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Butterfly Effects that bring social change

(Or how the David of small actions can fight even the Goliath of a pandemic)

Butterfly Effects that bring social change

It's 2020 and there's a global pandemic. Let's face it, if there was a prize for huge forces outside of our control determining the well-being of all of humanity a global pandemic would win hands down. It's a bug. It will infect any human host it encounters and it isn't open to negotiation. It is immediately lethal for the elderly and those with underlying health issues. And now it seems that COVID-19 can also compromise the organs of younger people and leave them with lifelong health issues.

That is a pretty big and overwhelming set of circumstances and yet...

We don't need to be afraid. The WHO - and most governments - tell us we actually have 'weapons' that we can use to keep ourselves safe. They assure us, that in spite of the fact that there isn't currently a 'Big Fix' to help prevent or treat this new Corona virus, the good news is that there are several very effective 'Small Fixes' that can make all the difference.

Wash your hands.

Wear a mask.

Cough and sneeze into your elbow.

Avoid large groups of people.

Stand 2 metres apart from others in public places.

This is very heartening when you think about it as most 4 years olds could understand and implement these measures. Therefore, despite the fact that we are facing an unprecedented worldwide threat all the experts are telling us that there are simple, but powerful, ways to protect everyone - including ourselves - and help to halt the spread of COVID-19.

It's 2020 and there's a global pandemic. Let's face it, if there was a prize for huge forces outside of our control determining the well-being of all of humanity a global pandemic would win hands down. It's a bug. It will infect any human host it encounters and it isn't open to negotiation. It is immediately lethal for the elderly and those with underlying health issues. And now it seems that COVID-19 can also compromise the organs of younger people and leave them with lifelong health issues.

That is a pretty big and overwhelming set of circumstances and yet...

We don't need to be afraid. The WHO - and most governments - tell us we actually have 'weapons' that we can use to keep ourselves safe. They assure us, that in spite of the fact that there isn't currently a 'Big Fix' to help prevent or treat this new Corona virus, the good news is that there are several very effective 'Small Fixes' that can make all the difference.

Wash your hands.

Wear a mask.

Cough and sneeze into your elbow.

Avoid large groups of people.

Stand 2 metres apart from others in public places.

This is very heartening when you think about it as most 4 years olds could understand and implement these measures. Therefore, despite the fact that we are facing an unprecedented worldwide threat all the experts are telling us that there are simple, but powerful, ways to protect everyone - including ourselves - and help to halt the spread of COVID-19.

It's 2020 and there's a global pandemic. Let's face it, if there was a prize for huge forces outside of our control determining the well-being of all of humanity a global pandemic would win hands down. It's a bug. It will infect any human host it encounters and it isn't open to negotiation. It is immediately lethal for the elderly and those with underlying health issues. And now it seems that COVID-19 can also compromise the organs of younger people and leave them with lifelong health issues.

That is a pretty big and overwhelming set of circumstances and yet...

We don't need to be afraid. The WHO - and most governments - tell us we actually have 'weapons' that we can use to keep ourselves safe. They assure us, that in spite of the fact that there isn't currently a 'Big Fix' to help prevent or treat this new Corona virus, the good news is that there are several very effective 'Small Fixes' that can make all the difference.

Wash your hands.

Wear a mask.

Cough and sneeze into your elbow.

Avoid large groups of people.

Stand 2 metres apart from others in public places.

This is very heartening when you think about it as most 4 years olds could understand and implement these measures. Therefore, despite the fact that we are facing an unprecedented worldwide threat all the experts are telling us that there are simple, but powerful, ways to protect everyone - including ourselves - and help to halt the spread of COVID-19.

It's 2020 and there's a global pandemic. Let's face it, if there was a prize for huge forces outside of our control determining the well-being of all of humanity a global pandemic would win hands down. It's a bug. It will infect any human host it encounters and it isn't open to negotiation. It is immediately lethal for the elderly and those with underlying health issues. And now it seems that COVID-19 can also compromise the organs of younger people and leave them with lifelong health issues.

That is a pretty big and overwhelming set of circumstances and yet...

