I had heard something like this before, but never as graphically as when I read it in a novel a while back. The butterfly effect http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butterfly_effect. And, since reading it once, I have heard it alluded to many times.
The butterfly effect alludes to the fact that one butterfly flapping its wings may alter an air current that may alter the path of a storm, such as a tornado, and therefore, influence what impact the storm has It has been more eloquently stated that my succinct version.
The point is, we do no know what effect in the future some small act we may take today will have. We do not know what seeds we plant. How a thoughtless act, good or bad, may impact someone to change what they do, with a resulting ripple or domino effect.
For some of us, the concept of "pay it forward" takes this into consideration: someone does a kind deed for us. We can not pay that person back, due to whatever circumstances, including maybe the deed was truly a random act by a stranger whom we will never meet again, so will not have the opportunity to repay. But, when faced with the option in the future, we do a kind deed for someone else, possibly a stranger, also maybe randomly, not expecting any pay back, but hoping this person, too, will "pay it forward."
Another example or version of this is the nursery rhyme, "For Want of a Nail" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/For_Want_of_a_Nail_(proverb) . This is an excellent example of the progression that can occur from a small act or omission.
When we go about our lives, maybe we need to spend more time thinking about the consequence of our small actions.
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