Butterflies

People are like butterflies
Everyone has the potential
To become a beautiful creature
Soaring through life
When we reach past our fears
And see the beauty that lies all around us

We start as voracious caterpillars
Consuming as much of the world as we can
In a frantic dance driven by modern culture and naïveté
But there is so much confusion in this process
And a chaotic world filled with illusions only increases that effect
Delaying or preventing our ultimate transformation

So we continue blindly consuming
Until we reach an unhealthy point in life
Where we realize change must come
As we are forced to question
Both what we have consumed
And what lies ahead for us

Once we are in this cocoon
It can be difficult to see the world for what it is
When in the darkness of misinformed thoughts
We are often lead astray
Both by social norms and pressures
And by our own misguided desires

This is only made more difficult
By the burden of the human ego
That wants us to paint ourselves as Mona Lisas
While stopping us from seeing our true selves
So that we might work on our imperfections
And shed the weight of a material world

How can one expect to be free
When we are controlled by the weakness
That is the human ego?
A curse that seeks to run from our truths
Rather than face them in a positive way
That could give us real hope for improved quality of life
      
When we look for a way to escape from our cocoon
That is based on misrepresentations of life
We find ourselves running in circles
Unable to break free
Because false truths make strong
The silken bars of our imprisonment

Our insecurities grasp for certainty that does not exist
Which only serves to create more uncertainty
Our fears run from discomfort
But fear is self-actualizing
And leads us to false comforts instead
In the cruel reality that cocoons us

If we allow ourselves to believe
That happiness comes from outside ourselves
We are regularly presented with false hope
That gets snatched away by the hard truth
That we can never be truly happy
Until we find happiness within ourselves

Where we replace the frail ego
With the power of self-respect
And personal responsibility
That leads us to love ourselves
And be grateful for what we have
So we can love others too

This trap can last a lifetime
As many fail to seek guidance
Or even know that it may exist
Yet some emerge early in life
And some catch up later on
And find a way to emerge into the sunlight

And when they do finally emerge
Their wings take hold of the wind
And the sun embraces them with her warmth
As they soar into a new world
Filled with beauty, light and potential
Where there used to be only darkness and confusion

And having found this Shangri-La
We wish that we could bring those we love with us
But it is not so easy
Because the vision to see through the haze
And the fortitude to break the cocoon’s bonds
Does not come to everyone

So all we can do is try to guide them
And hope that they can find their inner strength
As we discovered ours
And give them a hand up when they want it
And catch them when they fall
So they know they are not alone

It is often said that those in cocoons are broken
And those of us who aren’t should stay away from them
But I say that we are all butterflies
And those caught in the cocoons of their past
Just need help to find freedom
And if we do not help them to fly, Who will?

For there is no one more qualified
Than a freed spirit
Whose wings already glide upon open skies
And whose heart has the capacity to love
Even those who do not love themselves
Because love is the greatest power in life

by David Stein
September 30, 2014
© 2014 by David Stein.  All rights reserved.