Once upon a time, a woman named Royalty lived in a large, overcrowded metropolitan region. Her city, Peasantville, was home to the country’s largest population of peasants, people who led simple, mediocre, unfulfilling lives. Like her friends and neighbors, Royalty generally settled for average and rarely pursued lofty goals. A modest life was the standard for the peasants in town.

Everything in the town was unexceptional. The streets were rugged and narrow, but travelable. The buildings were old, tiny, and dirty, but habitable. The businesses were numerous, but not too profitable or sustainable. There was a low unemployment rate, but the peasants were underpaid, so they lived modestly. The politicians were busy, but the town’s policies were not impactful. The schools operated year-round, but the students were not academically thriving. The hospitals had access to personnel, facilities, and equipment, but people were not healed. The services of different faith communities were filled weekly with peasants, but no one was transformed. Everything was in a state of mere existence.

And the peasants were pleased with this state of affairs. They were comfortable with it because they felt like they had everything they needed. They were satisfied with only having their basic needs met.

Despite Peasantville being such an average and unimpressive town, it was the gold standard for the rest of the country. Others sought to duplicate conditions there.

Royalty was comfortable living in Peasantville. As a peasant, she spoke like a peasant, dressed like a peasant, and functioned like a peasant. Royalty fully embraced this as her identity.

As a people, the peasants tended to be self-centered and individualistic. They worked hard to safeguard their limited possessions. There was little to no sharing of resources, and they were not concerned about the needs of their neighbors.

Because of this self-serving mentality, they settled for mediocrity and were completely satisfied with the limited materials and success they obtained and achieved.

Low Expectations

Although the town was full of peasants, unfortunately, some people in the city were discriminated against simply because of their family name. This was the case for the Jones family, of which Royalty was a member. The Joneses were despised and ranked as having the lowest social status in the town. They had no control over this designation, which was frustrating, as there was no meaningful justification for their status being so low. However, some rumors circulated that, generations, before several members of the family had left Peasantville and never returned. To leave Peasantville was considered blasphemy, as this was supposed to be the “best town” in the country. Anyone who left immediately became an outsider.

Royalty’s family had never confirmed or denied the rumors that some of their relatives had left town, and she herself had never known anyone who had left Peasantville.

Despite what others thought of her, Royalty excelled at being mediocre and self-serving. She believed, like the other peasants, that the purpose of her life was to be comfortable and avoid distress by any means. Daily, Royalty dedicated herself to being the best peasant she could be. She believed she could live her best life if she worked a little harder than the other peasants despite enduring discrimination and prejudice that others weren’t experiencing.

Royalty wore regular peasant clothes. These were basic and only existed in solid colors. There were no patterns, floral designs, unique stitching, or embroidering. The solid colors were all darker tones, including blue, green, black, and brown. The clothes were discounted, baggy, and made with polyester fabric. Because they were cheaply made, they were not expected to last longer than a year or so.

The peasants worshipped God but had super low expectations for him. Accordingly, they rarely operated outside of their comfort zones and never believed they needed to. They were proud of their simple and inconsistent prayers and faith. They expected God to answer their simple prayers and leave them alone otherwise. Their view of God was minor, and so was their faith.

Strangely enough, most people believed God favored the peasants of higher social ranks even though their lives were quite similar to everyone else’s. Royalty did not hold this particular belief—in fact, she refused to believe that God preferred one group of peasants over another. To her, this represented foolish, ignorant thinking. Her prayer was that God would remove the oppression and discrimination faced by her family and change the townspeople’s beliefs about them.

Royalty grew in her peasant faith and was active in her religious place of worship. She felt sure that God was well pleased with her. She tried to make decisions that closely adhered to her morals and values. She knew she had favor because whenever she prayed, her prayers were answered. It was super easy for Royalty to maintain her faith as she had learned to pray for just enough and to expect only a little.

Approached by a Stranger

Early one cool and crisp October morning, Royalty took her usual morning walk in the neighborhood. She wasn’t one to notice the fresh air, green trees, or blue skies. She could, however, hear her breathing and noticed herself wheezing when she climbed the big hills on the street. As she walked up an avenue, she saw a matte black, box-shaped older car with a damaged hood following her along her route. She turned and went down a side street to evade it and saw that the car continued to follow her. It slowly pulled up beside her. The driver slowly eased down the driver’s side window.

