BECOME THE BUTTERFLY
I spent a lot of today thinking about a quote I heard a number of weeks ago. I believe it was Duke Stump (@skratta) who threw it out there for me to chew on. It was a quote by Buckminster Fuller, one that for some reason I had never heard:
“There is nothing in a caterpillar that tells you it’s going to be a butterfly.”
This little quote smacked me right between the eyes. There was so much truth in it. The tiny caterpillar crawling on the ground, gnawing away at leaves, has this wonderful potential locked away inside it. One day it will suddenly form a chrysalis and begin its transformation into something completely different from its current self. Then it will break its cage and take flight, realizing it’s true nature as a butterfly. There was nothing about it during the caterpillar stage that communicated that this metamorphosis would occur. Yet it existed inside, waiting for just the right time to show itself.
I see a parallel between a caterpillar and a person sleepwalking through life. Inside each of us lies the potential to become something amazing. For much of my life I was a sleepwalker. I woke up everyday uninspired, dreading the day that lay before me. I had no passion, no direction. I began to treasure Fridays and hate Mondays. Time moved slow and I chewed away at my work, one boring leaf at a time.
My life began to change when I became a Buddhist. I began to see my life as a journey to discover, or awaken, to my true nature. That’s pretty much the definition of enlightenment. So I knew I needed to make a change quickly or I was going to live a life that didn’t matter. That terrified me. If I continued the way I was, making no positive impact or meaningful contribution, I will have lived a wasted life. In my mind, life is the most miraculous thing in the entire universe. I am the expression of stardust that the universe has combined to observe itself. A star cannot love. A planet cannot care. Yet as tiny as I am in comparison to those two objects, I have more potential for loving and caring than all of the stars and planets in the universe combined. That’s what life is all about - being given this brief moment in time to spread love and caring to one another. We have this “butterfly” locked inside all of us, this potential to do absolutely amazing things. We are the ultimate expression of the universe. Yet the vast majority of humanity sleepwalks through life.
One of my all-time favorite movies is Dune. Close to the end the main character, Paul Atreides, or as he is know at this point in the movie, Paul Muad’Dib, drinks this water of life stuff (I think it’s giant worm bile) and sees all this crazy shit. Basically, it causes him to awaken to his true nature and become the universe’s super being, or Kwisatz Haderach. (I’m totally showing my fanboy side right now.) When the visions fade he yells out to his dead father “Father, the sleeper has awaken!” I first saw this movie when I was eleven. From that point on I always wondered what that phrase meant. Now I know. And I didn’t drop acid to figure it out - something inside me just ignited and I began to wake up. And when I woke up, things changed dramatically. I realized that this gift of life that I have been given will not be wasted. I will do everything I can to transform the world we live in into the most positive, loving, caring environment that I can. I will seek truth in everything I do. I will strive to hurt no one, and give my all to lift up humanity. This is it folks. We’ve got one shot. And never has there been a better time in the history of our species to experience this awakening.
So I guess my question for you is, are you sleepwalking? Do you dread going to work tomorrow morning? Are you working so that someday you can retire and not work, then rot away in a lounge chair for the last few decades of your life? Because if you are, then you need to wake up now. You have been given this miraculous opportunity to experience the most amazing thing in the entire universe. You are alive. Take that gift and do something incredible with it. Find your passion and share it with the world. Seek out people who will help you with this, people who understand that what you have to offer is important.
I invite you to join me in this movement. There is a shift happening and you can be involved starting right now. Devote yourself to the human cause and share your passion with the world. Awaken to your true nature and become the butterfly that is inside you. I promise you will not regret a single moment of it.
May 11th, 2009 at 6:37 am
I was a sleepwalker too. And then I woke up one day and realized that I’d never be what I wanted if I didn’t change.
Matt, this is SOLID stuff.
May 12th, 2009 at 5:49 pm
This reflection reminds me a lot of Ben Rattray’s talk from a different perspective. Making an impact, living a life that matters, and leaving a legacy all go hand in hand. What are the best ways to make an impact? I think the first step to making an impact is to stand out, don’t be invisible. As long as you’re blending into the herd, it’s hard to make a difference.