“What the caterpillar calls the end, the rest of the world calls a butterfly”
- Lao Tzu -
So beautiful, isn't it?
2006-09-26 10:23:05 · 8 answers · asked by Shinkirou Hasukage 6 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Blackacre: I think that is what he means: some humans think death is the end, but the wise can see it is only a change...
2006-09-26 10:27:46 · update #1
Yes that is nice. That applies to our lives more than just at death but when a new phase begins. It also applies to my community.
2006-09-26 10:31:21 · answer #1 · answered by a_delphic_oracle 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Beautiful, but inaccurate. It is not an end, but rather a change. In much the same way, what the child calls the end, the rest of the world calls a teenager.
It is tempting to see this as a metaphor for life, but it is using poetry to disguise logical inconsistency.
Re: additional details
Yes, I'm sure that that is where Lao Tzu was going with it and I mean no disrespect. It is a beautiful quote. I merely wish to draw attention to the inherent inconsistency. Additionally, as Lao Tzu had no actual knowledge of any existence beyond this mortal coil, he is using a poetic metaphor to draw an image to give the impression that you simply aren't wise if you fail to believe the message that he is proposing. In other words: rather than offer any glimpse of a future existence, he draws an image and claims you're not clever enough to understand if you reject the underlying hypothesis.
In this, then, Lao Tzu falls into the same trap as Fundamentalists who claim that God exists because God exists and if you don't believe, then you simply aren't clever enough to work out that God exists...
2006-09-26 10:25:01 · answer #2 · answered by Blackacre 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think that's an absolutely amazing quote. How beautiful! And how true!
I've been reading a lot of Marianne Williamson's work, and that mirrors a lot of what she says in A Return to Love, which is that death isn't an end, but a beginning.
2006-09-26 10:39:09 · answer #3 · answered by retro 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Ahh, the caterpillar a true shapeshifter. A nice example and comparison to us.
2006-09-26 10:33:12 · answer #4 · answered by Corey 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
ohh i love butterflies and any referance to them
we are all caterpillars .. with the ability to transform into something soooo beautiful
2006-09-26 10:27:54 · answer #5 · answered by Peace 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Reminds me of the following;
"Therefore if any one is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, all things have become new." I Corinthians 5:17
2006-09-26 10:29:44 · answer #6 · answered by NONAME 4 · 1⤊ 1⤋
that is pretty tight.
2006-09-26 10:25:14 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
no
2006-09-26 10:25:05 · answer #8 · answered by Truthasarous rex 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