Through the open window, Royalty noticed an immaculately dressed stranger behind the wheel. She had never seen someone dressed like her before. Although they seemed about the same age, the stranger presented herself in a very different manner. This woman had on a bright pink-brimmed hat and wore her hair pulled back in a ponytail. She also wore a bold, floral-patterned dress and had red lipstick painted on her lips, red blush on her cheeks, and black shades covering her eyes.

The driver paused to look Royalty up and down, but she said nothing.

“Hi, can I help you with something?” Royalty asked the driver.

“Well, I don’t need help, but I do have an important message for you. You are the next peasant assigned to leave Peasantville. This is an assignment for you and an appointed purpose. You are being called to pursue greater things, but you must have a willing spirit before you can leave. Many are invited, but only a special few accept the invitation,” said the driver.

Royalty mumbled under her breath, “This doesn’t make any sense.” Then she asked herself a series of questions that she figured weren’t going to be answered by this stranger. Why is she speaking so foolishly? Is she drunk? On drugs? Did she get lost? One thing she knew for sure was that the stranger wasn’t a peasant—because if she were a peasant, she would have known that there could be no place greater to be than Peasantville.

Royalty’s thoughts were interrupted by the stranger, who spoke again. “One day, I will come back to pick you up so you can start your journey away from Peasantville for good. It will be important that you decide right at that moment to get in the car. And once you begin the ride, you should know that you need to have sufficient faith to finish the journey. This is a necessary journey for your life, so don’t refuse the ride. Many people before you have refused to get in the car. And many who started the journey didn’t make it to the end. However, I believe in you and know you are destined for more than this town has to offer. Because I care about you, I wanted to warn you directly: It will have dire consequences if you don’t agree to hop in when invited.”

Royalty said under her breath inaudibly, so the stranger couldn’t hear her, “Who is this driver? And what does she really want from me? This is odd. Why should I get into a car with a stranger without knowing where I am going? How do I know this driver can be trusted?”

The stranger must have read Royalty’s thoughts, as she immediately responded, “I understand your fears, but this car ride is about learning to trust the driver. You will be perfectly safe if you ride in the car. Life is average, but not magical, here in Peasantville, and average cannot coexist with signs, wonders, and miracles. All that is required is for you to hop into the car and ride.”

Sensing Royalty’s apprehensiveness, the stranger said her goodbye and quickly drove away. Royalty didn’t fully understand their conversation, but she felt like either the stranger had confused her with someone else or was genuinely crazy. Why else would she expect Royalty to get in the car with a stranger with no clue of where they were going? Yes, this stranger had to be out of her mind.

Confusion Mounts

Days passed and Royalty continued ruminating about the conversation with the stranger. It kept replaying in her head and made her anxious. To ease her anxiety and rid herself of these crazy thoughts, Royalty sought wisdom from a local minister. He was a peasant but didn’t fit in with the other peasants. He was often seen walking alone, not because he had no friends, but because he was particular about who received his time and attention. Royalty found the minister sitting under a giant oak tree brimming and budding with bonfire red and sun flame golden leaves. Royalty bent down and sat beside the minister and updated him about the conversation with the stranger.

Royalty chuckled to herself as she briefed him about the stranger’s directive, “One day, a driver will come by to pick you up and attempt to drive you away from Peasantville. Just get in the car and ride. This is a necessary journey, don’t refuse the ride. There will be dire consequences if you don’t hop in.”

“What exactly does this mean?” inquired Royalty, hoping that the peasant minister would have an explanation.

“Are you sure you are ready to find out the answer?” asked the peasant minister.

Surprised that there was more to the story, Royalty looked at the minister with sincerity and stated, “Yes, I’m ready.”

“Once I share my answer with you, you will no longer be able to act as if you don’t know. Your ignorance will be gone, and your spirit will be awakened. Royalty, I have shared this message with many other peasants before you, but most of them thought I was crazy and did not believe what I told them. If I share this information with you, it may have consequences for me as I could lose your support and friendship,” said the minister.

