The Butterfly Effect

The Butterfly effect from Wikipedia:

“The phrase refers to the idea that a butterfly’s wings might create tiny changes in the atmosphere that may ultimately alter the path of a tornado or delay, accelerate or even prevent the occurrence of a tornado in a certain location. The flapping wing represents a small change in the initial condition of the system, which causes a chain of events leading to large-scale alterations of events. Had the butterfly not flapped its wings, the trajectory of the system might have been vastly different. While the butterfly does not cause the tornado, the flap of its wings is an essential part of the initial conditions resulting in a tornado.”

I just finished reading, “The Hour I First Believed” By Wally Lamb. It’s a long book with a lot going on, but one thing that caught my attention and stuck is the Chaos Complexity Theory – which is basically the Butterfly Effect.

What a fascinating theory. It reminds me and makes me consider the overall effect we as human beings have on one another. While we may not create the chaos that happens in another person’s life, what we do, our actions before and after may effect the outcome or severity of the chaos.

Here in my home town, there is a big controversy happening about our responsibilities to help one another in our community. The way the situation has been handled so far has created far more chaos than I ever imagined could be brought about by people I call neighbors and friends.

The smallest amount of generosity shown to another human being, results in a kindness that cannot be measured. I know this is true. I have lived this kind of generosity. This holds true for every interaction we share with others. The kindness shown to a child, or a single abuse forced on that child, has a long-standing effect on who that person becomes and what they will in turn reflect upon others.

On this day, when our newest president takes office, I must consider the desire he has to affect other people through hope for our future. The actions it will take to make a significant change in our country are not his alone but all of our responsibility. While some mock his desire to instill hope as an action plan, I do have hope. It occurs to me the simple act of hope, may in fact be as subtle as the flap of the butterfly’s wings.

Call me Pollyanna or naïve, call me whatever you like, but know, that my actions will always be considered. For while the butterfly may not be aware of it’s power over situations, we as human beings must be aware that the extent of our action or inaction will cause a tornado, or possibly alter it’s course, and with that in mind, it should never be a question of whether or not we will help ~ but simply how can we best serve those who cross our path?