Metamorphosis

“What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the master calls a butterfly.” — Richard Bach

Meta is a Greek prefix that means ‘after’ or ‘beyond’ , and morph refers to ‘shape’ or ‘form’. Metamorphosis is the term used to describe the process of transformation in insects and amphibians, from an immature form to an adult form in two or more distinct stages. However this scientific term finds popular civil usage as ‘a change of the form or nature of a thing or person into a completely different one.’

What we were once, is not what we’ll always be. Yes, old habits die hard, but we are capable of great change. As I described in my previous post ‘ We flourish together ‘ , the story reveals the tale of transformation of man from being  a fierce, abominable person to an enlightened sage.

The caterpillar’s  metamorphosis from a tree clinging, 12-legged pest into the majestic flying butterfly is one of the most used metaphors to describe a 180 transformation. It’s a truly  fantastic mechanism developed by nature, yet while all my seem fantastic on the outside, this transformation looks pretty gruesome deep inside, and isn’t a bed of roses for the caterpillar after all . In short, for a caterpillar to turn into a butterfly it digests itself using enzymes triggered by hormones. But then it emerges from it previous form, bold and beautiful than ever!

I believe it’s always too early to quit, and if you ask me how to be a butterfly, I’ll say we first need to give up being a caterpillar.

Transformation