Hearing the sadness in his voice, Royalty got a little frightened about what she was about to hear. At the same time, she had the highest level of respect for the minister and knew she would believe whatever he shared.

“Yes, I’m sure I’m ready. I value our friendship and your mentorship. I believe and trust the words you share and know that you have no intention to mislead me,” answered Royalty.

They sat in silence for a few moments. Royalty could tell that the minister was contemplating his new move. Although she was eager for him to speak, she also wanted him to know that he could take his time and wait until he was ready. As she sat in momentary silence with the minister, she noticed the oak tree and its multicolored leaves for the first time. She also noticed the shade the tree provided them, shielding them from the sunlight. She saw the slight bend of the oak tree’s trunk and its leaning toward the sun.

Her moments of mindfulness was interrupted by the minister explaining, “In life, not all caterpillars change into butterflies or moths. Some remain caterpillars, while others transform. But have you ever witnessed a caterpillar that remains a caterpillar, one that never transforms into a moth or butterfly? Would you even know if you saw it that it wouldn’t change? No. We expect the caterpillar to go through metamorphosis if given the opportunity, and to welcome the opportunity to change.”

Royalty listened attentively, attempting not to disturb his train of thought. But she needed additional clarity for this to make sense.

The minister continued, “Just like the caterpillar, you are attempting to remain a caterpillar. You are dressed like a peasant, talk like a peasant, and live like a peasant. But the peasant life is a life of limited growth and stagnation. It is the life of a caterpillar that doesn’t want to grow into its potential. You have tried to blend in with the other peasants but were never supposed to remain a peasant.”

“The day you let go of your peasant status and lifestyle will be the day that you begin your metamorphosis. However, this requires you to have the willingness to change and grow. This growth and change will require some periods of discomfort, but it also comes with signs, miracles, and wonders. Once you transform, you will become an example for all the other peasants. You were created for growth and transformation.”

Royalty had a deep, hollow feeling in her stomach. Why would the minister encourage her to change? And why had he waited until now to reveal this? Royalty thought that his words might be a mistake. All she had ever known was her existence as a simple peasant. And the lifestyle was easy.

She made a connection to the myth shared around town about her family’s history of leaving Peasantville. Could there be truth to the story? Would Royalty damage her family’s name if she chose to leave like they did? None of her immediate family members had ever tried to be different from a peasant, though the myths suggest that her great-grandmother and great-grandfather left, and when they returned, they were never the same. Her immediate family learned from their history that it was best to conform. Her unsettled feeling started to grow deeper.

What if a better life was available? Similarly, what if that better life only lasted a few weeks or months? Royalty lay down under the oak tree and tried to eliminate her noisy thoughts. As she did, she observed the magnitude of the tree and how heavy its limbs were. She looked at the multicolored leaves on the tree and noticed how they were attached to the branches. Every minute or so, leaves would fall from the tree to the ground. But the leaves never drifted too far away from the tree.

At this point, Royalty was unsure what to say to the minister. Sensing her discomfort, he informed her that he was going to head back into the church. Royalty softly thanked him for his words and looked down as he walked away.

Now Royalty was even more confused. In an attempt to receive clarification and direction, she prayed. But she didn’t feel the presence of God. “God should be able to clarify these revelations,” she mumbled. Disappointed, Royalty tried again to pray but still didn’t feel anything special. She was not ready to be anything different than a peasant and evidently unprepared to walk away from the comforts of Peasantville.

As much as she didn’t want things to change, things were not feeling the same. Royalty grew disheartened and began to grieve her familiar peasant lifestyle. What once had felt like a lifestyle and land of excellence began to feel average. The familiar church where she worshipped no longer felt like an anchor. The comfort that Royalty had in this land was starting to dissipate.

Royalty now understood what the minister had meant when he told her that once she was informed about the problems, she would no longer be able to act as if she didn’t know. She was sad and grieving her old lifestyle. She wanted to talk to her family members to discuss her experiences but believed they wouldn’t understand. Royalty felt alone, like she was stranded on a desert island. Something was different, and things were changing without her consent.