We don't need to be afraid. The WHO - and most governments - tell us we actually have 'weapons' that we can use to keep ourselves safe. They assure us, that in spite of the fact that there isn't currently a 'Big Fix' to help prevent or treat this new Corona virus, the good news is that there are several very effective 'Small Fixes' that can make all the difference.

Wash your hands.

Wear a mask.

Cough and sneeze into your elbow.

Avoid large groups of people.

Stand 2 metres apart from others in public places.

This is very heartening when you think about it as most 4 years olds could understand and implement these measures. Therefore, despite the fact that we are facing an unprecedented worldwide threat all the experts are telling us that there are simple, but powerful, ways to protect everyone - including ourselves - and help to halt the spread of COVID-19.

It's 2020 and there's a global pandemic. Let's face it, if there was a prize for huge forces outside of our control determining the well-being of all of humanity a global pandemic would win hands down. It's a bug. It will infect any human host it encounters and it isn't open to negotiation. It is immediately lethal for the elderly and those with underlying health issues. And now it seems that COVID-19 can also compromise the organs of younger people and leave them with lifelong health issues.

That is a pretty big and overwhelming set of circumstances and yet...

We don't need to be afraid. The WHO - and most governments - tell us we actually have 'weapons' that we can use to keep ourselves safe. They assure us, that in spite of the fact that there isn't currently a 'Big Fix' to help prevent or treat this new Corona virus, the good news is that there are several very effective 'Small Fixes' that can make all the difference.

Wash your hands.

Wear a mask.

Cough and sneeze into your elbow.

Avoid large groups of people.

Stand 2 metres apart from others in public places.

This is very heartening when you think about it as most 4 years olds could understand and implement these measures. Therefore, despite the fact that we are facing an unprecedented worldwide threat all the experts are telling us that there are simple, but powerful, ways to protect everyone - including ourselves - and help to halt the spread of COVID-19.

These small, achievable, seemingly insignificant actions could, quite literally, be the difference between life and death for ourselves and others.

So, if tiny, ordinary actions like handwashing can alter the trajectory of this life-threatening, society-altering disease then can tiny, ordinary actions also have a transformative effect on the general well-being of society?

Is it possible that all of the huge, seemingly intractable problems like hunger, war, homelessness, injustice, violence and oppression might also be subject to change if we all take small, ordinary actions?

Have we had the key to social change and well-being in our (well-washed) hands all the time?

And is learning and living with this pandemic our opportunity to acquire the skills and confidence we need to begin to change the world?

It's the Butterfly Effect

As well as being the ‘father’ of chaos theory, scientist Edward Lorenz was also the first person to speak about the now famous Butterfly Effect. This metaphor describes the concept of sensitive dependence on initial conditions in chaos theory – which simply means that a small change in one place - (particularly at the start) in any complex system can have large effects elsewhere. In the early 1960s, Lorenz realised that small initial differences in the atmosphere could trigger vast, and often unsuspected, results. These observations led him to formulate his theory of change which he named after a paper he presented in 1972 entitled: "Predictability: Does the Flap of a Butterfly's Wings in Brazil Set Off a Tornado in Texas?"

So, if tiny, ordinary actions like handwashing can alter the trajectory of this life-threatening, society-altering disease then can tiny, ordinary actions also have a transformative effect on the general well-being of society?

Is it possible that all of the huge, seemingly intractable problems like hunger, war, homelessness, injustice, violence and oppression might also be subject to change if we all take small, ordinary actions?

Have we had the key to social change and well-being in our (well-washed) hands all the time?

And is learning and living with this pandemic our opportunity to acquire the skills and confidence we need to begin to change the world?

It's the Butterfly Effect

As well as being the ‘father’ of chaos theory, scientist Edward Lorenz was also the first person to speak about the now famous Butterfly Effect. This metaphor describes the concept of sensitive dependence on initial conditions in chaos theory – which simply means that a small change in one place - (particularly at the start) in any complex system can have large effects elsewhere. In the early 1960s, Lorenz realised that small initial differences in the atmosphere could trigger vast, and often unsuspected, results. These observations led him to formulate his theory of change which he named after a paper he presented in 1972 entitled: "Predictability: Does the Flap of a Butterfly's Wings in Brazil Set Off a Tornado in Texas?"

