Tuesday, June 14, 2011

CHANGE AND TRANSFORMATION ~~ THE BUTTERFLY



"Be the change you want to see in the world".  
Quote from Mahatma Gandhi.


This past week I visited an inmate incarcerated at a detention facility in San Bernardino California, nearby where I grew up. My assignment was to interview the son of wonderful decent parents about a suspicious Insurance claim and to interview the parents.

I had met the parents first, living in Highland, California, literally just down the street from where I went to elementary school. It was hard to believe that this son whose parents are so wonderful was tangled in a web of lawlessness and negative activity.

I was curious as to how their son landed in jail. How could a root of a tree of such light brought so much darkness to this family?

What really hit home for me was how much the son complained about his misfortune and how life had not been so good to him.

Revisiting the stage of my life growing up through my teenage years I recall my own young life to be with dark memories of my father. I could not quite associate a good father with a troubled son and my experience with no drugs or problems at school and with society and a father who seemly did not care for me in a loving way. To me on the surface it was like a paradox. It seems to defy logic.

The son is now 44 years old and still has not be freed from the web of a troubled life.

While I was away in Greece, an incredible transformation enveloped my father and when I returned after 6 years away my father, he was a completely different person. It was as if he were a caterpillar and evolved into a beautiful butterfly. 

The son in my story has not chosen to be the change he wants to see in his life. One must willing to make the change he needs to make, and not blame society for the way he is.

I have been blessed by the transformation I have experienced in my life. In spite of the negative childhood I experienced I choose to change I wanted to see with my family and it has indeed changed.

"That the caterpillar calls the end of the world ~~ the master calls a Butterfly". Quote by Richard Bach

The ancients consider the butterfly as sacred! Early Christianity viewed the butterfly as the essence of the soul. In Greek mythology the butterfly is associated with the Greek Goddess, Psyche. Who is the soul. Among other cultures, China believes that when a butterfly lands on you have been touched by heaven and you will receive good fortune. 

The butterfly presents the essence of the never-ending cycles of change. From Humanity healing. net

In embracing the symbol of the butterfly we are also holding on to the essence of vision to transformation of this world ~~ back to the sacred.

You are the conductor of your voyage of life. No one says you have to follow a straight path to your life's goals. Consider changing your path and accepting the view of life of someone else when you experience challenges. 


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