The Butterfly Effect

I've never seen a butterfly emerging from its cocoon.

Have you?

No?

Well, then. We're talking about something that neither one of us has directly experienced, so what I say next could be complete garbage -- you'd never know, and neither would I. But who cares? It's a neat little illustration, and it'll get the point across. Don't you love postmodernism?

I've been told that a butterfly struggles for quite some time to escape from its cocoon. It looks like it's fighting for its life, and it looks like it sure would be nice to give it a little help -- perhaps to just crack the cocoon open a little, so the butterfly wouldn't have to fight so hard.

But if you help it, it will die.

The process of escaping from the cocoon is what prepares the butterfly for the outside world. Without that struggle, it won't be able to survive, even though it's been set free from the greatest hurdle of its life.

::

As I mentioned before, I'm a freelance web developer and system administrator. From time to time, I'm requested to take on development projects for various ministries or fledgeling businesses at reduced or pro bono rates. Of course, it seems like a good thing to do, but sometimes, donating work to struggling enterprises is a lot like cracking open the cocoon. The fact that they can't afford web development services is often an indication that there are other more serious problems with the organization's long term plan.

I hate to be ruthlessly practical. I'll certainly never tell someone "I'm sorry, it just doesn't look like your ministry/business plan is going to fly, so I'd rather not donate my time to it." And I've pondered the idea that by refusing to help, I'm driving another nail into the cocoon-come-coffin.

Pragmatism is inevitable. But pragmatism makes me sad.