Processionary Person?

Can the blind lead the blind? Will they not both fall into the ditch? ­– Jesus

A noted French naturalist, Jean Henri Fabre, studied the Processionary Caterpillar in great detail. What makes this caterpillar special is its instinct to follow in lock step the caterpillar in front of it. This behaviour, not only gives the caterpillar its name, but a deadly characteristic also.

Fabre demonstrated this unusual behaviour with a simple experiment. He took a flowerpot and placed a number of caterpillars in single-file around the circumference of the pot's rim. Each caterpillar's head touched the caterpillar in front of it. Fabre then placed the caterpillars' favourite food in the middle of the circle created by the caterpillars' procession around the rim of the flowerpot. Each caterpillar followed the one ahead thinking that it was heading for the food. Round and round went those silly insects – for seven days! After a week of this mindless activity, the caterpillars started to drop dead because of exhaustion and starvation. All that they had to do to avoid death was to stop the senseless circling of the flower pot and head directly toward the food – less than six inches away from those ever-circling crawlers. However, the processionary caterpillars were locked into this lifestyle and couldn't extricate themselves from this mindless behaviour.

As it was for the caterpillars so it is with some people. Some of us act like processionary caterpillars. The person who acts like one:

1.     Has no personal vision and goals.

2.     Has not developed his potential.

3.     Does not think for himself.

4.     Pays no attention to where the leader is headed.

5.     Mindlessly follows a crowd.

6.     Is afraid of change.

7.     Does not take initiative.

8.     Is a slave to company (is afraid of being alone).

9.     Is only comfortable with people “like him”.

10.           Is comfortable with a mediocre average result.

Does any of the above summarize your personality? You may just be a processionary person.