The butterfly effect is coined from a metaphor of a butterfly flapping its wings in Tokyo, and consequently causing a large tornado strike in Tennessee. Meteorologist Edward Lorenz invented the phrase “butterfly effect” after discovering in the 1960s that a minor, butterfly-scale adjustments to the starting point of his computer weather models resulted in everything, from bright skies to severe storms, with no means of knowing what would happen ahead of time.
Unfortunately, we commonly underestimate our ability to make a difference in the world. We often misjudge the ramifications of our actions on a larger scale. Due to this mindset, we tend to wind-up in inaction and wait for someone significant or powerful enough to create the impact. Little do we realise that not only are we capable of making a change, we are actually the change, and it all begins with us.
To ponder upon this matter, when we watch movies about time travelling to the past, we notice how characters are meticulously cautious about their actions, since even the slightest change could substantially affect the present. Yet ironically, no one in the present feels that they can make a major difference in the future. If a single flap of a butterfly’s wing can create bright skies or severe storms, this could speak volumes about the small things we can do to create a whirlwind of change.
This magazine features the voices of UNODC Youth delegates who aspire to be the change. They have taken the initiative to create this publication to encourage everyone to take on preventative measures in the present time in order to develop a better future. With this, we wish to convey to the readers, please do not undervalue the impact you could generate. Let us join forces to shape a better future.
I wish to end with:
We are all beautiful butterflies,
keep fluttering our wings butterflies,
our beautiful flutters will create a tornado of change.
