Have You Experienced "The Butterfly Effect?"

[Business_Casual]

How do you account for free will in this equation?

[TomMcC]

I dont think he wants to talk about FW, at least that's what it seems to me from the OP. But hey, if you want to talk about it, I'm game.

[militarymoron]

I tend to believe that things just happen, but we assign meaning (like the 'butterfly effect') to random events that are more life-impacting. Then only do we look at all the normally random things that happened leading up to that event, and they become significant.

Like today, I made the decision to leave work at a certain time, drove home, and got home. No 'butterfly effect'. A few years ago, I made the decision to leave work at a certain time, ride my motorcycle home, a lady pulled out in front of me and I crashed hard, breaking bones etc. I could have looked at every event and decision that led up to that very second in time where she pulled out, and seen how any deviation from that might have saved me from the accident, but then stuff like that happens every day. It's just not significant enough for us to assign any meaning to it.

So, while a few 'butterfly effect' things have happened in my life, I can pick any other non-memorable event and trace a bunch of small events that led up to that insignificant event as well. To me, stuff happens, we make stuff happen etc. I don't believe in fate.

[The_War_Wagon]

Yeah... I'LL post it.

[The_War_Wagon]

Pt. II

[flenna]

Life in general is the "butterfly effect". You make a decision and it has an effect that you may see or may never know what you missed.

[docsherm]

Actions have consequences........ it is not magic.

[SteyrAUG]

Actions have consequences........ it is not magic.

As an example, your post saved me some typing.

[docsherm]

As an example, your post saved me some typing.

Touche'

[Doc Safari]

I had an almost literal butterfly effect experience recently.

Earlier this week, I made a trip to town for some things. Traffic as usual was horrible.

While driving along, I noticed some kind of bug climbing the inside of my driver's side window. I worked the mechanism a few times, trying to get the bug to fly out or be blown out or something.

Just as I approached a traffic light, I finally got the bug on the edge of the window blade as I slowly lowered the window. I must have slowed down a tad because I looked up to see other cars passing me. The light was green but I wouldn't make it to the light before it changed. Had I not slowed down I would have made it into the intersection just as it turned yellow. Since it was already turning amber, I put on the brakes.


Out of nowhere, a car went flying through the intersection, meaning if it was yellow for me it would still have been red for that driver. It missed me and another car by a about one second.

Had I not unintentionally slowed down to try to get that bug out of my truck, I would not have had to brake for the yellow light, and I would have been T-boned by a car going way over the speed limit.

God put that bug in my truck to save me from a horrendous accident.