The Tao of the Very Hungry Caterpillar

The Tao of the Very Hungry Caterpillar

One day in the garden under the glistering sun, a newborn came out of the dirt.

The caterpillar was very, very hungry. As soon as he came out of the dirt, he began searching for food.

The first day,

he ate one piece of candy,

but he was still hungry.

The second day, he ate two cookies,

but he was still hungry.

The third day, he ate three lollipops, but he was still hungry.

The fourth day, he ate four cakes, but he was still hungry.

The fifth day, he ate five chocolates, but he was still hungry. Before he knew it, the caterpillar grew and grew.

Ant: The Tao in this part is practicing through non-action. The caterpillar doesn’t realize he is growing constantly because eating is a natural habit for living things.

Suddenly, the caterpillar‘s stomach hurt so much.

“Maybe my stomach is hurting so much because I ate so much junk food. I should try eating healthy vegetables and leaves from now on.”

Ant: The Tao in this part is about the difficulty the caterpillar is facing when he took things lightly. He didn’t think about his stomach, instead he kept on eating unhealthy junk food. As a result, the caterpillar suffers and hurts his stomach.

From that day, the caterpillar began eating leaves and fruits from the trees in the garden. The caterpillar felt much better after eating healthy food.

Ant: This part is Taoist in the way that the caterpillar does not attempt anything very big, stops being greedy, and thus achieves greatness. Because his stomachache stopped, he was a healthy caterpillar again.

One day, the caterpillar began building a cocoon around his body. By the time the caterpillar was inside the cocoon, he was very big.

   After seven days, the cocoon began to crack and the caterpillar in the cocoon came out. But the creature that came out of that cocoon was no longer a caterpillar. Instead, it was a beautiful, gorgeous butterfly with colorful wings.

Ant: The Tao in this part is the scientific nature. In the universe, the difficult things are done as if they are easy. It seems like an extremely complicated and scientific process when the caterpillar turns into a beautiful butterfly. However, this great act was made up of small deeds. As the caterpillar eats and eats, it begins developing and growing. In conclusion, the caterpillar achieved great acts in little things.