A Caterpillar to a Butterfly
Butterfly from the photo essay shot at the Botanical Gardens in Medellin, Colombia.
“Just like the butterfly, I too will awaken in my own time.”
~Deborah Chaskin
We all start off the same, crawling on our bellies, learning our place in the world. We follow our instincts to survive as nature inspires.
We are conditioned by our surroundings and accept everything we call the cultural norms, from the most harmful illusions to the most painful truths.
Some question nothing.
Some question everything.
We gravitate towards love, yet we still need to find our way. We adapt, grow, settle, make adjustments and learn.
We are taught equally from the flowers in bloom to the most violent storms.
We learn what we are taught. We learn from our experiences. We learn from the world, we naturally pursue that which inspires.
We consume.
We grow.
We mistakenly identify with the nature of our consumption.
We then consume more.
We fall asleep as the cycle continues.
We move into transitions at different paces. Some get stuck. Some move rapidly. Some sleep in deep unconsciousness. Some choose to never emerge. Some spin in intense alertness found in the moment.
Some even transform.
“We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty.”
~Author Unknown
Once understood the destructive illusion of consumerism is a paradigm hinging upon both Darwin’s theory of evolution and the Newtonian primacy theory of matter.
The “survival of the fittest” belief destines most of us to failure. Then generously layer the belief that human value is measured based how much one possesses.
Combined, these two foundations create a perpetual state of competition and the belief that there are not enough resources. It is a deceptive illusion that penetrates deeper into the subconscious of every person, pre-cocoon, pre-butterfly.
Is knowledge enough? Does the thought of action against the status quo create fear inside of you? Do you hear your inner voice asking you investigate deeper? What matters to you?
I sit with these thoughts.
My wings gently unfold under the healing sun.
Memory of my birthright surfaces:
I choose to a be pollinator of liberation than a consumer of the old way of thinking.
