Butterflies

Recently, Edward Lorenz, author of the so-called "Butterfly Effect," passed away. His "chaos theory" is considered to be one of the major theoretical achievements of the 20th Century. What does the theory suggest? As I understand it, the theory basically says that no action exists in a vacuum; there is always a reaction of some kind. The "butterfly" came from the explanation, which was that, if a butterfly flapped its wings here, it could theoretically cause a typhoon on the other side of the globe! The "stone in the pond" allegory is often employed in description as well. You know, the ripples continue forever only getting further from the source.

So, why do I bring this up? Well, there was a toad sighting earlier and it made me think that our actions are a lot like that butterfly; the ripples from our wings go on forever and affect who knows how many. We tend to think only about the ones closest to us, but others we've left behind are often the most affected by what we do or do not do.

It's just a thought.

Anyway, from the outside looking in, it's a lot easier to see the affect than it is from the inside looking out. I've been behind the nozzle of a firehose; it's much easier to see where the water goes from the side than it is from the source. Perhaps our actions or inactions are the same way.

Just a thought.

When I first heard about the chaos theory, I thought it was ridiculous, but, from a purely physics standpoint, it has merit. I mean, "every action has an opposite and equal reaction," "Conservation of Energy," and "Conservation of Mass" aren't called "Laws" for nothing. They always hold true! So, theoretically, the idea that a relatively minor action could have major repercussions is possible.

A thought.

Suppose for a moment that people actually DID what Jesus commanded and loved one another as they do themselves. What would the ripple from that be like?

Think. - Dan