Calm down, dear, it's only chaos

[Arawn-ap-Hywel]

New Statesman - Calm down, dear, it's only chaos

The rules of chaos theory state that individuals can make or break society. They tell us that the accumulating and rapidly multiplying effects of our minor activities, such as driving the children to school, or greedy manipulation of the market, or panicking at every computer glitch, could have devastating effects all round. My advice to all those who want to avoid the next meltdown? Calm down, dear. Stop being selfish. Do not move with the herd. Relax and simplify your life.

How well does this work for you?

[Technosoul]

To have peace in society and the world, we must undergo a radical change of mind, both on a individual level and also as a collective.

[Anmon]

To have peace we all need more space each to live in.

[Winter wind]

To have peace we all need more space each to live in.

We'll always have Paris!

But really, chaos just means prediction is impossible. So don't act like you have the power to change the world.

However, I'm still going to try.

[Anmon]

chaos only happens when good people do nothing to stop it.

[Winter wind]

chaos as in the butterfly effect, not chaos as in the condition of my room.

[Anmon]

The butterfly effect is a big load of caca, how many small insignificant things do you do each day, can you really see them changing the course of history?

[Winter wind]

I read a book on it once, and they use the metaphor of a snowball rolling down a hill.

Think of an object in orbit if a small thing changes the precarious balance, it will either fly away from earth or spiral right into it. Small things can make a huge difference.

How about a real life example, Harry Potter was created on a single train ride the JK Rolling had. Imagine she took a different train ride. She might not have created this cultural phenomenon that shook the world. Just a single train ride.

The butterfly effect isn't caca. It's logical.

[lsbskins1]

Try this one on for size: Adolf Hitler zigged rather than zagged one day while running a message during WW I and was shot and killed. One small change in circumstance, one hell of a difference in world history. The concept is sound, not crap.

[grandpa]

Quote by: lsbskins1 Try this one on for size: Adolf Hitler zigged rather than zagged one day while running a message during WW I and was shot and killed. One small change in circumstance, one hell of a difference in world history.

That's a classic example.

And simple events can still have a significant effect.

The CNN Wire: Latest updates on top stories Blog Archive - Iraq officials: Blackwater renewal “is bad news,” but temporary « - Blogs from CNN.com Blackwater guards shot and killed 17 people, including women and children, during a incident last September, prompting a strong protest by Iraqi officials. "This is bad news," said al-Maliki adviser Sami al-Askari. "I personally am not happy with this, especially because they have committed acts of aggression, killed Iraqis and this has not been resolved yet positively for families of victims." Al-Askari said there is a general mood of displeasure within the Iraqi government because of the contract renewal.

They tend to make the world wide headlines, but individuals are mostly just part of a larger
set of problems.

Grandpa h.

[Technosoul]

Here is a link for the unlawful religion for change via novelty.

Play and listen to video provided for the outine of a prehistorical blending of shamanism with sceintific facts of our modern reality. And about how a simple deed of short duration could trigger a massive remapping of all current poltical and cultural landscapes.

If you dare....

YouTube - Terence McKenna ( culture is your operating system)

This is what kids are now exposed to and are learning about at MySpace.

[Winter wind]

But we're the pc brainwashed people....

No, but really. Anmon, don't listen to us because we are numerous, listen to our reasons and seriously consider them. You never know. We may turn out to be right.

[Anmon]

Quote by: Winter wind But we're the pc brainwashed people.... No, but really. Anmon, don't listen to us because we are numerous, listen to our reasons and seriously consider them. You never know. We may turn out to be right.

I don't believe so, what you are calling the butterfly effect is just stuff that was going to happen anyway, JK Rowling was always going to catch that train and be inspired for a series of books that would turn millions of young western children world wide towards the occult.
Hitler was always going to zag instead of zig and not be shot. If you read accounts about his wartime experience, although not considered that brainy and indeed a bit of an oddball, he was recognised as having good survival instincts and personal courage when in danger.

