Chaos theory teaches us that the flapping wings of a butterfly can start the formation of a hurricane, which will take place weeks later on the other side of the world. Small actions can have large effects that we cannot always predict. This is called the butterfly effect. During a visit to Nepal I was reminded of the butterfly effect after my experience with a local legend.
According to the legend of the city of Pokhara one day a man wandered the streets of a village, begging for money. Out of all villagers only one woman was kind enough to give him some coins. The poor man turned out to be a god in disguise and warned her about the coming flood.
The woman and her children quickly fled into the hills to become the only people who survived the flood. The flood formed the Fewa Lake in Nepal. The woman and her children settled next to the lake and were the first inhabitants of today’s city of Pokhara. A small act of kindness had led to the survival of this woman, her children and their descendants.
Centuries later a traveler, being myself, was paddling a canoe on this very Fewa Lake. Located at the foot of forested highlands, its water shimmering in the sunlight. The still water allowed for a peace of mind that is impossible to find in the city. In the distance the majestic Himalayas were watching over us.
My story, however, was less exciting than that of the legendary woman. It was time for me to return the canoe to the man from whom I had rented it.
As I was paddling back, I noticed something small and pink struggling on the water. I could make out a tiny pink butterfly that was drowning slowly. First I decided to continue paddling and let nature take its course. But the memory of the legend of kindness made me I change my mind. I steered my canoe back around and with some moving back and forth, I managed to get my paddle underneath the drowning pink butterfly. I lifted it into my canoe. My personal act of kindness.
As I steered the canoe back towards the mountainous shore, I noticed something else floating on the water, exactly in the spot from where I’d just lifted my paddle. It was a bigger butterfly, black with turquoise markings on its wings. One wing was split in half. Most likely I had killed it with my paddle. By saving one butterfly, I had killed another. One effect of my small act of kindness was murder.
Maybe this was a lesson in letting nature take its course. Unless the pink butterfly turns out to be a god in disguise and the black butterfly was about to cause a hurricane.
We can only make decisions to the best of our abilities.
Samantha Zuidam 