The Butterfly Effect

This is a story of a young man who worked as a therapist at amental health hospital. The young man in this story enjoyed his jobbecause he helped sick people. Some of his clients were convictedcriminals that came from prison. Others were violent people thatcame from the streets. Yet others were middle class average peoplewho just happened to be down on their luck.

All these clients had one thing in common. They were allhuman beings and they were all sick people living with a diseasecalled mental illness. The young therapist viewed these people in akind and understanding way. He realized that everyone has a story,everyone wants it to be heard, yet not everyone has the ability tolisten to other people. The young therapist in this story had thatcapability. He knew how to listen and he knew how to listen well.Because of the nature of their illness, his clients were often ignoredand dehumanized by our society.

What people don't understand, is that not everybody is able totell their story and express themselves in appropriate ways. Noteveryone can control their behavior and communicate with others.Some people feel justified to express themselves with violence,because they think it is the only way they can be heard. It's not theviolence that defines us, it is the intent behind those actions.

During some of his sessions, this young therapist would beverbally threatened. Some of his clients would try and harm him.During one session, a client threw a sofa chair at the nurse stationof the unit because he was upset. This particular client only didthat because he felt he was being ignored. By acting out, he wouldget the attention that he so much desired. This young man onlywanted somebody to pay attention to him.

The young therapist in this story understood this concept.It helped him view his clients in a different way. He was able tounderstand his clients simply because he listened to them. Years ofcollege did not help this therapist develop the art of listening. Manypeople unintentionally while trying to help are too busy givingadvice and are not listening to what is being said to them. Manypeople shut others down in this way and don't even realize it.

The big secret of this therapist's success, was his ability tolisten and understand what was being said. The therapist wouldlisten to every single word that the clients were saying. Not onlydid he listen, he also was interested in everything that was beingsaid. He was interested in the story behind the words that werebeing expressed to him. The young therapist was able to providea safe warm environment for his clients without saying a singleword.

The second secret to this therapist's success, was the positiveenergy that he gave his clients. As humans, we are all sensitiveto the energy that is put out by others. For example, if you are ina bad mood, you put out negative vibrations. This energy is thanpicked up by other people. The negative energy than spreads likea rapid virus infecting anyone it comes in contact with. This youngtherapist would always be energetic and happy around his patients.

The butterfly effect concept basically implies that a tinyvariation can have a huge effect on a bigger and more complexsystem. In other words, in order to describe the effect of a biggersystem, smaller elements within that system must be taken intoaccount. It is the little pieces put together that make up the whole.Every single phenomenon has a starting point. Smaller thingsgradually accumulate, when all are added together they form alarger system.

The young therapist actually believed in this concept. Hebelieved that just one person could make a difference. Thetherapist held the notion that his actions could cause a ripple effectthat could shake the foundation of psychology, and help sickpeople get better care. The young therapist started seeing thingsdifferently and developed a new perspective on life. He was able tosee from a higher perspective, through the eyes of God not throughthe eyes of man.

The therapist worked in a poverty stricken part of town.He didn't earn much money, so he would eat lunch at a nearbyrestaurant that served cheap affordable food. He especially lovedthe ice cream this establishment served. He began eating there ona daily basis. His worked required that he dress nicely. He savedmoney and bought very expensive clothes to wear to work.

One day during lunch, the young therapist caught the eyeof a young boy sitting across from him. This young boy was allalone, sitting there with no food. The boy was dressed in reallyold clothes and appeared to be from a poor family. The little boystared at the young therapist eating lunch. Eventually, the therapistnoticed the boy and just kept eating.

The therapist did not feel threatened in anyway, he just couldn'tfigure out why this young boy was all alone in a bad part of townsitting at an empty table with no food. The therapist was aboutto eat his last burger when he looked up and saw the young boystaring at him. The young boy looked away. Thinking the youngboy was hungry and couldn't afford to eat; the therapist gavehim his last burger and left. The therapist felt compassion for theyoung boy who just happened to be in a bad situation. The boyhad no control over the circumstances of his life. He was born intopoverty.

Here was a boy who had nothing and through no fault of hisown, couldn't afford to eat. The therapist realized this and wasintrigued by the fact that maybe one simple act of kindness, couldmake a difference in this young kid's life. He thought that perhapsa little simple act of kindness could cause a butterfly effect andturn this boy's life in a positive direction. The young therapistdidn't expect anything in return, he just wanted to show the boythat someone does care about him. The identity of the youngtherapist is not important, what is important is the motive behindhis actions.

Imagine for one second, if all the people in this world thoughtlike our therapist. This one simple action cannot...