Storytime! The man and the butterfly
Why helping is not always the best option? This story will make you think twice before you offer your help…
Watch the video or read the story below
A little boy found a cocoon of a butterfly. One day a small hole appeared. He sat and watched the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to get out of the cocoon through that little hole. Until it suddenly stopped making any progress and looked like it was stuck. So, the man decided to help the butterfly.
He took a pair of scissors and removed the remaining bit of the cocoon. The butterfly then came out easily, although it had a weak body and small shrivelled wings.
The little boy didn’t think anything of it and sat there waiting for the wings to get bigger to support the butterfly. But that didn’t happen. The butterfly spent the rest of its life unable to fly, crawling around with tiny wings.
Despite the kind heart of the little boy, he didn’t understand that the cocoon and the struggle needed by the butterfly to get itself out were Nature’s way of preparing the butterfly for flying once it was out of the cocoon.
Our struggles in life develop our strengths. Without struggles, we never grow and never get stronger, so it’s important for us to tackle challenges on our own, and not be relying on help from others. We must also be careful not to make others dependent on us.
And you, how did you develop your own wings? Do you let your loved ones develop their own wings as well or do you help them too much?
