The butterfly effect
We've all been there. One tiny, seemingly inconsequential action of ours snowballs into this huge, out-of-control catastrophe that comes back to bite us in the ass. We look back on what we did, the tiny, seemingly inconsequential action that triggered it all, and wish with all our might that we could turn back time and take it back, but of course that doesn't help one bit. I've never been a big believer in harboring regrets of any kind (what's done is done, no sense reliving the mistakes of yesterday), but there are inevitable times when I feel like banging my head against a brick wall just thinking about what could have been averted had I not done that one tiny, seemingly inconsequential action.
The road to hell is paved with good intentions.
posted by Ailee Through the Looking Glass @ 12:16 PM
7 comments
7 Comments:
uh...all i can say about your entry is...im stunned. i can soooo relate with this entry that its scary:| talk about timing...these are EXACTLY my sentiments just this weekend actually and i mean EXACTLY:| its scary:|
anywho, at least now we know that someone is actually going through the same thing at the same time:| i think im still speechless and....yeah:| haha! aryt take care miss lim:)
kassie lim
same here! when i first read it, i got freaked out! last night, kassie and i were just talking about regretting stuff we've done in the past... then this entry came up! its as if we had the conversation with you... :O :O :O :O :O
...but you did a great job summing up everything we had the say. (as always)
keep the entries coming. ;)
Chaos Theory. The Nail. The Quarter's Worth of Soda. There are plenty of terms for what you're talking about. It's one of those facts of life that we inevitably realize at a certain point.
I've found that it helps if you also realize that you can't do anything about what was already done. Look to the future instead: Now that you're in your current situation, what's the best thing you can do to resolve it? Now that it's right there in the middle of the table, how do you move on? Sitting and thinking about these sorts of things helps, I believe.
Parang sa "Deal or No Deal"... kakabanas naman... sayang 2 million, 1 million.. hay
HAHAHA okay, wala lang.. ang heheavy kasi ng comments e... kailangan ng mga useless para may contrast.
Kassie and Franke: That IS freaky, haha. Whatever it is you guys are going through, I think Sean's advice is pretty sound. To paraphrase a line from Al Pacino in The Devil's Advocate, regret/guilt is like a bag of bricks. All you have to do is set it down, or it will weigh you down for as long as you carry it (pretty sage words coming from the devil :p).
Sean: I'm afraid I'm not familiar with "The Nail" or "The Quarter's Worth of Soda", although the latter sounds mighty intriguing. :) Thanks for the words of wisdom.
Karen: I'm afraid I'm not familiar with Deal or No Deal. Seriously. I'm so ignorant when it comes to local television/showbiz. :p Appreciate the "useless" comment though, hehe.
"The Quarter's Worth of Soda" is a vague reference to the movie U-Turn, starring Sean Penn and Jennifer Lopez. There's a scene in the movie where Sean Penn empties his wallet to buy a desperately-needed train ticket, only to find that he's a few coins short -- coins that he had used to buy sodas from a small vending machine on the outskirts of town.
"The Nail", on the other hand, is a reference to the fate of England's Richard III. William Bennett's The Book of Virtues describes the situation at the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485, where a blacksmith was tasked to secure the horseshoes on Richard III's mount. When the smith found that he did not have enough nails to complete the job, he was forced to leave the last of the four horseshoes unchecked.
In the middle of the battle, as Richard III was attempting to rally his troops, his horse threw a shoe, fell down, and then ran away -- leaving the king behind. He called for assistance, but none was forthcoming... and eventually the enemy overwhelmed him.
Thus:
For want of a nail, a shoe was lost.
For want of a shoe, a horse was lost.
For want of a horse, a battle was lost.
For want of a battle, a kingdom was lost.
...And all for the want of a horseshoe nail.
Thanks for taking the time to explain. I actually know that "For want of a nail..." proverb, but I never knew its significance 'til now. I always thought it was just another nursery rhyme. :p I appreciate the history lesson, much obliged. :)
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