So, if tiny, ordinary actions like handwashing can alter the trajectory of this life-threatening, society-altering disease then can tiny, ordinary actions also have a transformative effect on the general well-being of society?

Is it possible that all of the huge, seemingly intractable problems like hunger, war, homelessness, injustice, violence and oppression might also be subject to change if we all take small, ordinary actions?

Have we had the key to social change and well-being in our (well-washed) hands all the time?

And is learning and living with this pandemic our opportunity to acquire the skills and confidence we need to begin to change the world?

It's the Butterfly Effect

As well as being the ‘father’ of chaos theory, scientist Edward Lorenz was also the first person to speak about the now famous Butterfly Effect. This metaphor describes the concept of sensitive dependence on initial conditions in chaos theory – which simply means that a small change in one place - (particularly at the start) in any complex system can have large effects elsewhere. In the early 1960s, Lorenz realised that small initial differences in the atmosphere could trigger vast, and often unsuspected, results. These observations led him to formulate his theory of change which he named after a paper he presented in 1972 entitled: "Predictability: Does the Flap of a Butterfly's Wings in Brazil Set Off a Tornado in Texas?"

So, if tiny, ordinary actions like handwashing can alter the trajectory of this life-threatening, society-altering disease then can tiny, ordinary actions also have a transformative effect on the general well-being of society?

Is it possible that all of the huge, seemingly intractable problems like hunger, war, homelessness, injustice, violence and oppression might also be subject to change if we all take small, ordinary actions?

Have we had the key to social change and well-being in our (well-washed) hands all the time?

And is learning and living with this pandemic our opportunity to acquire the skills and confidence we need to begin to change the world?

It's the Butterfly Effect

As well as being the ‘father’ of chaos theory, scientist Edward Lorenz was also the first person to speak about the now famous Butterfly Effect. This metaphor describes the concept of sensitive dependence on initial conditions in chaos theory – which simply means that a small change in one place - (particularly at the start) in any complex system can have large effects elsewhere. In the early 1960s, Lorenz realised that small initial differences in the atmosphere could trigger vast, and often unsuspected, results. These observations led him to formulate his theory of change which he named after a paper he presented in 1972 entitled: "Predictability: Does the Flap of a Butterfly's Wings in Brazil Set Off a Tornado in Texas?"

So, if tiny, ordinary actions like handwashing can alter the trajectory of this life-threatening, society-altering disease then can tiny, ordinary actions also have a transformative effect on the general well-being of society?

Is it possible that all of the huge, seemingly intractable problems like hunger, war, homelessness, injustice, violence and oppression might also be subject to change if we all take small, ordinary actions?

Have we had the key to social change and well-being in our (well-washed) hands all the time?

And is learning and living with this pandemic our opportunity to acquire the skills and confidence we need to begin to change the world?

It's the Butterfly Effect

As well as being the ‘father’ of chaos theory, scientist Edward Lorenz was also the first person to speak about the now famous Butterfly Effect. This metaphor describes the concept of sensitive dependence on initial conditions in chaos theory – which simply means that a small change in one place - (particularly at the start) in any complex system can have large effects elsewhere.

In the early 1960s, Lorenz realised that small initial differences in the atmosphere could trigger vast, and often unsuspected, results. These observations led him to formulate his theory of change which he named after a paper he presented in 1972 entitled: "Predictability: Does the Flap of a Butterfly's Wings in Brazil Set Off a Tornado in Texas?"

The phenomenon of the Butterfly Effect is something we all already know. Honestly.

Let me put it like this, if you take a ball and let it roll down a hill, you don’t need to be a scientist to work out that where it ends up will be influenced by where it begins and the obstacles it encounters as it rolls down the hillside. A pebble, a twig, a gust of wind, though barely noticable in themselves, can have a significant effect on where that ball ends up. Ask any footballer, snooker-player, golfer or tennis player. That is all the Butterfly Effect is really describing - how tiny actions can make a big difference to outcomes.

