The Butterfly Effect: Kindness Matters

The Butterfly Effect is the scientific theory that a single occurrence, no matter how small, can change the course of the Universe forever. The term Butterfly Effect comes from the idea that if a butterfly flaps its wings on one side of the earth, it is said to cause a hurricane on the other side. The butterfly’s wings are said to create tiny changes in the atmosphere that may alter the path of a tornado, delay, accelerate or even prevent the occurrence of a tornado in a certain area. The flapping of the butterfly’s wings becomes an essential part of the initial conditions that resulted in a tornado.

But when I think of this theory, I don’t think of butterflies and tornadoes. I think of random acts of kindness, self love and positive vibrations. I think about how this universe we live in is simply a sea of energy, and everything we think, feel and do creates ripples in the water that eventually reach other people. We cannot go through any lifetime without greatly impacting the vibration of this world. You can make a very powerful difference just by making a ripple in this sea of energy.

The only way to make change, is to embody it. Everything we do affects everyone around us, and everyone around us is in contact with a bunch of other people. So everything that affects them, ends up affecting all those associated with them. And all of that started with YOU.

Nothing you do is insignificant or unimportant. Everything you do creates a ripple. Every single act of kindness creates a new string of positive vibrations that did not exist before. Every time you hold the door open for people, help them pick things up from the ground, give them heartfelt compliments, or hand them some cash and tell them to “pay it forward”, you are creating ripples of love, kindness and happiness.

Most people walk around all day lost in their own little world: sad, angry, upset, stressed out and just wishing someone would actually notice them and treat them with respect. Sometimes a simple smile has the power to turn someone’s day completely around.

Because you went out of your way to do something kind for someone, you have brought more happiness into the world. You have created space for more acts of kindness to keep occurring. That person that you held the door open for knows at LEAST 20 other people.

The simple act of making their life more convenient, staring directly into their eyes, smiling and wishing them a good day has the potential to be a life-changing event. We truly never know how desperately someone needs that type of compassionate human contact.

They may go on to tell their whole family about you, which could inspire all 4-7 members of this family to start doing more random acts of kindness because they have witnessed how deeply their loved one was affected by this one kind gesture. All you did was open a door, smile and say “have a great day”, it was no heroic act, but you have started something amazing.

Every time you do something kind, whether to a friend, a family member, a significant other or to a stranger, you are sending out waves of love into the world and these waves will continue to gently crash onto all sentient beings everywhere. Your small acts of kindness have the potential to reach places you didn’t know existed, in the physical world and in the depth of people’s hearts and minds. Kindness is healing. Everyone on earth is a healer. There are NO LIMITS to how far just ONE act of kindness can go.

This concept could also apply to acts of self love. Small acts of self love and self care, whether they be a meditation, a yoga or workout session, a relaxing bath, or simply looking in the mirror and saying nice things to yourself…all of these acts bring you into alignment with your higher self, your soul. You are fostering inner peace and true happiness. Because you took the time to honor and nourish your being, you have already manifested higher and more loving vibrations that will spread throughout the planet. The love you have for yourself is no different from the love you have for another being because we are all one.

So when you treat yourself with unconditional love, respect and tenderness, you are more inclined to treat everyone else the same way. You are allowing yourself to be so filled with love that it overflows out of you and penetrates the energy fields of all beings you come into contact with.

By choosing to love yourself, you positively influence everyone who knows you, everyone you meet, and everyone you pass by. You have raised your vibration and your energy is so strong that a simple kind word from you can deeply impact someone who needs it. You are also inspiring other people to start loving themselves and pursuing their inner joy. You have embodied the change you wish to see and without any effort at all, you have spread this change further than you may ever know.

Every act of self love and kindness makes you a powerful healer. The effects of these simple acts will reach further than you can imagine and change people’s lives for the better. You make a difference every day that you are alive. You were born to make an impact, you came to this earth to be victorious and to embrace the magnificence within you and within all beings.

In the process of writing this, I went online to see if there was any research on the positive effects of random acts of kindness and love. I found an article written by Steve Taylor. It started out with a story of a man who bought 32 caged birds from Pakistan and set all of them free. Steve’s friend was a witness of this beautiful event and he was deeply affected by it. He claimed to have felt a deep sense of peace, free of worry and anxiety, and he continued to feel this joy for the next few days. He also claimed that this feeling “really never left.”

The article goes on to say that whenever an act of kindness is performed, the positive effects are endless. There is a positive effect on the person performing the act of kindness, the recipient of the kindness as well as anyone who happens to be witnessing this act.

Acts of kindness are not just personal exchanges between two beings sometimes, sometimes they draw a crowd, and sometimes just one person notices, and that one person could be so inspired that they start performing acts of kindness and this cycle never stops. The Universe is forever changed by that one small event.