No Reason to be Afraid

Nat: Want some good news?

Jesse: Yes, please.

Nat: Caterpillars… give me my hat… they’re just scooping along, right? Being caterpillars. At some point, these cells show up, called imaginal cells. Scientists don’t know where they come from or why they appear. These imaginal cells show up inside the caterpillar and say: “Get psyched, caterpillar! It’s butterfly-turning-into time!” And what do all the other caterpillars do once these imaginal cells show up?

Jesse: I have no idea.

Nat: They attack ’em! Try to kill ’em! But eventually, the imaginal cells keep growing and overtake the destiny of the caterpillar. They will be in this cocoon! And then guess what happens next?

Jesse: The caterpillar turns into a butterfly.

Nat: The caterpillar turns into a butterfly!

Jesse: That’s awesome.

Nat: I know it is!

Jesse: Yeah, that’s good.

Nat: And that is why there is no reason to be afraid. Because everything is okay.

Jesse: Yeah, I don’t know if I believe that.

Nat: It has to be true. There can be no other way.

– Liberal Arts, screenplay by Josh Radnor