There was once a time when even the flies had a question.
They gathered one day, buzzing with frustration.
“We have wings, just like the bumblebee. We can fly from one place to another. We’re almost the same size. Then why is the bumblebee respected, while we’re swatted away? Why are we treated like pests?”
Determined to find answers, the flies decided to approach the King of the Bumblebees with their plea.
“We deserve to be treated as bumblebees. We’re just like them in every way that matters.”
The king listened carefully. He didn’t dismiss their demand. Instead, he proposed a challenge — one that seemed simple on the surface but would reveal a deeper truth.
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“Both of you — the bumblebees and the flies — must go out and search for light. When you find it, return.”
And so, the contest began.
Flies and bumblebees took off together. They soared across fields, trees, rooftops. They searched high and low — and finally, they saw it: the light.
It was bright, beautiful, and warm.
But that’s where the story split.
The bumblebees stayed.
The flies turned back and returned to the king.
They were excited. Confident.
“We found the light, just like the bumblebees! Now it’s time — declare us as one of your own!”
The king of the bumblebees smiled — a calm, knowing smile.
“The decision has already been made,” he said.
The flies looked at one another in confusion.
“What decision? We did what you asked.”
The king replied:
“And that’s exactly why you are flies… and they are bumblebees.
Both of you found the light — but only one stayed.
The other came back.”
“Why would anyone return, once they’ve found the light?”
The Lesson Within
This story isn’t really about insects.
It’s about us.
How often do we set out in life chasing a goal, a dream, a purpose — our light? And how often, just as we approach it, do we turn back?
Sometimes it’s fear.
Sometimes it’s impatience.
Sometimes it’s comfort.
Sometimes it’s the noise of others.
We tell ourselves, “At least I tried.”
But trying isn’t the same as staying.
And turning back is not the same as arriving.
The bumblebee didn’t just find the light.
It stayed in it. It became part of it.
The Human Parallel
In life, there are those who seek and stop.
And then there are those who seek and stay.
Those who stay with their truth.
Stay with their purpose.
Stay even when it's hard.
Stay even when no one is watching.
Stay even when they’re tired, misunderstood, or doubted.
That’s what makes the difference — not the wings, not the flight, but the choice to stay once the light is found.
So here’s the question we must all ask ourselves —
Are we flies who find the light… and leave?
Or are we bumblebees who see it… and stay?
The answer may define more than we think.
Reflections from the edge of light
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