[Winter wind]

Quote by: Anmon Hitler was always going to zag instead of zig and not be shot. If you read accounts about his wartime experience, although not considered that brainy and indeed a bit of an oddball, he was recognised as having good survival instincts and personal courage when in danger

This was a much better example.
Many intelligent people were killed in WWI. in 1916 he was shot in the leg. What if it hit an artery? That's not intelligence, just a shutter in the solder's arm. He'd be dead and there would be no WWII. The difference between the aim of one bullet makes the difference.

[Anmon]

Quote by: Winter wind This was a much better example. Many intelligent people were killed in WWI. in 1916 he was shot in the leg. What if it hit an artery? That's not intelligence, just a shutter in the solder's arm. He'd be dead and there would be no WWII. The difference between the aim of one bullet makes the difference.

Strange then that he should survive and not just go on to be an ordinary person, but become a famous historical figure instead, my point being he was always going to survive and be what he was, some people are just destined for greatness or great infamy as the saying goes.

[Winter wind]

Strange then that he should survive and not just go on to be an ordinary person, but become a famous historical figure instead, my point being he was always going to survive and be what he was, some people are just destined for greatness or great infamy as the saying goes.

Strange that he should survive? So your saying all those who die in battle brought it upon themselves due to incompetence? Also, not every surviver becomes great person, and not all great people lived through war. Mao was a librarian. Plato wasn't out at the front. Confucius wasn't a warrior. How about those who died because of assassination. Do you think it means anything that Reagan was shot at and lived, while Kennedy was killed? These things have less to do with skill and more to do with luck.

Lets take another example. Penicillin was found because someone had left moldy bread on a petri dish and found that the mold killed the bacteria. Had the poor soul remembered to put away his sandwich before leaving on vacation, Penicillin would not have been discovered.

Penicillin definitely has had an impact on the world. All it would have taken was cleaner walking through to pick up the trash.

[lsbskins1]

We have a predestination Calvinist on our hands. The butterfly effect is not wrong because the logic of it is unsound, the butterfly effect is wrong because God has predetermined the course of events. I get it now. Logic and reason are beside the point. I will leave off trying to convince someone who "knows" it has all been planned. Sorry.

[Winter wind]

Quote by: isbskins We have a predestination Calvinist on our hands. The butterfly effect is not wrong because the logic of it is unsound, the butterfly effect is wrong because God has predetermined the course of events. I get it now. Logic and reason are beside the point. I will leave off trying to convince someone who "knows" it has all been planned. Sorry

So far his arguments have only been logical, not religious. So until he changes gears, I can't assume that.

[Anmon]

My point I guess, is that if Hitler had been shot dead in WW1 then yes that would have changed tremendously the whole world today as we know it.
Now for someone with that much influence on world events, it seems rather silly that he's put into a situation where he could be killed any moment, and the only thing that will keep him alive to change the world so much, is just sheer luck.
So I would then have to believe that he was never going to die in WW1, which means I believe he was always fated to die outside the bunker in Berlin April 30, 1945.

[Winter wind]

Quote by: Anmon My point I guess, is that if Hitler had been shot dead in WW1 then yes that would have changed tremendously the whole world today as we know it. Now for someone with that much influence on world events, it seems rather silly that he's put into a situation where he could be killed any moment, and the only thing that will keep him alive to change the world so much, is just sheer luck. So I would then have to believe that he was never going to die in WW1, which means I believe he was always fated to die outside the bunker in Berlin April 30, 1945.

I don't understand what your point is.
"Now for someone with that much influence on world events, it seems rather silly that he's put into a situation where he could be killed any moment?"

Since when have enemy bullets have cared whether they hit someone who will have an impact on the world as opposed to joe shmo? You can't prove that someone with vision just like Hitler was killed in WWI as well. Do you think Hitler knew he was about to be hit in the leg and twisted it accordingly so that it would miss an artery?