the butterfly effect

The Butterfly Effect is a principle of chaos theory, which asserts that in any dynamic system, an apparently insignificant action may, over time, lead to major unforeseen consequences. For each and every action, there is a corresponding reaction. The following anecdote demonstrates ‘The Butterfly Effect’ at work. Charlotte and I had been business colleagues. She was a Leverage Buyout Manager at a corporate bank we worked at. I hadn’t seen her for at least 5 years or so. Early one summer evening we met again, when our paths crossed on the boat ramp at D’Albora Marina. She invited me to join her for a coffee on her boat, “Winners-R-Grinners”. Generally, I’m a forthright person for whom pity is anathema. Although normally sympathetically inclined, I squirm at pity. Noticing that Charlotte walked listing heavily sideways and her right eye remained unfocused, I politely inquired about the circumstances. As she settled back, relaxed and recounted her story, time warped. En route home on Valentine’s Day, four years ago, tired and wornout, Charlotte stopped at Chatters café. The barista on shift was Bridgena, tall and quite beautiful, but known for her sulky, foul moods and bullygal ways, especially towards women. Charlotte ordered a bottle of still spring water and settled outside. Bridgena delivered the water and glass, slamming them down on the table in front of Charlotte  ̶  who, rudely jerked out of her reverie, was puzzled at the unwarranted aggression. She hurriedly drank the water, paid Bridgena and left, inadvertently leaving a sizeable tip. When she attempted to buy a train ticket home, Charlotte discovered that she was short of her fare home by exactly $1.00. She had neglected to wait for her change, rushing away, dead keen to escape Bridgena’s harsh energy. She philosophically shrugged it off and decided to walk home  ̶  a mere 50 minutes west. Halfway home, in the fading light of a breathtaking sunset, along a quiet street, Charlotte was brutally mugged and left for dead! Robbed of her virtually empty purse, the two young men left her bleeding and unconscious on the pavement, her head bashed in. In the aftermath of the mugging it took Charlotte three years to return to anywhere near ‘normal’. She suffered severe neck and shoulder pains, lost the sight in her right eye and has not quite regained her balance. She also struggles with periodic memory loss and occasional blinding headaches. Medical bills were paid by selling her apartment. Her health in tatters, she resigned her job and used her savings and superannuation for physiotherapy, medication and living expenses until they, too, ran out. When she could no longer afford rent, Charlotte moved into government housing and eked out an existence on the disability pension. Her friends had stood by her for all of 4-5 months, then were interminably ‘busy’ and her brother lives in Europe. Almost insane with loneliness and isolation, Charlotte volunteered at the nearby hospital. She did data entry in the administration department and was warmly accepted by the staff. She was lucky her colleagues invited her to join their group of five ‘LottoGangstas’. They won, and won big. Her share was $768,000! She bought a spacious studio with a large courtyard. It was the courtyard that sealed the deal. It boasted a mini gazebo, Jacaranda tree, some grass and Bougainvillea trailing the high stucco boundary walls. She adopted a ditzy labradoodle, ‘CocoPops’, from the pound, is studying for her degree in Naturopathy at NatureCare College and purchased this runabout boat. Then, about a fortnight ago, Charlotte, lugging a couple of potted sunflowers home, while looking for a taxi, found herself outside ‘Chatters cafe’. Once again she stopped for rest and refreshment. She was surprised to see Bridgena, vacuuming the café. Bridgena didn’t recognise her. Charlotte was also shocked to notice a patchwork of white scar tissue that marked the right side of Bridgena’s face and tracked the length her right arm. Charlotte ordered coffee and sat down outside. Bridgena served her the coffee and politely asked to sit for brief break at her table, as all other seats outside were occupied. Bridgena lit a cigarette, and noticed Charlotte noticing the scars. She shrugged and told her that one evening, on Valentine’s Day, about 4 years ago, the coffee machine exploded in her face. Bridgena seemed resigned to the accident, saying it was probably partly her fault. She’d been in a foul mood, hadn’t paid attention, or noticed the machine was faulty and had manhandled it. They talked amiably about life in general and sunflowers and then Charlotte excused herself, paid and left. Shaking her head, still thoroughly nonplussed at how events have played out, Charlotte smiled at me and said: “… and molly, I still volunteer 8 hours a week at the hospital doing data entry in admin.” The chaos theory’s ‘Butterfly Effect’ demonstrates that the smallest act of kindness, unkindness or careless inattention can ripple outwards and onwards and have an amazing impact on, not only you and your life, but others’ and their lives as well.