The
Butterfly
And the Shotgun
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A |
butterfly had just emerged from its chrysalis
and was flexing its wings in the warming sun. “I’m not sure, but I think I can
fly,” the butterfly said, hopefully. But it sat on the branch for some time, continuing
to warm its wings while it remained in some doubt about making an attempt to
fly.
Finally, the creature
summoned enough courage to flap its wings. Surprised by its success, the little
butterfly at first flitted around awkwardly, barely in control of its motions. After
a while, though, it got its bearings and managed to fly happily, if not with complete
assurance, around the meadow.
Just then, a
man with a large, double-barreled shotgun saw the butterfly flitting around not
far away. “Hmmph,” he sneered. “Another uppity caterpillar who thought he could
fly all over the place and not have to crawl anymore.. I’ll show it.” Then he
raised his gun and blasted the butterfly into many unrecognizable pieces.
“That’ll teach
him and his insect pals that it takes a lot more than they’ve got to rule the
sky, especially when Jeb and his trusty pal, the Blaster, are here.”
'
This story reminds us that new thoughts are
often delicate and tentative and should be treated gently in their tentative,
early forms. To react to a new thought with energetic condemnation is to use a
shotgun to kill a butterfly.
Questions for Thought and
Discussion
1. Why is an early, tentative thought compared
to a butterfly just learning to fly?
2. What, do you think makes some people so
eager to “shoot down” the ideas of others?
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