When we enter this world, we are tethered to the ground, bound by instinct and directed by societal norms. In the process of growing up, we reconcile the pull our primal urges with the levity of consciousness. We forge our identities, carving out our individuality from the mass of billions around us. It takes time before we learn to quiet the external pressures and tune in to the voice within. In this realm of realization, there exist three archetypes: ants, caterpillars, and butterflies.

Ants

By far the most numerous, the ants symbolize those who find contentment in the pursuit of immediate gratification. Driven by the allure of ephemeral pleasures, they follow the scent of the next dopamine hit to the nearest picnic leftovers.

They spend their days working toward acquisition and keep the colony running with their routine. The fact that they share their value system with such a majority prevents any questioning of the chosen pursuits. This colony-wide agreement provides a sense of validation that is all the sustenance they need. 

The never-ending quest for more masks the ultimately empty nature of this lifestyle. More is such a nefarious distraction because there is always more to be had. On the constant trail for breadcrumbs, discarded watermelon rinds, and external validation, they scarcely wonder whether this trail is worth following in the first place.

Caterpillars

Caterpillars, akin to the ants in their grounded existence, crawl around the dirt looking for something tasty to munch on. But the caterpillars harbor a gnawing sense of something more, something greater they are meant for. Despite moments of contentment, (rolling around in the dirt can be pretty fun after all), they feel a stirring within, a whisper of destiny beyond the mundane pleasure seeking of the ants.  

Sometimes a caterpillar will die before it ever explores this. But sometimes it will wander off alone, and in the isolation of a cocoon, begin to question, to evolve, to transform. The cocoon state is a necessary period of metamorphosis. The caterpillar can’t just wake up one day as a butterfly. It must experience the bound loneliness of its own making.

Does it know in advance how long it will be in there or does it trust the process? Is entering the cocoon an entomological leap of faith? A lepidopteric rite of passage? I’d like to believe that in the moment, it feels terrifying. The caterpillar questions whether there is an end to the darkness, whether it wasn’t better off crawling about with ants which look so happy.

In the process of working through its solitary confinement, the caterpillar not only gains the strength to break free of it, but it grows wings. That struggle, to re-enter the world in its new form, is absolutely fundamental to its ability to fly. Should someone open the cocoon for it, the creature will return to the ground, without the requisite strength to take to the skies.

Butterflies

The butterfly, the culmination of this journey, takes flight, forever leaving behind the land of ants for the realm of the birds. In its newfound freedom, it encounters others like itself, each bearing colorful wings as a testament to its time in the cocoon. 

From time to time, the butterfly may look down and see a caterpillar. Does it lament it is no longer amongst the ants? Does it whisper encouragement to young caterpillars, spurring them towards their transformation? Does it just give a butterfly smile, flutter its wings, and inspire transformation by its very beauty?

When the caterpillar becomes a butterfly, it also becomes a pollinator. In its realized state, it no longer moves from leaf to leaf searching for sustenance, but rather plays a critical role in beautifying the world. By its very nature, serves the greater good, helping others blossom. Its desires are aligned with the interests of the whole. Without its critical work, earths terrestrial ecosystems would not survive.

Engulfed in the loneliness and despair of our cocoon, we cannot see it, but our suffering is the means by which we gain wings and our souls take flight. It is the necessary mechanism of our metamorphosis, our self-realization. It is how we gain the depth of character to be of service in these limited lives of eternal change.