Page 103 - Animals of the Sakhalin Region in myths and legends

Once a small gap appeared in the cocoon, and a man who happened to
be passing by stood for long hours and watched a butterfly trying to get
out through this small gap.
Much time passed, the butterfly seemed to abandon its efforts, and
the gap remained the same small. It seemed that the butterfly had done

everything it could, and that it had no more strength for anything else.
Then the man decided to help the butterfly: he took a penknife and cut the
cocoon.
The butterfly came out at once. But her body was weak and feeble,
her wings were undeveloped and barely moved. The man continued to
observe, thinking that the butterfly’s wings were about to spread out and
get stronger and it would be able to fly. Nothing happened!
For the rest of its life, the butterfly dragged its weak body, its unmelted

wings on the ground. She was never able to fly. And all because the person,
wishing to help her, did not understand that the effort to get out through
the narrow slit of the cocoon is necessary for the butterfly so that the
liquid from the body passes into the wings and so that the butterfly can fly.
Life forced the butterfly to leave this shell with difficulty, so that it could
grow and develop. Sometimes it is effort that we need in life. If we were

allowed to live without difficulties, we would be deprived and we would
not have the opportunity to take off.

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