The reason crab fisherman do not need to have a bucket on a lid full of crabs is because whenever a crab is about to escape, a crab or multiple below will pull him down. People are the same way. Your life could be messed up because you have too many crabs holding you back.
People who do not want you to succeed are crabs.
Crabs fear change and do not want others to succeed because watching someone climb above you is their ultimate emotional trauma. Good friends want to lift you up. Crabs want to keep you in the bucket.
Crabs say things like:
- Since when did you quit drinking?
- I thought you didn’t like to work out. You changed.
- You decided to quit smoking?
- You’re playing the Piano now? Why? You’re too old to play piano.
- I thought we agreed that money is evil? Now you want to start a business? That will never work for you.
Crabs want to keep you in place, next to them or below them, never above them. Crabs don’t want you to change. Seeing others improve their circumstances hurts crabs. It reminds crabs that they aren’t doing anything to grow; seeing you grow will not motivate the crab to believe growth is possible, instead they feel guilt that is unacted upon because crabs aren’t spiritually empowered enough to leave their bucket, which can be thought of as their present circumstances.
You cannot be friends with crabs.
They will keep you in their bucket; they collect other crabs so that they can share their misery and reinforce their helplessness.
Crabs consume. They don’t create, because creation requires leaving the bucket.
Telling crabs that you’re no longer going to happy hour after work because you’re going to start an exercise routine is an attack against crabs. “Really, you’re quitting drinking? Can’t handle your liquor anymore? Think you’re cool for lifting weights, like some dumb jock?”
If you stay in the bucket, the world changes and you stay the same. Leaving the bucket and walking down the path is staying attuned to the constantly changing world. You won’t feel left behind because you are keeping up. If you move with change, you decide the flow of your life. Those who resist change and do not follow the path are taken by a path that they likely don’t want to be on, consciously or not.
Find allies who walk the same path as you, or who walk a different path but encourage your growth. Crabs should be avoided as much as possible. You can tell if someone is a crab if they become offended at your pursuit of mastery.