Affect: To have an influence on or effect a change in.
When I was heading outsidetoday, I noticed on the ground a butterfly. Nothing special, but then Idid a double-take. It turned out to be two butterflies. Still, nothingspecial. Then, I peeked in a bit closer, and noticed that the twobutterflies seemed to be joined at the end of their bodies. The twobutterflies were struggling to move, to get away from the ground and tothe sky where they were meant to be. I left them be, but the whole timeI was at the store, the thought of the struggle, the look of these twobutterflies, it stuck with me for some reason. It was like, they wereone person, but they were both struggling to be individuals, pulling ateach other hoping one side would give, but neither did. I figured Iwould never know which side gave in, and imagined the butterfly wouldbe gone when I got back home.
However, to my amazement, the two butterflies were still on the ground,on my porch, struggling to survive and struggling to get away. I knew Ihad to do something. Rather than smush them like most adolescentswould, I decided to cage them much like an adult would. Cage somethingin order to understand it better. So I scooped it up, and sat thebutterfly on my desk, where I watched it struggle to get out, from bothends. I went to get a drink, came back, and shook the case a little.The butterfly jumped, and suddenly, the butterfly that I thought wasone was indeed two seperate butterflies. I don't know how, I don'tunderstand why they were stuck together to seem like one, but theywere, and now they were no longer. They weren't special any longer,they weren't something that served a significance. Therefore, I let thetwo butterflies go, I let them out and they flew off into the distance.
I don't know what significance this story can have for me, but it doesseem symbolic, played out. I often times struggle within myself, thereare two mes, the logical me and the me driven by ambition andcompassion. They pull at me on the inside and all they want is whatthey feel is best for the whole, and eventually, one gives in, and theother usually is there afterward to say "see, I was right, we shouldhave followed me, I told you so".
So, people notice me, that I am special, an enigma, something they wantto take notice of, and what do they do next? They try to understand, bywhatever means they see necessary. Be it letting me get on with life,or be it trying to control and trap me, trying to suffocate me untilthey can display me for the sake of their great purpose. Then,suddenly, when I'm on the floor, dying, they give me a reason to keepgoing, they shake my cage and I awaken, not as the being that was beingtorn from the middle, but as just a man, just an ordinary man, just abeing, and nothing more. I no longer matter to them, I am no longerspecial. They can gain nothing from my destruction, I mean them no illwill and I can not teach them anything.
So they let me go, because now they understand what I really am, and Ifly away, never understanding why they did what they did. I just seethem as another phase in my life, something that happened, that if Ihad not been arguing with myself, if I had not been fighting what Iwas, they would have never noticed me. I made them notice, and I helpedthem, somehow. But I don't see that, I just see a person that tried tochange me.
I can fly away saying they never did. But in reality, they didn't just change my life, they may have very well saved me.
----------------------------- ------------------------------ -----------------------------
"Hm, interesting...."
"What's that? You don't like it?!"
"No, that's not the interesting part...."
"Then?!"
"I've never read a post that was so inspired by butterfly mating...."
When I was heading outsidetoday, I noticed on the ground a butterfly. Nothing special, but then Idid a double-take. It turned out to be two butterflies. Still, nothingspecial. Then, I peeked in a bit closer, and noticed that the twobutterflies seemed to be joined at the end of their bodies. The twobutterflies were struggling to move, to get away from the ground and tothe sky where they were meant to be. I left them be, but the whole timeI was at the store, the thought of the struggle, the look of these twobutterflies, it stuck with me for some reason. It was like, they wereone person, but they were both struggling to be individuals, pulling ateach other hoping one side would give, but neither did. I figured Iwould never know which side gave in, and imagined the butterfly wouldbe gone when I got back home.
However, to my amazement, the two butterflies were still on the ground,on my porch, struggling to survive and struggling to get away. I knew Ihad to do something. Rather than smush them like most adolescentswould, I decided to cage them much like an adult would. Cage somethingin order to understand it better. So I scooped it up, and sat thebutterfly on my desk, where I watched it struggle to get out, from bothends. I went to get a drink, came back, and shook the case a little.The butterfly jumped, and suddenly, the butterfly that I thought wasone was indeed two seperate butterflies. I don't know how, I don'tunderstand why they were stuck together to seem like one, but theywere, and now they were no longer. They weren't special any longer,they weren't something that served a significance. Therefore, I let thetwo butterflies go, I let them out and they flew off into the distance.
I don't know what significance this story can have for me, but it doesseem symbolic, played out. I often times struggle within myself, thereare two mes, the logical me and the me driven by ambition andcompassion. They pull at me on the inside and all they want is whatthey feel is best for the whole, and eventually, one gives in, and theother usually is there afterward to say "see, I was right, we shouldhave followed me, I told you so".
So, people notice me, that I am special, an enigma, something they wantto take notice of, and what do they do next? They try to understand, bywhatever means they see necessary. Be it letting me get on with life,or be it trying to control and trap me, trying to suffocate me untilthey can display me for the sake of their great purpose. Then,suddenly, when I'm on the floor, dying, they give me a reason to keepgoing, they shake my cage and I awaken, not as the being that was beingtorn from the middle, but as just a man, just an ordinary man, just abeing, and nothing more. I no longer matter to them, I am no longerspecial. They can gain nothing from my destruction, I mean them no illwill and I can not teach them anything.
So they let me go, because now they understand what I really am, and Ifly away, never understanding why they did what they did. I just seethem as another phase in my life, something that happened, that if Ihad not been arguing with myself, if I had not been fighting what Iwas, they would have never noticed me. I made them notice, and I helpedthem, somehow. But I don't see that, I just see a person that tried tochange me.
I can fly away saying they never did. But in reality, they didn't just change my life, they may have very well saved me.
----------------------------- ------------------------------ -----------------------------
"Hm, interesting...."
"What's that? You don't like it?!"
"No, that's not the interesting part...."
"Then?!"
"I've never read a post that was so inspired by butterfly mating...."
rating: 5
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