"I am reminded also of the view of Edward Lorenz, a meteorologist who teaches that it is impossible to make long-range weather predictions because there are so many variables. He contends, for example, that a Brazilian butterfly beating its wings in Brazil has an effect on air movements that, together with other currents, affect the weather in Texas. Accordingly, he asserts that in order to accurately predict long-range Texas weather conditions, one would need to measure, among other things, each flap of a butterfly wing weeks in advance. What is the practical significance of this? Professor Paul Carrington, one of the nation’s leading scholars, suggests as follows:
Lorenz does not of course imply that butterflies or men and women should despair of being useful. His observation should be taken as encouragement to men and women, and to any butterflies that read, to do what they can and not what they cannot.
Now let’s bring that down to us. As participants in God's Kingdom, there are things that you can do. Each of you can make a difference. The flapping of your individual wings makes a difference."
-Rex E. Lee
"Some Thoughts about Butterflies, Replenishment, Environmentalism, and Ownership."
Sep 15, 1992
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