The butterfly effect

The Butterfly Effect is a chaos theory which says that small changes in the initial conditions result in large differences in a later state. The theoretical example always given is that a butterfly flapping its wings can result in a chain reaction that culminates in a hurricane, whereas the absence of the butterfly results in normal wind conditions.

I am a huge proponent of this theory, at all levels of life. One small, seemingly inconsequential, event or action can result in huge consequences affecting hundreds or thousands of people - for better or for worse. I was explaining this to my Gd 10s, as the 'hook' for explaining to them why they need to understand environmental studies. They may find it boring, because most of them choose Biology as a subject because they're interested in anatomy. However, their very small actions to protect or destroy the environment around them can potentially have massive consequences. My class were gripped as I gave them some examples, and I had one of those awesome lessons when you can feel that you're holding them in the palm of your hand, that they're all glued to their seats and totally engaged. I think they got the message. I'm just hoping that it makes a difference, and that in years to come, that lesson will change the way they choose to live their lives.

Just recently, I've come across two examples of the Butterfly Effect. The first was a story told during a sermon. A missionary went to live with a tribe in a remote land (and of course, now that I need to, I can't remember where this took place!). On arrival, he discovered that the tribe was actually split geographically into two. He felt led to live with the northern part of the tribe, but spent several hours every morning praying for the southern part of the tribe. After a few years, while on a trip to collect supplies, he met a man from the southern part of the tribe, who quickly came to faith. The missionary then spent two weeks teaching the man everything he knew about God. The man went back to his tribe, and the missionary went back to his tribe.

Five years later, a man from the southern part of the tribe journeyed to the northern part of the tribe, looking for the missionary. Thousands of people in the southern part of the tribe had come to faith, and they felt they needed the missionary to come and teach them more about God. At that time, only a hundred or so of the northern part of the tribe had come to faith.

A small action - going to get supplies, having a conversation with a fellow traveller. Huge consequences - thousands coming to know Christ as their Saviour.

Another example. You may or may not have seen this video of a cyclist on the Cape Epic who was attacked by a buck. Fortunately, the cyclist was wearing a helmet. The video ends with a photo of the damaged helmet, with the words - "This is why we wear a helmet." Within 3 hours of posting the video on YouTube, it had had 3 million hits. At the time of writing this post, it's been viewed nearly 14.5 million times.

A small action - choosing to video a cyclist, or choosing to wear a helmet when entering the Epic. Massive consequences - 14.5 million people have seen why wearing a helmet when cycling, EVEN WHEN there are no 'obvious' dangers around, is so crucial. That video might just save several lives.

So you see, small actions do count. You may not see the result for years, but you just never know whether a small action on your part could have enormous consequences - for good or for evil - on the world around you. Live every moment knowing that WHATEVER you do, whether it is seen by the world, or only seen by God, is important and valuable. Do it properly, and with integrity. Make it count, because you never know what might ultimately result from it.