The girl finds a caterpillar and takes it home, where it forms a cocoon. When the butterfly struggles to emerge, the girl tries to help by opening the cocoon. However, this prevents the butterfly's wings from developing properly. As a result, when it emerges it is unable to fly and dies soon after. The moral is that struggles are sometimes necessary for growth, and good intentions alone do not ensure good outcomes if one does not understand the full situation.

1. The Butterfly Story
You know those heartwarming “Chicken Soup for the Soul” stories that make you all tingly with the
happy ending? This is NOT one of those stories. This story is about the consequences of good intentions.
One day a little girl was walking home and discovered a caterpillar inching its way across the sidewalk.
She knew that, with spring coming, it would soon be preparing to turn into a beautiful butterfly. So she
took it home and put it in a jar. Soon enough, the caterpillar disappeared into its cocoon. One day a
small opening appeared – the butterfly was emerging! She sat and watched the butterfly for several
hours as it struggled to force its body through a little hole. Then it seemed to stop making any progress.
It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could and it could go no further.
So, with the best of intentions, the girl decided to help the butterfly. She very gently, very delicately
helped to open the cocoon for the poor struggling caterpillar. And in time, the butterfly emerged with its
beautifully colored wings and…SPLAT!! It fell to the ground and died soon after! It never was able to fly.
What the girl did not understand –in her kindness and haste, and of course good intentions—was that
the restricting cocoon and the struggle required for the butterfly to get through the tiny opening were
Life's way of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into its wings so that it would be ready for flight.
Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our lives, not someone’s help. There are trials of life,
things we all go through. The struggles are a part of our journey and are preparing us for what awaits.
They are preparing us to fly.
Moral of the story: STOP KILLING BUTTERFLIES WITH YOUR GOOD INTENTIONS! Stop thinking you know
what is best for others. Ask questions to learn more about your colleagues to understand what it is they
are struggling with and what they need to do to learn to fly on their own.