Lorenz's theory was that the butterfly’s wing flapping - tiny as the movement is - still creates changes in the atmosphere. These changes are tiny but they are there and might, ultimately, alter the path of a tornado or even delay, accelerate or prevent the occurrence of that tornado in a certain location. While the butterfly is not responsible for causing the tornado – in that it doesn’t provide the energy for the tornado – it does have a part to play insofar as the flap of its delicate wings is an essential part of the conditions which result in the tornado – without the flap of that wing a particular tornado might never exist.

Seeing the world around us as sensitive to small, ordinary actions brings with it hope. But it also brings responsibility. Every single thing that every single one of us does all of the time matters in the overall scheme of things. There is no such thing as a deed – good or bad – that doesn’t have some effect somewhere. And our actions don't just concern or impact us, they have an effect outside of us too.

"We cannot segregate the human heart from the environment outside us and say that once one of these is reformed everything will be improved. Man is organic with the world. His inner life moulds the environment and is itself also deeply affected by it. The one acts upon the other and every abiding change in the life of man is the result of these mutual reactions. " (1)

Most of us feel as insignificant as any butterfly in a storm a lot of the time. But if it's true that small, seemingly insignificant events can have a huge influence on ultimate outcomes, maybe we each have more power than we realise? We'd all agree that it's hard to even know where to begin as there is so much suffering and injustice all around, but what if it's as simple as each of us just taking the next step?

Sometimes the next small step is very simple and requires little thinking. Sometimes it requires courage. But the important thing about these steps is that they are ours to take. They are within our control and while sometimes they can bring big changes and sometimes the changes are hard to see, they always give us a sense of agency and a chance to be in control of how we interact with the conditions around us.

The phenomenon of the Butterfly Effect is something we all already know. Honestly.

Let me put it like this, if you take a ball and let it roll down a hill, you don’t need to be a scientist to work out that where it ends up will be influenced by where it begins and the obstacles it encounters as it rolls down the hillside. A pebble, a twig, a gust of wind, though barely noticable in themselves, can have a significant effect on where that ball ends up. Ask any footballer, snooker-player, golfer or tennis player. That is all the Butterfly Effect is really describing - how tiny actions can make a big difference to outcomes.

Lorenz's theory was that the butterfly’s wing flapping - tiny as the movement is - still creates changes in the atmosphere. These changes are tiny but they are there and might, ultimately, alter the path of a tornado or even delay, accelerate or prevent the occurrence of that tornado in a certain location. While the butterfly is not responsible for causing the tornado – in that it doesn’t provide the energy for the tornado – it does have a part to play insofar as the flap of its delicate wings is an essential part of the conditions which result in the tornado – without the flap of that wing a particular tornado might never exist.

Seeing the world around us as sensitive to small, ordinary actions brings with it hope. But it also brings responsibility. Every single thing that every single one of us does all of the time matters in the overall scheme of things. There is no such thing as a deed – good or bad – that doesn’t have some effect somewhere. And our actions don't just concern or impact us, they have an effect outside of us too.

"We cannot segregate the human heart from the environment outside us and say that once one of these is reformed everything will be improved. Man is organic with the world. His inner life moulds the environment and is itself also deeply affected by it. The one acts upon the other and every abiding change in the life of man is the result of these mutual reactions. " (1)

Most of us feel as insignificant as any butterfly in a storm a lot of the time. But if it's true that small, seemingly insignificant events can have a huge influence on ultimate outcomes, maybe we each have more power than we realise? We'd all agree that it's hard to even know where to begin as there is so much suffering and injustice all around, but what if it's as simple as each of us just taking the next step?

Sometimes the next small step is very simple and requires little thinking. Sometimes it requires courage. But the important thing about these steps is that they are ours to take. They are within our control and while sometimes they can bring big changes and sometimes the changes are hard to see, they always give us a sense of agency and a chance to be in control of how we interact with the conditions around us.

The phenomenon of the Butterfly Effect is something we all already know. Honestly.

Let me put it like this, if you take a ball and let it roll down a hill, you don’t need to be a scientist to work out that where it ends up will be influenced by where it begins and the obstacles it encounters as it rolls down the hillside. A pebble, a twig, a gust of wind, though barely noticable in themselves, can have a significant effect on where that ball ends up. Ask any footballer, snooker-player, golfer or tennis player. That is all the Butterfly Effect is really describing - how tiny actions can make a big difference to outcomes.

