Hope for Humanity

There is a person you are meant to be. You know this because you’ve dreamed of it. Perhaps that person is a painter or a photographer. Maybe it’s an entrepreneur or a scientist. But whatever the goal, many of us have the same issue trying to become that person: we only see the person we are now. When we peer in the mirror it’s too easy to find the faults and imperfections, both inside and out. Many of us may not want to admit it but we cling to that person instead of letting him or her go to become the person we wish to be.

Why do we do this? Is it because that person is all we know and it’s difficult to imagine a higher self beyond?

I’ve done my share of clinging in life, and while it felt comfortable in the moment, over time it only felt empty.

A while back, one book opened my eyes to a new way of thinking on this subject: Hope for the Flowers by Trina Paulus. Read it to discover its wonderful message for yourself. The journey is worth it. But I’ll share the line from the book that helped me stop fumbling through this world on the ground.

In the book, one of the main characters is a caterpillar named Yellow. One day she stumbles upon another caterpillar who appears caught in some sticky stuff hanging from a limb. Yellow asks him if he’s in trouble and wants help.

“No, my dear. I have to do this to become a butterfly.”

“How does one become a butterfly?” Yellow asks.

He says, “You must want to fly so much that you are willing to give up being a caterpillar.”

That line clicked with me and I decided I didn’t want to be a caterpillar the rest of my life.

What are you willing to give up so you can fly?