A caterpillar is born unaware of all the wonderful surprises its life will have. It is born at the bottom of the food chain and lives the first stage of its life simply surviving. It crawls on the forest floor, dodging birds, beetles and anything wanting to devour it. The highest point it can reach in the physical plane is the top of a tree, and to do that it must have patience (inch by inch, slowly but steadily).
Whereas most animals are born to master a skill (lions must master hunting to survive and beavers must master building a dam to do the same) a caterpillar is born to evolve. The main event in a caterpillar’s life is the metamorphosis it will undergo—the once in a lifetime event that will change its life forever (and for the better).
A caterpillar will go from being a prey to all animals to being the source of aesthetic pleasure to humans. It will go from crawling on its tiny, sluggish legs to floating in the air with its extravagant wings for all to enjoy and appreciate. Even its palate will change. It will go from eating plain leaves to drinking sweet nectar. By the end of its life, it will know two completely different worlds— that of the earth and that of the skies. It will go from interacting with worms and ants to interacting with birds and bees. It will know what it means to be confined to one place and then having the whole world suddenly open up because it now has wings to go anywhere it pleases.
What other animal exists that undergoes such a drastic change in its life? A tadpole may physically transform into a frog, but in what other ways does it evolve?
The broad range of life experience makes the caterpillar beautiful, the fact that it seeks out its own transformation makes it admirable, and the fact that its change is so drastic is what makes it the epitome of hope.
ROOT OF ROOTS 