Manner

Abstract

Before transforming into a butterfly, a caterpillar must first dissolve itself almost entirely. After a lifetime of eating and growing up to a hundred times its original size, the caterpillar brings its reality to a sudden halt within the hardened chrysalis. Through a surge of enzymes, its entire form melts away, leaving behind a protein-rich liquid for the cells of its new body to digest. A few short weeks later, it emerges reborn. Metamorphosis is rarely a peaceful process of growth. In biology, it requires a radical structural overhaul, breaking down a form that once functioned so well to build something entirely new. Butterflies remind us that we are not passive observers of a changing world. By shifting our manner – the way we think – we fundamentally alter how we interact with the world, creating room for new realities to exist. [excerpt]