ENGLISH - ESSAY Samuel C.

Brillo III-Amorsolo LIFE IS LIKE AN ARTICHOKE Have you ever considered that life s challenges are similar to an artichoke? I see it similar to the tips of the leaves as peak of change. If we do not change then we get pricked with the tips like a prod. Some people continue to go through life with a affliction is me attitude, while others take the prick or the prod and change while finding it was not so bad after all because we are partaking from the heart of the artichoke. Another analogy is the caterpillar, which has within it the perfect idea of becoming a butterfly. The caterpillar is a prime example of a metamorphosis. It already has inside of it the program or an imago cell for changing from a caterpillar to a butterfly just as a seed has its own program to be a flower or a vegetable. The caterpillar savors life as a type of worm that eats and eats the leaves on trees. There comes a time when a indicator within says stop! The caterpillar then begins to intertwine a cocoon around itself while attaching itself to a limb of a tree to blend in. Time passes while metamorphosis is taking place and then a day comes when the cocoon begins to crack and slowly a butterfly emerges. We can learn from nature. Everything in nature seems to have some aspect of something within each of us. The etymology of imago goes back to Latin and its meaning is image. The caterpillar triggers its imago cell just as the seed of an artichoke triggers its image. There are stages or phases of the human imago. We do not go into a cocoon to wait for the image to become a reality like the butterfly. When each human is born, the program is already in place. We are born with a DNA and genes. Our own program or schema will be different from anyone else s and one way we know this, is that there are never two fingerprints that are the same. Each of us is unique and it is up to us to discover what our program is. It is different from each human being. As a human, we go through stages before we begin our metamorphosis. We grow from infant to toddler, pre-school, primary school, intermediate school, teenager, young adult, middle adult and into senior adult. During this period, we observe, feel, touch and have experiences. Some seem to grasp that life is meant to explore by nibbling first at one thing and another while seeking their true agenda. Others never seem to get going and become fearful to change to explore new avenues. Life is a challenge as our parents, relatives, religions, government, schools all want to put us in a box and to live according to their dictates. The dissatisfaction comes when we are miserable. Some relationships rarely love and become controlling. Do we become the controller or the controlee? It is something to think about. Whether we are the controlee or the controller, the end result is quite often illness, accidents, and life is miserable. The great thing is that we have choices. We can choose to let go of guilt and fear. Now, that is scary because we are upsetting the applecart or status quo. When we change, those around us are the fearful ones. Not only are we moving out of placate zones, but also so are they. If more and more people followed their dreams, we would have fewer sick people. I have learned and experienced that as one dream is fulfilled, another dream comes in and with a light heart, and I embrace the dance of life. We do not mentally grow until we begin our metamorphosis into a spiritual being. A spiritual being is one who recognizes their connection to the Greater Self and loves itself as well as nature. The spiritual seeker looks for the Greater Self in all people. September 14, 2011 Ms. Adeline Tejada

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