The Butterfly Effect

Have you guys heard about the BUTTERFLY EFFECT? “In chaos theory, the butterfly effect is the sensitive dependence on initial conditions in which a small change in one state can result in large differences in a later state.”  

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 another location. When we see a butterfly flapping the wings, we rarely see a butterfly , but whenever we see a butterfly flapping wings do you ever think or turn around to your friend and say “OMG the butterfly is flapping the wings , there is a tornado which will hit some place, let us warn the weather department” ?? No….. If I get to see such a thing I would enjoy that moment appreciating the beauty of the wings and its colors and marvel at who could have created such a thing …....

When we eat, dance, drive, party, love, fight – do we realize that we might be impacting someone else in a much bigger way than we can imagine. What would you think if I told you “On 16^th May there was an accident that occurred in Pune because you were honking in Bangalore”. Does that make any sense? No? 

In Bangalore there was a Rahul, on his bike, trying to talk to his fiancée in Pune while he was driving through the busy roads of Indiranagar area. It was not usual for him to talk when he was riding but that day Shelly was very upset and had to urgently talk to Rahul. When the traffic light turned green, Rahul took a while to start his bike and get into full swing. With no sideway to park and talk and the long queue of vehicles behind him, he got fidgety trying to start the bike. The vehicles started honking at him and your car was right behind him. You pinned the horn with your palm and continued to make noise vehemently probably without realizing that you were making Rahul more nervous. While other vehicles behind you started tilting towards the left and right and making their way out, you honked even more as if he had not heard it , as if he was purposely not starting his bike.

He could not focus on the bike or the phone because all he heard was the incessant beeeepppppp from  your car. His phone fell down and with shaky hands he tried to pull the bike to a distance where he could let you have your way.  He ran back to pick up the phone which you had almost crushed under the tyre as you sped by bad mouthing Rahul for his heinous act. When Rahul dialed Shelly some unknown voice picked up the phone saying “Babuji, madam ka accident ho gaya hai, behosh hain, thodi der mei phone kariye.” Shelly who was running up and down the hospital stairs, heard the frantic noise of car honking and phone falling - her heart skipped a beat. Her father was already admitted in the hospital and what she heard on the phone made her feel sudden loss of another man in their family. She blacked out and fell down the stairs. Oh no – you didn’t kill anyone, she didn’t die. But if she did, would you hold yourself responsible for it? Not completely obviously, because her terminally ill father, office pressure, lack of funds were already responsible for her derogatory state of health and mind but would you take the responsibility of pulling the last trigger?

When a boss insults an employee in front of so many other colleagues, when a teacher mocks at a student in the class, when a mother in law makes a mockery of her son’s wife in front of other relatives, when a wife taunts a husband about his menial salary and living standards, a colleague making fun of his peer’s bulging stomach, the lies husband told his wife for coming late, the wife fighting over his coming late………..all these things are done and dusted the next minute. These are butterflies flapping their wings and their monstrous tornado effect will be known to us much later.

But the BUTTERFLY EFFECT says that the flapping “may ultimately alter the path of a tornado or delay, accelerate or even prevent the occurrence of a tornado in another location.” Our wrong actions and deeds will have a bigger wrong impact but if we flap our wings in the right direction we could make it a better world.  Who disagrees with this? None. We are all good and sensible human

beings and want the whole wide world to be a peaceful place to live in. The truth however is different -  although in principle we all agree we want to be good and do good, researchers have found that human species is sadistic by nature. Researchers conducted an experiment where the audience was given two choices:

(1) You and your neighbor enjoy S

AME LUXURIOUS benefits.

(2) You enjoy MEDIOCRE benefits and your neighbor gets NONE

Surprisingly almost 85% of the people chose the second option. Most people don’t want to lead a “good” life – they want to lead a life “better” than their neighbor, friend, cousin, uncle, boyfriend, sister, girlfriend even if this “better” is worse than the “good”. And when they cannot make their lives better – they flap their wings the other way to make other people’s life worse.

ਹਉਮੈ ਬੰਧਨ ਬੰਧਿ ਭਵਾਵੈ ॥ (Egotism binds people in bondage, and causes them to wander around lost)

ਕਾਮ ਕ੍ਰੋਧ ਮਾਇਆ ਮਦ ਮਤਸਰ ਏ ਖੇਲਤ ਸਭਿ ਜੂਐ ਹਾਰੇ ॥ (Kaama, Krodha, Maya, Mada and Matsara — these have combined to plunder the world)

ਮੁ ਕ੍ਰੋਧੁ ਲੋਭੁ ਮੋਹੁ ਨਿਤ ਝਗਰਤੇ ਝਗਰਾਇਆ ॥ (Lust, anger, greed and emotional attachment bring continual conflict and strife)

Gurbaani says that there are 5 vices of which we should get rid – Kaam(Lust), Krodh(Anger), Lobh(Greed), Moh(Emotional Attachment), Ahankaar(Ego). If our butterflies flap their wings devoid of these vices the tornadoes can be prevented.