Change Your Corner

“Maybe you can’t change the whole world – but you can change your corner of it,” my Mom told me years ago when I was leaving home for university. They’re words I’ve never forgotten.

Then one day I stumbled upon the true story of the Butterfly Effect.

In 1961, MIT meteorologist Edward Lorenz developed one of the world’s first computer programs for predicting the weather. It would accept numbers representing current conditions, perform some complicated calculations and then produce a weather model, or forecast. To test the program, Lorenz ran a set of figures through his computer and obtained a forecast. The next day, to verify everything was working right, he ran the same scenario, expecting the same result – but to his astonishment, the forecast was completely different.

Upon investigation, he discovered that one number entered to six decimal places the first day had been entered to just three decimal places the second day. It was a minuscule difference, but it produced an enormous effect on the outcome – and it led him to wonder: could something as small as the flap of a butterfly’s wings over Brazil trigger a tornado in Texas weeks later? The Butterfly Effect.

As I read the story, I remembered Mom’s words, and realized that when you change your corner of the world, maybe, just maybe, you can change the world.

I really believe in the power of one committed individual, through word and action, to make a positive difference in our world. So why not me – and why not you? I welcome every opportunity to share my passion.