To Metamorphose or not to?

I spotted this stunning bright green fellow about a year ago. A little googling revealed that it was the caterpillar of a common palmfly butterfly. It had probably set out on its solitary journey to pupate.

The second photo is that of a common palmfly butterfly that I saw last week. The drastic transformation is evident.

One may choose to be dispassionate about such occurrences around. After all it happens everyday, everywhere. But one cannot help thinking about it - a solitary journey undertaken to metamorphose into a completely different creature - is it a choice we too have in our lives?