This was about a scientist who was studying the behavior of caterpillars. He took a flowerpot and placed a number of caterpillars in single-file around the circumference of the pot’s rim. Each caterpillar’s head touched the caterpillar in front of it. He then placed the caterpillars’ favorite food in the middle of the circle created by the caterpillars’ procession around the rim of the flowerpot.

Each caterpillar followed the one ahead thinking that it was heading for the food. Round and round went those caterpillars for seven days! After a week of this mindless activity, the caterpillars started to drop dead because of exhaustion and starvation. All that they had to do to avoid death was to stop the senseless circling of the flower pot and head directly toward the food – less than six inches away from those ever-circling crawlers. However, these caterpillars were locked into this lifestyle and couldn’t move themselves from this mindless behavior.

Lessons from this story
Human beings are different from caterpillars. We alone have the ability to change our direction in life. Or do we? We often confuse activity with achievement. We get into financial stress if we do not act with awareness. The mess can become vicious circles, which don’t get us any further than these caterpillar got on the flowerpot. Then we find ourselves resembling the processionary caterpillar more than we would first think or want.

If you fear that you share some of the styles of the processionary caterpillar, remember you have the power of choice that you can break out of this behaviour…