Have You Ever Tried Flapping Your Wings?

Have You Ever Tried Flapping Your Wings?

By Jim “Gymbeaux” Brown, May 17, 2017

(Anything in Blue is a link to a web site)

Are you familiar with the term “the butterfly effect?”  Andy Andrews has written a wonderful book on the subject, The Butterfly Effect. Technically it means, “the phenomenon whereby a minute localized change in a complex system can have large effects elsewhere” (according to the Internet).  In English it means that a Butterfly, flapping its wings in New York City would cause the air to move around its body and then eventually create by a chain reaction causing heavy winds in California.

Therefore, when I ask the question “can you make a difference?, I am asking, is there one thing you could do that would or could create a chain reaction thus making a difference in someone’s life or it could even change the world?  If you want to see a visual demonstration of what Andy Andrews means, watch the videos where he talks about one action taken by Joshua Chamberlain whose actions during the American Civil War has had continuing ramifications through to today; it IS the Butterfly Effect in real life.  Andrews’ presentation is amazing and unforgettable; I sincerely hope you watch it here:  Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 (totally running time for all three is about 19 minutes but it will be 19 minutes you will NEVER forget).

I have been writing Nuggets for the Noggin for over 25 years but have only been posting them to the Internet on www.NuggetsfortheNoggin.com since 2008.  Whenever you write something that is original, you have no idea how it will be perceived or if it will be read at all.  Over these years, I have had very few responses, good or bad, still when I get the urge or inspiration, I continue to write and post the Nuggets.  Yes it would be nice if they were critiqued; not so much on the grammer or typos but rather on their content.  For example, I wrote a Nugget on the Heart By-Pass Surgery I had and several people wrote to me telling me that they read the Nugget and immediately took one of their relatives to the doctors.  Unbelievably they too had heart surgery to fix a problem that they did not know they had.  That to me was a sign that the Nuggets DID make a difference at least in a couple of people’s lives.

This past week I posted another Nugget regarding the sugar content in the foods we eat and drink.  Has anyone read it?  According to the counter embeded on the web page, about 30 people thus far have read it since it was posted.  Did they like it?  I have no idea; there were no comments.  Very few of the several thousand views to the site ever indicate their like or dislike at the bottom of the page by leaving messages.  You just don’t know and that is okay.  Yet, if just one person’s life is affected by something you and I write, you must admit that it would be a good day.  If more than one has been positively affected, that would be a great day! 

When you write and post Nuggets as I have been writing, or you post your comments on something someone had posted on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, or one of the many sites where you can post and respond, you are quite possibly “flapping your wings.” You have no idea of the affect that “flapping” may have had all across America or even the world.  For example, imagine if just one person who in their 30s were to read the Nugget regarding high sugar content in our foods and drinks and then made the decision to reduce his or her sugar intake.  Then imagine that as a result of that decision, he or she DID NOT develop Diabetes in their lifetime.  That would be an example of making a difference in at least one person’s life and that difference would ultimately make a differenece in that person’s family lives as well.  Now imagine if TEN people made a conscious decision to reduce their sugar intake; or ONE HUNDRED people?  You can see where this is going?

What could you do today that if you did it, would make a positive difference in someone’s life or possibly a difference that could change the world like Joshua Chamberlain did?   Have you ever heard of Tammy Baruhovich?   She has been quietly making a difference on Facebook by posting her comments on her Facebook Page Positive News (check it out).  Tammy is “flapping” her wings and making a difference!  We can all complain about something and I can do it as well as anyone.  Complaining is easy but complaints rarely change another person’s opinion or beliefs.  Posting positive information such as the Nugget on sugar content is different – you are sharing information that can change attitudes or lives on a daily basis whether you realize you are doing it or not. I took Tammy’s lead and started flapping my wings by posting daily Mental Snacks on my Facebook page.  The posts contain excerpts from books I have read.  I hope the posts affect those who read them in a positive way and then they share them with their Facebook friends.

How can you flap your wings – today?

Or, better still…

DID YOU FLAP YOUR WINGS TODAY?

IF NOT; WHY NOT?