Chaos Theory

Carl watched the wisps of smoke curl away from the ends of his fingers and disperse into the blanket of stars above him. "Isn't it interesting," he mused, "How affected our perception of the universe is by that one puff, and yet the universe itself is hardly affected at all? And yet so many people believe that the stars rise and set for us."

"Of course," Neil said. "Many young students come to me complaining about the existential dread induced by my description of the size of the universe and illusion of time."

Carl touched his thumb and forefingers together and looked through them to the sky. "I've never understood that sentiment. I speak often about our place in the universe and its indifference to us, but that shouldn't require us to have a negative reaction in response. The universe should fill you with a sense of wonder and gratitude- for the fact that we have the capability to understand it if nothing else."

"Some people find it difficult to be grateful for chaos. They want order in their understanding, need things to fit into their boxes- and by fit I mean they don't just want orderly; they want small and orderly. They want to be the grandiose. It isn't enough to have infinite universes inside of them; for some reason they feel as if ALL the universes need to be inside of them." Neil sent another puff of smoke into the atmosphere. "Watch as it goes," he said. "I'm creating more Chaos. And chaos means that every tiny, infinitesimal change affects the entire future of the entire universe. It's all about sensitive dependence."

"That's true." Carl thought a second. "Although, in the grand scheme of things, the effect is still negligible comparatively. It's our ability to piece together all the effects which is most impressive."

"I don't know," Neil replied. "That's not how I see it. Chaos means that all of our collective actions together, along with every animal and every motion of every planet, star and black hole, are working together to determine our fate. The universe may be enormous, but it means that you are a part of something huge, a piece of the collective puzzle of that galaxy and that what you do actually does make a difference."

"Alright, well, want to see this puzzle piece create an epic change of energy?"

"What kind of energy?"

"I'm about to show you the extent of my potential," Carl replied, and dove headfirst, somersaulting down the grassy hill.