The butterfly effect

[Aelia Jusa]

So you know, the butterfly effect is the idea that a small change in a system can cause large long-term changes and depending on what and when and where the small change occurs, the effects will be different?

Well I was thinking the other day about how when I was in third year, and I had to choose a supervisor for my honours project, I chose the fourth year coordinator who I had had as a lecturer and tutor and I thought would be pretty helpful. Anyway, she turned out to be all those things and as well, encouraged me to apply for a PhD scholarship instead of doing a masters which had always been my plan. As a result of this, I met a lot of people I probably would not have met, including two people who I now call very close friends who were my officemates, as I wouldn't have had an office doing a masters. I also got the scholarship which meant that I was able to afford to move out of home, meaning that my internship year, which was hellishly busy, was way more manageable than it otherwise would have been. So from that one decision, a whole lot of things happened which either would not have happened at all, or would have happened differently or at different times.

Of course now I have to actually do the PhD, which is irksome

So, my own personal butterfly effect. What's yours?

[robertthebard]

Getting sick. While we are still scrambling to find out what's wrong, we at least know that the literally killer causes aren't it. However, becoming sick enough that I couldn't leave my house resulted in my website, and my music getting out to the world. While the ground shaking effects are non-existent, Z is using one of my pieces for the Undermountain module, in the tribute to Animal area, I believe. To me, this is the ultimate in both exposure, and compliment. If any one is interested, the piece, entitled "Tribute" is available for download at my site. There is a link in my sig. Going to have a hard time getting me out of that module after that area is done, as NWN's and my music are my two favorite things.

[Mack_Attack]

Cool stories. But every dission we make can be based on the BE. Or is it fate. [img]smile.gif[/img]

Either way. So far so good I think?

[Bithron]

The sum of our actions is the present and the future...

[Captain Obvious]

Mine is probably from my first week of uni. we had to do this stupid computer thing (this is called a 'keyboard', and this is a 'mouse') jsut in case anyone attending unoi had lived in a cave for the last 600 years....

anyway, this girls computer didnt work, so she had to share with me. We got talking etc.... and now, she is my wife!

although i am not so sure this is the butterfly effect of the she-cant-use-a-computer-effect, althoguh either works for me!

[robertthebard]

I'm not sure either, but the words "way cool" come to mind...

[Aelia Jusa]

Originally posted by Mack_Attack: Cool stories. But every dission we make can be based on the BE. Or is it fate. [img]smile.gif[/img]

No, I don't agree. Most decisions don't have much if any impact on anything else. The fact that I decided to have a bagel this morning instead of cornbread is not going to have any impact on anything - nothing is going to happen or not happen that would be different than if I'd made a different decision. I'm talking about insignificant decisions that you can pinpoint as having lead to unexpected and unrelated effects much later. Choosing my supervisor was a minor decision - my honours performance would not really have been affected with a different supervisor. But that decision did affect what people I met more than a year later. And when I moved out of home! Big effects from a small unrelated decision.

And I don't believe in fate. My destiny is determined by me. And luck, I suppose.

[Q'alooaith]

hmmm.

A friend that was flying out to see, kiss and cuddle, me misplaced his passport, which he needed, he called his dad to change the flight, because they'd used his credit card because it was a last minute deal. His dad told him he didn't need a passport to fly over to see me, but I'd already checked and told my friend he needed it, so an argument ensued.

His father refused to give the information needed to book a later flight, so my friend didn't come over to kiss and cuddle.

Because he didn't come over I got really down, and went out to see two friends that I'd not met before in another city, they liked how the meetup went and so one of them planned a bigger meetup of more internet friends.

I went to this big meetup and met Alex and his friend Laura, Alex went home early and laura stayed and got passing out drunk.

Since we lived in the same city I dragged her home, this made Alex and her like me better, see me as a better friend.

Because of this I metup with alex again and we spent six hours talking.

Because of this we fell head over heels for each other, but neither of us was willing to put ourselves "out there".

I went home and wrote a text message to alex, which I tagged on the end the fact that I liked him, which I was going to delete, but hit the wrong button (send and delete right next to each other, what wonderful design)

Because that text got sent we realised we liked each other, and quickly discovered how much so.

Because that one friend couldn't find his passport I met the man that became my fiancé

[Zebodog]

Originally posted by Aelia Jusa: quote: Originally posted by Mack_Attack: Cool stories. But every dission we make can be based on the BE. Or is it fate. [img]smile.gif[/img]

No, I don't agree. Most decisions don't have much if any impact on anything else. The fact that I decided to have a bagel this morning instead of cornbread is not going to have any impact on anything - nothing is going to happen or not happen that would be different than if I'd made a different decision. I'm talking about insignificant decisions that you can pinpoint as having lead to unexpected and unrelated effects much later. Choosing my supervisor was a minor decision - my honours performance would not really have been affected with a different supervisor. But that decision did affect what people I met more than a year later. And when I moved out of home! Big effects from a small unrelated decision.

And I don't believe in fate. My destiny is determined by me. And luck, I suppose. [/QUOTE]Interesting but you'll never know the impact that your decision to go with a different supervisor would have made.

Every decision has an impact even something as simple as deciding to have a bagel instead of cornbread but you may not see the impact of that decision.

How?

Perhaps that decision to purchase a bagel instead of cornbread was the deciding factor for the operator of the local shop to stop ordering cornbread because it wasn't selling very well. That baker of the cornbread was counting on that order to pay mortgage/feed kids etc...Now that he doesn't have the order he can't keep his bakery open and must close the doors, declaring bankruptcy. You're decision to have a bagel, while insignificant in your life had a profound impact on that baker.

To throw even more confusion your way

Are you sure that your destiny is determined by you? Perhaps every decision you've ever made and ever will make is pre-determined? Maybe your life is mapped out from the day you're born to the day you die?

Lot's of maybe's and what if's but I can guarantee one thing: Your brain will start to hurt if you think about this too much!

[Captain Obvious]

I have always wanted to write a book or something about this; like a guy wakes up in the morning and, i dunno, spills his coffee over himself, so he is pissed off and says something dumb to his wife or something, which upsets her, so she gets shitty when someone cuts her off on the way ot work...

basically each chapter is a different person who is affected by the person before. It would be set over one day and hopefully go all over the world, before returning to the guy that started it all.

i am a useless writer tho...