly wants to fly away. How can they work together and coexist and love each other at the same time? They both transform and have to fly.

Sometimes our transformations are dark and sometimes they are sunshine and flowers. We don’t know. But we need the butterfly and the moth so the ecosystem can be harmonious. When we give up the moth to be a butterfly, we lose a part of ourselves. And when we never become the butterfly due to fear, then we never reach our highest potential and can miss out on a truly fulfilling beautiful life. Sometimes we are the butterfly, and sometimes we are the moth. More times often than not, we are both. 

The moth needs to accept the moth for what it is and not hate the butterfly for being a butterfly. The butterfly must continue to break free no matter what the moth says or does. And be the butterfly and be herself. The butterfly must not try to make the moth into a butterfly when the moth is supposed to be just the way it is. There is nothing wrong with being the moth, and there is  nothing wrong with being the butterfly. They are both equal and valuable in their own way. Both are necessary for transformation. Honor the moth AND the butterfly. Integrate both! 

<3

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