I want to use the first official post on this blog to embrace a very important topic: EXPANSION. Expansion, or simply growth, related to one’s view or lens of perception — stepping outside the ‘box of comfort’ to see the world in a different light.
There are two topics that help us to do just that. They are the “Butterfly Effect” and the “Hundredth Monkey Effect”. But first, let’s look at a butterfly’s cycle which demonstrates how transforming our thoughts can expand our growth.
What once was an egg becomes a caterpillar that through metamorphosis turns into a beautiful creature that feeds primarily on the nectar of flowers. This same analogy can be applied to our own expansion with knowledge as our nectar.
The Butterfly Effect comes from a study of chaos theory. Many have contributed to describing this effect, but the one most commonly understood relates to weather predictions — tiny changes made by a butterfly’s wings moving in Japan could change the weather predictions on the west coast of the USA. In other words, a minor initial sensitivity movement could project a much larger change as it moves away from the initial state of static.
How does this work? Imagine you place a ball at the crest of a hill. The ball rolls down into a surrounding valley and comes to rest at some particular location. You place a second ball atop the hill in almost the same spot. It rolls down into the valley, but rather than coming to rest near the first ball, it ends up hundreds of yards away. Slight change at the start – big difference at the end.
So how does the Butterfly Effect relate to you and your life’s journey? What small things are you doing now that may have big impacts in the long run?
Our other topic, the Hundredth Monkey Effect, comes from a study of Japanese monkeys. These monkeys had learned to wash sweet potatoes in the water before eating them. As this practice grew in the population of monkeys, it reached a point (tipping point) where monkeys on other islands began doing the same thing without being shown how to do it. It was transmitted via the thought processes or the unconscious.
Yes, there is controversy in these ideas, especially as they deal with phenomena that are tough to explain without considering spiritual and/or super-conscious methods. Even so, what if there is some truth here? We hear about many studies related to our unconscious behavior and how that can impact our choices. What is the evidence trying to tell us?
The only thing that I am saying is that there are limitless possibilities and sometimes we need a fresh pair of eyes to see what those possibilities are – we need to get out of the box.
It’s not difficult to look around and see similar effects in modern culture. Who out there doesn’t leave their home without a smart phone? Are you the hundredth monkey?