Lorenz's theory was that the butterfly’s wing flapping - tiny as the movement is - still creates changes in the atmosphere. These changes are tiny but they are there and might, ultimately, alter the path of a tornado or even delay, accelerate or prevent the occurrence of that tornado in a certain location. While the butterfly is not responsible for causing the tornado – in that it doesn’t provide the energy for the tornado – it does have a part to play insofar as the flap of its delicate wings is an essential part of the conditions which result in the tornado – without the flap of that wing a particular tornado might never exist.

"We cannot segregate the human heart from the environment outside us and say that once one of these is reformed everything will be improved. Man is organic with the world. His inner life moulds the environment and is itself also deeply affected by it. The one acts upon the other and every abiding change in the life of man is the result of these mutual reactions. " (1)

Most of us feel as insignificant as any butterfly in a storm a lot of the time. But if it's true that small, seemingly insignificant events can have a huge influence on ultimate outcomes, maybe we each have more power than we realise? We'd all agree that it's hard to even know where to begin as there is so much suffering and injustice all around, but what if it's as simple as each of us just taking the next step?

Sometimes the next small step is very simple and requires little thinking. Sometimes it requires courage. But the important thing about these steps is that they are ours to take. They are within our control and while sometimes they can bring big changes and sometimes the changes are hard to see, they always give us a sense of agency and a chance to be in control of how we interact with the conditions around us.

The phenomenon of the Butterfly Effect is something we all already know. Honestly. Let me put it like this, if you take a ball and let it roll down a hill, you don’t need to be a scientist to work out that where it ends up will be influenced by where it begins and the obstacles it encounters as it rolls down the hillside. A pebble, a twig, a gust of wind, though barely noticable in themselves, can have a significant effect on where that ball ends up. Ask any footballer, snooker-player, golfer or tennis player. That is all the Butterfly Effect is really describing - how tiny actions can make a big difference to outcomes.

Lorenz's theory was that the butterfly’s wing flapping - tiny as the movement is - still creates changes in the atmosphere. These changes are tiny but they are there and might, ultimately, alter the path of a tornado or even delay, accelerate or prevent the occurrence of that tornado in a certain location. While the butterfly is not responsible for causing the tornado – in that it doesn’t provide the energy for the tornado – it does have a part to play insofar as the flap of its delicate wings is an essential part of the conditions which result in the tornado – without the flap of that wing a particular tornado might never exist.

"We cannot segregate the human heart from the environment outside us and say that once one of these is reformed everything will be improved. Man is organic with the world. His inner life moulds the environment and is itself also deeply affected by it. The one acts upon the other and every abiding change in the life of man is the result of these mutual reactions. " (1)

Most of us feel as insignificant as any butterfly in a storm a lot of the time. But if it's true that small, seemingly insignificant events can have a huge influence on ultimate outcomes, maybe we each have more power than we realise? We'd all agree that it's hard to even know where to begin as there is so much suffering and injustice all around, but what if it's as simple as each of us just taking the next step?

Sometimes the next small step is very simple and requires little thinking. Sometimes it requires courage. But the important thing about these steps is that they are ours to take. They are within our control and while sometimes they can bring big changes and sometimes the changes are hard to see, they always give us a sense of agency and a chance to be in control of how we interact with the conditions around us.

The phenomenon of the Butterfly Effect is something we all already know. Honestly.

Let me put it like this, if you take a ball and let it roll down a hill, you don’t need to be a scientist to work out that where it ends up will be influenced by where it begins and the obstacles it encounters as it rolls down the hillside. A pebble, a twig, a gust of wind, though barely noticable in themselves, can have a significant effect on where that ball ends up. Ask any footballer, snooker-player, golfer or tennis player. That is all the Butterfly Effect is really describing - how tiny actions can make a big difference to outcomes.

Lorenz's theory was that the butterfly’s wing flapping - tiny as the movement is - still creates changes in the atmosphere. These changes are tiny but they are there and might, ultimately, alter the path of a tornado or even delay, accelerate or prevent the occurrence of that tornado in a certain location.

