When will we learn?
There’s a folktale about three butterflies caught in the rain and unable to get home. One is yellow, one is white and one is red. They seek shelter to protect themselves from the water coming down.
They approach a red tulip and ask for shelter among its petals. The tulip looks at them and says, “The red one can stay, but not the yellow and white one, for they are different. Being close friends, they choose not to accept the offer.
Flying further, they find a white lily. Again, they ask for shelter from the rain. The lily answers, “The white one can stay, for you are like me, but not the red and yellow one, for they are different.”
Again, they choose to stay together, for they are friends. Finally, they find a yellow daffodil, and as you can guess, the answer is still the same.
The Great Sun looks down upon these three butterflies. It admires the closeness, resolve, and love of each other, not to be separated and to stand together, despite their perceived differences.
The Sun, being the powerful entity that it is, pushes away the rain clouds, dries up the rain, and warms the butterflies’ wings so that the three can return to their own home and be protected.
This is an old folktale. It’s surprising that the opinions of its story still hold true today.
There are those like the flowers who seek to be the one—the one who is right, the one who is better than others, the one with no empathy and compassion, the one who will not help and aid the sufferings of others because of their differences, feeling that others are inferior and not worthy of assistance. They look for individuals of like mind, appearance, and belief and see a future revolving around themselves.
Yet there are also those of us, like the Sun, who see beyond differences. They see others as equals with unique strengths and traits that enhance the beauty of the world we live in and are willing to do all they can for the benefit of everyone. They look for each of us to be part of a melting pot of everything—molded into a better self, a stronger self, and a brighter future.
The folktale was created to send a message to all. Do we learn from it? Or do we continue along the path we are heading toward, where there is no growth and inevitably we are destroyed?
Think about. Which world would you like to be part of?
