Everyone Matters

I just finished reading The Butterfly Effect: How Your Life Matters by Andy Andrews which I was provided by Book Sneeze to review. This book is a short inspirational book that covers a couple of real world examples of what science has called the butterfly effect. The book starts out with an explanation of the history behind the butterfly effect, but in short it says that the flap of a butterfly’s wings on one side of the world can start a chain reaction leading to a hurricane on the other side of the world. In other words, one small action can lead to a chain reaction that creates a world changing event.

The first example outlines a specific engagement during the Civil War that if not won, could have totally changed the outcome of not only that war, but also the makeup of the United States as we know it. If Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain had not fearlessly led a seemingly suicidal charge against an overwhelming enemy, it could have led to the Union losing at the battle of Gettysburg and more.

The second example is a more concrete example rather than a theoretical example. It traces the invention of  a corn hybrid that has prevented the starvation of billions back through history to the actions of a simple farmer who did what he felt he must to save the life of someone else’s child, never knowing the effect that it would eventually have on the world.

This book is a great reminder of the importance of each and every life. No one knows what a simple act taken today may result in generations down the road. Everyone matters.