Chaos, the Butterfly Effect and The End of the World as We Know It
“THERE IS A CRACK IN EVERYTHING, THATS HOW THE LIGHT GETS IN. (Leonard Cohen)
There can be no doubt that we are in the midst of a world-wide upheaval that is having a significant effect on our personal, political, social, and interpersonal lives.
This upheaval represents a challenge so profound that even the weather is participating, and despite the seeming efficacy of vaccines and booster shots, the COVID-19 pandemic still feels like the opening act of a very dangerous and fraught drama.
That said, the conventional wisdom among many who warn of the dangers of climate change, has been that the US will be spared the worst of the oncoming environmental and economic train wreck. It is mainly poor unfortunates in underdeveloped, politically unstable and low-lying nations that will be most affected.
However, the recent devastating hurricanes, fires, floods, heat domes, bomb cyclones etc., as well as the growing racial and civil unrest, and the increasing economic and health challenges, have taught us that despite our wealth, military power, medicines and intellect, those of us in the “developed” world will not be exempt from the trials and tribulations ahead. Such an eventuality is in fact foretold in the Native American Hopi prophesy that when humans live in a “dwelling-place in the heavens” (think space station) it is the sign that we will soon witness the end of our world as we know it.
Given all this, it is understandable that we feel anxious and also sad…very sad, and questions abound. What can we do as individuals when everything is so uncertain? Are the only solutions limited to the technological and material world? Must we surrender our fate to leaders who seem clearly not up to the task, or worse, are seeking only to increase their power over us? What should we tell our children? How can we prepare? And perhaps most importantly, how can we develop the presence of mind to work towards a peaceful and secure future for us and our children?
In this challenging milieu, Chaos Theory and the Butterfly Effect have something positive to contribute.
Chaos Theory
Chaos Theory holds that within the chaos of seemingly “random” “unpredictable” and “completely out of control” events, there are in fact underlying patterns, as well as interconnections, and predictable repetitions, including physical laws. In other words, just because things seem out of control does not mean that controlling forces are not at work.
While we have no doubt entered a period of chaos, involving the destruction of old forms, old philosophies and old organizing principles, the possibility exists of rationally confronting the irrational reality in which we find ourselves.
In this context it is worth bearing in mind that what is being destroyed is obscuring what is coming into being.
THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT
The Butterfly Effect refers to the theorem that extremely small changes in “initial conditions” can lead to large-scale variations in outcome. In other words, the mere flapping of a butterfly’s wings in Brazil can change the weather pattern in Texas. While the butterfly does not directly create the weather, the flapping of the butterfly’s wings can be a “cause” in the sense that the flapping wings represent a small change in the initial condition of the system, which eventually leads to a significant alterations of events.
Another way to look at this is to examine the dynamics of a persuasive political video clip that “goes viral.” A very small group of initial viewers can multiply extremely quickly in number as the initial viewers share a link to the video with others who share the link with others and so on. The result is that the creator of the video in question can end up having an extremely “out-sized” effect on the world stage.
The fact is that when it comes to our effecting the future, we as individuals often greatly underestimate the multiplier effect and how much of an impact we can have in the world.
This under-estimation is quite natural; there is only so much we can personally do as we interact with our physical environment. For example, we can each reduce our use of plastic and fossil fuels and invest in electric vehicles and solar arrays, and sharpen our work skills to avoid technology making us redundant etc. While these actions are worthy and worthwhile, we know that they are not sufficient, and that many are happy to see the arctic ice shrink — thinking of all the mineral plunder that lies under the surface.
Nonetheless, there are a growing number who understand that Nature will not bow to our arrogance, nor to our disrespect for the sacred interconnectedness of all things. Eventually, even the powers that be must bow before Nature which is not swayed by lobbying or opinion or dollars.
The question then is “what can we each do about it.”
First, we must understand that the most powerful “acts” we can perform have to do with our inner selves. The ancients taught that the world was created by vibration and showed us how to attune to this vibration. The vehicle for this attunement is our own voice. We can learn to intone specific vibrations. These wordless concept-free vibrations educate our organs and align our consciousness with the infinite. We are then able to perceive the interrelationship of all things, and that brings calm and centeredness. This stability is contagious.
While, the real fruits and blessings of this practice are achieved with discipline over time, the practitioner can also feel an impact in the short term.
One of our greatest impacts in the world comes from the influence we have in our relations with our fellow human beings…an influence that is multiplied and magnified far beyond the initial interaction, and one whose ramifications only unfold over time.
As a result, it is imperative that in our dealings with others we come from the inner strength and clarity that can be gained from a vocal sound based meditation such as MediSounds. www.greatoctave.com
