The butterfly effect: A seemingly minor event occuring and resulting in different and often major results. Taking all our decisions and "what ifs" and regrets. Perhaps the theory of regret and perhaps being able to go back and change things.
We all make decisions on a daily basis. Do we often think of the effect on the world around us, looking past how it solely affects ourselves and those closest to us. We are human, and therefore we are selfish, (is there truly an unselfish act?) Who am I to judge? I'm human, I'm aware of my 'selfishness'. I often ask why people didn't think of me when they made their decisions. Especially of those closest to me in my life. Its a matter of accountability. I, for the most part, weigh my decisions quite carefully, usually. How will this affect me? How will this affect my partner? my employer? my coworker? my friends? my family? Sometimes I take this quite far, how will my decision impact the familiy of those I considered? their friends? I do realize that this is not everyone's decision making process. The choices I make that aren't thought out to this process are usually those choices filed under "oops" or "regret".
I think we've all had moments in our life that stand out from the regular day-to-day. The day we've made a choice that we, for lack of a better term, "regret". We think "what if" I hadn't have chosen that path. Where would that leave the state of my life in the present? Many movies enmbrace this theory, we can travel back in time with characters as they see how making a different choice would have changed their lives. How the "non-exisistence" of yourself making that decision would in turn, actually change the world and those that matter to you. Of course we can never actually know what our personal world would be like without us there, but I'm pretty sure we've all taken a low point in our lives to examine this theory.
Lately, I've been thinking about my friends and family a lot, as I often do. My friends and family mean the world to me. A small choice made by any one of them can solely affect my life, and vice versa. So what is a girl to do when she isn't taken into account? Everyone has something in life that bugs them more than anything: people who screen phone calls, people who never seem to call you back, friends who forget to tell you the important pieces of your life. I am personally bothered by close friends and family who don't consider those they 'care about most in the world" into account while making a decision.
Also, how many times have you said "I wish I never meant that person." Have you ever sat down and thought how your life would really be in the present if you hadn't. Or, "I wish I had taken the other job", "I wish I had moved to such and such place when I had the chance". If we really sat down and thought about this, we'd realize the full truth of the butterfly effect...chaos theory.
Some people choose to look at things the other way around. Here are some examples from my life, and how I think that no matter how difficult my past situations may have been to overcome, there is a positive outcome on my present, and future.
After a heart-break. "I wish I had never met him." If I hadn't met Jason,my ex,how is still my friend, I would have never become close friends with my girl Andrea. In turn, I wouldn't have met her husband Josh. When Josh and Andrea were dating and newly engaged, my breakup occurred with Jason. Andrea said to me "I know you are hurting, but please come and visit. Come to a concert with Josh and I and his roommate". Josh's roommate was a man named Rollin King. Sound familiar? yes. That man is now my husband.
After meeting Rollin, becoming engaged and looking into an immigration lawyer. My dad said to me "Andrea, if I had taken the job in Chicago when you were a teenager, you would have had dual citizenship and we wouldn't be worried about this." My response. "Dad, if you had moved me there, I would have never have met the man I was suppossed to be with."
So Do you take others into account when you make choices, either big or small? How far do you take your accountability?
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8 years ago
Absolutely! I also say what I mean - and I know you do, too. For that reason, and the careful consideration of others that you explained in this post, we make great friends. :)
ReplyDeleteI like to think that I do, but the whole point of chaos theory is that anything can happen. People say that it's hard to convey sarcasm or feelings like that on the internet. You could read this and think that I'm being serious, but someone else could read it and think I was being a jerk. But it's not just the internet, even when you say something to someone in person, there is always a chance that it will be taken in a different way than you meant it. So I guess the best thing we can all do, is try to think of others, but know that there is always a chance that someone will interpret what we did in a different way than we intended it. So just to drive my point home with another very similar example, I could take how something will effect everyone else into account when I say or do something, but there is a chance that none of those people will see things that way.
ReplyDeleteDid that make sense?