The Butterfly Effect

We mostly go through life on autopilot and so many things can just pass us by without us noticing. We take so many things for granted unknowingly. It is shocking to realize how your life can change in an instant moment. You could get sick today and your whole life changes. Maybe get fired and fall into depresssion. Look into a mirror and not recognize the person staring back at you. You could get your heart broken in the most painful way and are now beginning to face the realization that you'll have to face life without the person you wanted to do life with. Your home could burn down and now you would be homeless. Start from scratch. You could hate something with a passion today and fall in love with it deeply tomorrow. You're allowed to change your mind. You could get married. Or lose a loved one. Or experience a stroke that could leave you paralyzed. Finish shool. Retire. Experience war and political instability. Realize that as you grow older, so does your body. Venture into a new career. Lose friends and friend groups. You could wake up and decide to move to a new city, country, town or even continent. Experience a whole new world. The one thing that is constant in this life is change. One would think end of life is physical death but that's not entirely true. Some people die in their twenties but aren't buried till their eighties. We die so many times but don't realize it. We live so many lives in one physical body that we can't even begin to fathom. We become so many people throughout the course of our lives based on our experiences and environments. And most people go through this process on autopilot. When we become aware of our lives and what we want, the regret of not knowing sooner can creep up on us and we might even blame ourselves. We might even want to go back to how it was before we were aware of what is going on around us because it was easier. But that's no way to live. Ignorance might be bliss but knowledge is power. When life hits you with a curveball, ignorance cannot be a defense. Life is made up of experiences, lessons, emotions, decisions, attachments and actions. Human life is so fragile in the physical and non-physical aspect. You experiences are a result of your choices. Choices you made over ten years ago could come back to haunt you. It's called the butterfly effect. It is based on the metaphorical example and idea that the path and strength of a tornado could be altered greatly by a butterfly flapping it's wings several weeks earlier from miles away. The idea that something minute could have much larger effects. One event leads to another. And once you realize this, you begin to see life differently. The butterfly effect makes human life very fragile and susceptible to outside occurences.We are not the things that happen to us but the things that happen to us affect and alter the trajectory of our lives impacting us deeply. It's important to be aware of this because with this awareness, you too can make small changes that can compound into big results in a positive manner. Tip the scales to your favour. It's kind of like a cheatcode when you think about it. It's not easy but it is possible.

Photo credit- PapaPaper