The Butterfly Effect

Close your eyes, and imagine with me for a moment: a beautiful, delegate Monarch butterfly fluttering through the sky on a bright summer’s day.  Beautiful, isn’t it?  Its wings gently flapping then, it glides through the air, gently landing on a flower.  It’s amazing to think there are theories speculating that the butterfly could inadvertently cause a tornado. The Butterfly Effect is a theory that a butterfly flapping its wings could cause a series of events, each time growing larger and larger until a catastrophic event takes place.  It could, in theory, change the course of history. 

The Butterfly Effect in chaos theory is used as an example of how a small factor can greatly vary the results of an occurrence.  Mostly, it used to describe weather conditions.  However, consider this theory when you are making decisions in life. The decision you make can have a lasting effect on your future.  And there’s no changing the past. 

I’m going to ask you to imagine that butterfly again.  You picture it?  Good, now let’s go back to the early 1800s.  This same butterfly is flying through the air.  The vibration from its wings causes a slight change to the atmosphere.  The change in the atmosphere causes much of the sun’s heat to be blocked for a year, causing a severe drought in East Africa.  The entire balance of the ecosystem has shifted in that area.  The crops die, leaving small rodents with no food.  As they die off, so do the larger predators.  It rains, finally ending the drought, and plants spring up quickly.  The rodents reproduce even quicker, nearly causing overpopulation.  As a result, some of the rats and mice board ships bound for Europe on the trade route.  Once in the streets and storehouses of the European countries, the deadly diseases from the rodents spread to people, killing nearly half of Europe’s population in the event known as the Bubonic Plague.

Let’s switch gears as I take you to 1883.  A volcano know as Krakatoa has erupted, sending ash and debris high into the atmosphere.  In Norway, the skies are seen as a strange mercury red as the ashes interfere with the sunlight in the stratosphere.  Artist Edvard Munch paints his famous painting The Scream with those haunting red skies in the background.  It’s seen as one of the most iconic pieces of art in history.  Today, climatologists see the event as a meteorological phenomenon.  Could it possible that a butterfly started the chain reaction that caused the volcano to erupt or the particles to interact with sunlight to create such a mysterious color? 

In Ray Bradbury’s short story, A Sound of Thunder, he explores the possibility that a time traveler stepping on a single butterfly thousands of years ago could create a chain reaction so devastatingly diverse from the original course of history that dinosaurs would still be roaming the earth today.  Society was completely changed, simply by taking a single butterfly out of the equation.

As I say this, just keep in mind the decisions you make.  They could have a lasting effect on everything you do.   A tiny insignificant detail today could mean a drastic difference later in life.  Sometimes, not only will it affect you, but your children, and your children’s children.

You remember that butterfly we’ve been talking about?  Picture it flying through your own front yard.  You can either go out and catch it with your kids, or stay inside and ignore the beautiful day God’s given you.  The choice is yours.    

Or imagine yourself walking in the mall.  In front of you, you see a mother pushing a baby stroller with arms full of bags.  She suddenly drops the cups of juice she’s trying to give to her kid.  You consider not helping her, as she would slow you down to where you’re going.  Instead, you rush up to her, handing her the cup of juice.  She smiles her thanks, and you meet her tired eyes, smiling back. Little do you know, a few feet away sits a man who sees the whole thing.  Later that day, he sees an old couple hobbling to the door.  He barely pays attention; until he remembers the help you gave the busy mother.  He walks to holds the door open for the elderly couple, who graciously thank him.  Not far away, a lady sits watching him help the couple.  As she passes a homeless man on the streets, she remembers the man helping the old couple.  She reaches into her purse and gives the homeless man a few dollars - it’s enough for him to eat for the next two days. 

So you see, the smallest thing you do could start a chain reaction that you didn’t even know about, just like the butterfly.  Everything you do matters.  Whether you accept it or not, the way you act makes a difference.  And if you’re lucky, you just might change history.  The question I have for you today is will you be the one to break the cycle, and start a new chain reaction?