Excerpts From the Conversation Between the Dragonfly and the Toad
He looked over and realized that there was a large toad sitting on top of one of the rocks. He had been so quiet, the little dragonfly hadn’t even noticed him. His eyes were closed, and he sounded as if he was snoring. The little dragonfly continued to sit, observing the toad. He had never seen anything so repugnant, yet so fascinating.
The little dragonfly apologized, “I didn’t notice you sitting there at first. I am only interested in getting a drink, and maybe a fly or mosquito to eat, and then I will be on my way.”
Then the eyes of the toad slowly opened, and he looked around. The rest of his body did not move. The toad’s mouth opened and he began to speak in a slow, deep, monotone voice. “Hello, little dragonfly. Why are you disturbing me?”
The toad continued speaking in a very slow voice. “I suppose it is all right if you would like to rest for a moment, but I would rather you not eat any of the bugs around here, because I intend on eating them all. They are all for me.”
“Oh, I see,” the little dragonfly said nervously. He wondered if he was going to be the toad’s next meal. The toad saw the fear in the dragonfly’s face.
“You do not need to worry, dragonflies are one of the very few things I do not like to eat. They are normally too crunchy and hard to digest.”
The toad smirked and let out a little laugh. “Well, that does sound like a very important journey,” he said sarcastically. “Luckily for me, I do not have to leave this rock to know my purpose. My purpose is to sit and eat as much as I can all day.”
As he finished his sentence, out came his tongue. It headed straight for the little dragonfly, but it stopped short of grabbing him, and instead only licked him. He could feel the toad’s tongue against his face and smell the stench of his hot saliva it deposited on him. The toad retracted his tongue back into his mouth and paused for a moment. “Mmmm. I think I was mistaken. I think I should like to eat you. At least then you cannot bore me with your talk.”
Excerpts From the Conversation Between the Dragonfly and the Mantis
“Actually, all the answers that you seek can be found in yourself, if you just listen.”
“If you stop to think about what you have learned from all the creatures you have met and the experiences you have had, whether they are good or bad, you will realize how much you have gained from them.”
“Yes, learned. Because it is not just about the answers you seek, but also about the journey you take to seek these answers.”
“Exactly that, we all have in us the truths of the world. We just have to be open to hearing them.”
The Mantis paused, reflecting for a moment before he continued. “The self that you see is only part of the larger you. Your body, made of organic material, is only a vessel.”
“The larger you is forever changing, forever developing, forever expanding. One of the ways it does this is through life’s experiences here in this world. Also, you are not limited to one life. You can come back as many times as you want. This is only one of many earthly lives we all lead.”
“But there is another you that is far more incredible. It is the larger you, the permanent you, that lasts for all eternity, that sees and understands far more than the physical you can possibly understand.”
“Your awareness in this vessel is limited to what your senses experience, and the way your mind interprets these experiences.”
“No, of course not, that is not all there is. There is Love. Love is the strongest and most important experience we can have. Love is what makes everything possible. It is a manifestation of that energy we are all a part of, and in turn, Love also feeds that energy. It is part of the circle”
“Of course there is always hope. No matter how bad things seem, they can always change. Many have the same questions you do. That is what will bring about the change. That is the exciting thing! Remember free will! It could begin to change tomorrow. “