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Meng (夢) - Harmony & Discord
Once, Zhuang Zhou dreamed he was a butterfly, a butterfly flitting and fluttering about, happy with himself and doing as he pleased. He didn't know that he was Zhuang Zhou. Suddenly he woke up and there he was, solid and unmistakable Zhuang Zhou. But he didn't know if he was Zhuang Zhou who had dreamt he was a butterfly, or a butterfly dreaming that he was Zhuang Zhou. Between Zhuang Zhou and the butterfly there must be some distinction! This is called the Transformation of Things.
— Zhuangzi
The transformation of things
We're drowning in our own urgency. There is always this incessant rush to move onto the next thing without taking a moment to observe our surroundings. Self-imposed, we present ourselves with a false dichotomy going through the various trials and tribulations life throws at us. "I must graduate, find that job, start a family, get that car, be successful, submit a report, etc. or else I will fail, disappoint, waste time, etc."
Sound like you? Me too. I think a lot of people would benefit from a much-needed respite to recharge and reflect. For me, the butterfly dream represents freedom and impermanence. Our reality is something stitched together, bound by finite, unique perspectives and decisions. There is joy and melancholy, contentment and longing, fluidity and constancy. Social constructs and norms often weigh us down to the point of becoming burdensome. Are our lives really that illusory?
The wisdom of uncertainty
During work or school, I am guilty of being resistant to change. I believe a good measure of wisdom in a person is how receptive they are to challenging perspectives. There is peace in acceptance, chaos in certainty. That task you assigned to an employee due end-of-day? Be flexible. That friend you have constant disagreements with? Stop and listen. That person who is struggling to solve a problem? Be patient.
Instead of having a "fixed, biased" heart, be the butterfly for once. Embrace change and acknowledge experiences as something transient. The butterfly doesn't question its metamorphosis—it simply becomes. In our own transformation, maybe that's enough.
What would it look like to carry this lightness into tomorrow morning? When that familiar anxiety creeps in about deadlines or expectations, what if we paused and asked: "What is this moment asking me to become?" Not who we think we should be, not who others expect us to be, but who we're naturally evolving into right now. The butterfly's wings aren't formed through force or worry—they unfold through patient surrender to the process itself.
In our own transformation, maybe that's enough.