Being at our local botanical garden today, in the butterfly garden I was reminded of this story I had heard years ago:
A man found a cocoon of a butterfly, that he brought home.
One day a small opening appeared in the cocoon. He sat and watched the cocoon for several hours as the butterfly struggled to force its body through that little hole. Then it seemed to stop making progress. It appeared as if the butterfly had gotten as far as it could, and it could go no further. The man decided to help the butterfly in it's struggle. He took a pair of scissors and snipped off the remaining bit of the cocoon...
and the butterfly emerged easily.
As the butterfly emerged, the man was surprised. It had a swollen body and small, shriveled wings. He continued to watch the butterfly expecting that, at any moment, the wings would dry out, enlarge and expand to support the swollen body. He knew that in time the body which would contract and the butterfly would be able to fly.
But neither happened!
In fact, the butterfly 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 were required for the butterfly to be able to fly. The butterfly must push it's way through the tiny opening to force the fluid from its body and wings. Only by struggling through the opening, can the butterfly's wings be ready for flight once it emerges from the cocoon.
Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our life. If God allowed us to go through our life without any obstacles, it would cripple us. We would not be as strong as what we could have been.
And we could never fly.
To take this one step further, it's like teaching a man to fish, yet some people think it's better to give the fish, or cut the cocoon. While it is good to help people, we actually could be hurting them by just "doing" for them. In the long run, we know best what we need done anyway for ourselves, and that's why I want to preserve our freedoms in our country so we all have the opportunity to fly.
P.S. to liberals, I know this sort of posting is too sophisicated for you all, I pretty much assume you won't "get it"; if you did you wouldn't be a liberal anymore, lol.
The Z Platform
1 day ago
19 comments:
I suspect the man with the scissors is the government (lol). I was amazed to learn that these beautiful creatures only live two weeks on average!
The first time I learned that they live only two weeks was when we went to our first butterfly exhibit in a greenhouse, maybe in Washington D.C. You know they always have those warning to watch as you come in through the double doors to be sure none of the butterflies get out and I'm like damn they only live 2 weeks so what if they get out let them live a little, sheesh!
you know
Give a man a fish; feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish; feed him for a life time. Give a man welfare; pay for him and his future generations forever!
Whatever happened to social programs as a "safety net"? President Reagan must be rolling over in the grave with each passing day and each new Government give-a-way program!
You know I was thinking about welfare yesterday and wonder why liberals don't like the idea of giving people on welfare timetables for getting off welfare, but they want a timetable for getting out of Iraq.
Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day: teach him to fish and he will sit on the riverbank drinking beer for a lifetime. :)
great story beth. life is not about simple or easy, but about challenges and sometimes struggles. that is what makes the journey worth while. i too think welfare is much life your butterfly story. it can sap the life right out of a person or a family.
kw
The thing about liberalism is that it assumes the worst in people, like they can't handle their own lives. We conservatives believe in ourselves, in the greatness of our own individualism.
How many conservatives do you know who have turned away government assistance when their cards were down?
I personally know three who haven't --- which is about a third of conservatives I know well enough to know if they've received welfare:
1 who married a Colombian and had a baby and welcomed welfare to support their family while they had near minimum wage jobs.
1 other who continues to receive disability despite having a lucrative recording studio which receives most income in under the table cash.
1 who received unemployment after going under as a day trader and receiving free rent + cash for being caretaker of my landlord's buildings.
Plus perhaps a dozen conservatives I knew through webboards who justified receiving government cash at some point in their lives.
I know zero "conservatives" who have walked the talk.
In fact, if I stretched it, I could consider you as one who welcomes government assistance if it comes in the form of educating your children.
But guess what, if welfare and unemployment and public schools weren't there, then what? We would still survive.
One thing about our schools that is different is that we do get to vote on tax increases and also school board meetings are open to the public so anyone can express their thoughts and opinions or questions. I don't get any say in who gets welfare, it's all handled by bureaucracy.
Besides, when it comes to welfare, Erik, you know that I am not one that thinks it is totally wrong, anyone can use a helping hand, but it should be very temporary for most. Some yes will always need it.
Your friend taking unemployment while having a lucrative studio under the table is exactly the reason I don't like the government getting involved. Why would your friend think its right to do that? Because it's socially acceptable to screw the government. Do you think he or she would lie to a charity? Some would, but I'd say most would not. This is why welfare should be rare!
If you're not against government assistance, why do you love to tell the stories of the Cocoon & the Butterfly and Davy Crockett?
Do these stories make you feel uncomfortable, Erik?
No, they don't.
As your post about the extremely successful liberal Minneapolis light rail line - which you blindly and incorrectly posted about as if it was a boondoggle - you are willfully ignorant due to your blind ideology.
Oh but the fact that you totally agree with anything liberal is perfectly okey-dokey, huh?
I misunderstood your point about light rail vs highway maintence, but as I just posted we seem to be starting from contradicting facts: whether or not federal highway maintenance earmarks were diverted to light rail.
What specifically are you suggesting I support because of ideology instead of reasoning and core principals?
Erik, you support every liberal idea and say it's your core principles, but I support everything conservative and you call it blind ideology. Right there don't you see how you are biased in your thinking that way? This is why I lost total respect for you a while ago.
You don't support everything "conservative".
The Iraq war, you're pro-public schools, you're pro-gay, you're anti-torture.
Come on, now.
No, I am in favor of school vouchers, I am tolerant of gays and I never said I was anti-torture, where did you ever get that idea from? McCain being wishy washy on torture is one thing I don't like about him. Playing nice with bad people will not make them play nice with us.
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