Message from Samantha Laman - Operations Coordinator
Butterfly Effect The butterfly effect: we’ve all heard the phrase, we all know the general idea. Even just the smallest of changes in a condition can lead to unpredictable, large-scale effects in the future. It is a tired, old tagline that has been transformed and twisted into however the user understands it but I challenge you to view it in a very literal sense.
Butterflies are both some of the most fragile, and perplexing insects in the world. Sure, we have all seen a countless amount throughout our lifetime but how often do we actually stop, look, and think about the details of their existence? Stop and consider that we might not be as different?
Much like us, butterflies start their lives as tiny, fragile, helpless beings. Although their lives are vastly shorter than humans, they also go through periods of growth and transition that I can only imagine to be uncomfortable and painful. Through each stage that the caterpillar reaches, they outgrow and molt the exoskeleton that has become too small for them to fit in any longer. When it's time, most caterpillars then turn themselves into a chrysalis, which is a fancy name for a goo filled pod that they will eventually emerge from as a beautiful butterfly.
Although we stay in the same general form as we move through the phases of our lives as humans, many of us can relate to the feeling of outgrowing our “exoskeleton'' and the uncomfortable, sometimes painful emotions it brings about. Many of us can also relate to the feeling of being a goo-filled pod that has zero effect on the world around us while we are simply trying to survive (especially with the uncertainty of the world we have found ourselves living in).
Throughout my years of schooling I learned many things, some of which went in one ear and out the other, but others stuck into my brain like pine sap to bare hands. I was fortunate to not only be raised in a family that valued spending time with each other through outdoor activities and travel, but also got to experience earning an education through hands-on interaction with many facets of nature starting at a very young age. I have an incredibly clear memory of my 3rd grade teacher Mrs.Baker handing out a bag of various types of rocks to each student in the classroom. We spent time throughout the weeks learning about each type of rock, how they were created, and other basic things like how to test the hardness, color, and streak. That same year, we got to interact with monarch butterflies and learned how to care for them, and the steps to tracking them after they reached their final stage of growth and were ready to be released to embark on their cross-country trip to Mexico.
CULTIVATE NEWS | 12
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