The Emperor Moth

A man once found a cocoon of the beautiful Emperor Moth and took it home so he could watch the moth emerge from the cocoon.

On the day a small opening appeared, he sat, enthralled, and watched for several hours as the moth struggled to force its body through that little hole. After a while, it seemed to stop making any progress. It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could go and it could go no further. It just seemed to be stuck.

So the man, in his kindness, decided to help the moth.... he took a pair of scissors and snipped off the remaining bit of the cocoon. To his relief, the moth then emerged easily. But it had a swollen body and small, shriveled wings. The man continued to watch the moth because he expected that, at any moment, the wings would enlarge and expand to support the body, which would contract in time -- and the moth would fly away. But it never happened!

In fact, the little moth spent the rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body and shriveled wings. It never was able to fly.

What the man in his kindness and haste did not understand was that the restricting cocoon and the struggle required for the moth to get through the tiny opening was the way of forcing fluid from the body of the moth into its wings so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved its freedom from the cocoon.

Freedom and flight could only come after the struggle. By depriving the moth of its struggle, he deprived the moth of health and freedom.

If we were to go through our lives without any obstacles or struggles, we too would be crippled. We would not be as strong as what we could have been. Give every struggle (opportunity) a chance, learn to grow beyond it and fly free of your cocoon -- leave no room for regrets.

~Author Unknown~

© October 17, 1998 club_foot@hotmail.com