The Butterfly Effect and my dear Mom

I love the story of the Butterfly Effect, because it shows how seemingly small actions can be the seeds of much larger change and progress:

In 1961, MIT meteorologist Edward Lorenz developed one of the world’s first computer programs for predicting the weather. It would accept numbers representing current conditions, perform some complicated calculations and then produce a forecast. To test the program, Lorenz ran a set of figures through his computer and obtained a forecast. Then, to verify everything was working right, he ran the same scenario, expecting the same result – but to his astonishment, the second forecast was completely different.

Upon investigation, he discovered that one number entered to six decimal places the first day had been entered to just three decimal places the second day.  It was a minuscule difference, but it produced an enormous effect on the outcome.  It led him to wonder: could something as small as the flap of a butterfly’s wings over Brazil trigger a tornado in Texas weeks later? The Butterfly Effect.

Years ago, when I left home for university, my dear Mom gave me the best advice I’ve ever gotten: “Carl, maybe you can’t change the whole world, but you can change your little corner of it.”  It still resonates over 40 years later, and has become my mantra.

And when you combine my Mom’s words with the Butterfly Effect, here’s the result: when you change your corner of the world, maybe, just maybe, you can change the world.  It’s a message that I hope gives heart and hope through these challenging times.  I reflect on it especially as I mourn losing Mom earlier this month.

Mom challenged me to change my corner of the world, with the hope that small local actions might snowball into larger positive changes. In honouring her legacy, I pledge to continue to do my best – and I hope her words may inspire you to do the same.