While the butterfly is not responsible for causing the tornado – in that it doesn’t provide the energy for the tornado – it does have a part to play insofar as the flap of its delicate wings is an essential part of the conditions which result in the tornado – without the flap of that wing a particular tornado might never exist.

"We cannot segregate the human heart from the environment outside us and say that once one of these is reformed everything will be improved. Man is organic with the world. His inner life moulds the environment and is itself also deeply affected by it. The one acts upon the other and every abiding change in the life of man is the result of these mutual reactions. " (1)

Most of us feel as insignificant as any butterfly in a storm a lot of the time. But if it's true that small, seemingly insignificant events can have a huge influence on ultimate outcomes, maybe we each have more power than we realise? We'd all agree that it's hard to even know where to begin as there is so much suffering and injustice all around, but what if it's as simple as each of us just taking the next step?

Sometimes the next small step is very simple and requires little thinking. Sometimes it requires courage. But the important thing about these steps is that they are ours to take. They are within our control and while sometimes they can bring big changes and sometimes the changes are hard to see, they always give us a sense of agency and a chance to be in control of how we interact with the conditions around us.

A story of one man taking one step...

Before 2004, life in Basti Mahran, Pakistan was extremely difficult for everyone but especially for the Hindu minority. Hindu girls were routinely raped by Muslim men, cattle that belonged to the Hindu villagers were slaughtered and attacks on all Hindus were widespread - all of the time. And then a very ill young Muslim mother arrived at the local clinic. She had lost a lot of blood in childbirth and needed a transfusion. The doctors were helpless, they didn't have any O-negative blood - until a local Hindu man with the same blood-type stepped forward and offered to give his blood to save this young woman's life. (2)

“I was afraid, for sure. But it was the right thing to do,” says Bachu Ram, the blood donor.

In spite of his selfless gesture, Ram knew there would be objections to a Hindu giving blood to a Muslim. And he was right. Word spread about his offer and before long a group of Muslims charged the clinic to find and kill Ram. The group was led by Mahar Abdul Latif.

Latif hated Hindus. For three years in the 1990s he had belonged to an extremist group who patrolled the mountains in Kashmir, killing all Hindus who crossed their path. Latif had previously tried to force the doctors at the clinic to have separate facilities for Muslims and Hindus, so that Muslims were never touched with the same instruments that had been used to treat Hindus.

As Latif and his gang approached the clinic they were stopped by a doctor who told them that Ram was this young woman's only chance.

“I don’t know what came over me,” Latif says. “I remember thinking that here we were refusing to even shake hands with the Hindus and he was willing to give us his blood. It was a marvellous thing he did. It was the turning point of my life.”

Next morning, Latif visited Ram's home to thank him. This was another seemingly small event but it was the very first time that a Muslim visited a Hindu home in Basti Mahran so the impact of this gesture was soon felt. In a short time, word of Ram's generosity and Latif's remorse spread and everything in the village began to change.

The women began to talk to each other, the rapes and attacks stopped and a huge shed was built to house all the local cattle.

“That was a big deal,” Ram says. “Before, you would not see the cows near each other at all. A Muslim would not have touched the milk from a cow owned by Hindus.”

Nowadays everything in Basti Mahran has changed. In the past, everybody hated the members of the other community, now they not only like each other, they actively support each other, even in their religious practice. It is commonplace today for Hindus to attend Muslim celebrations and vice versa. Latif and other local Muslims contributed time and money a few years ago to refurbish a local Hindu temple and everybody, generally, makes efforts to help each other.

This change has turned out to be of just as much benefit to the Muslim community as to the Hindu locals, as now that they have stopped fighting each other they are using their collective energy to promote the common good.

Women from both communities have joined forces in their cotton selling businesses and nowadays are earning four times what they earned when they were selling separately. Working together the village even successfully lobbied the government to build power lines and they now have twelve hours electricity a day where previously they had none.

Now they are lobbying for new roads and water supply. “We’ve been so wrong about the Hindus,” Latif says. “The biggest surprise has been that they are just like us. They want to live their lives the same way we do.”