One Thing Can Change Everything
One of the guiding principles in Still Waters is the idea that everything is connected, which comes from on a belief I’ve held for as long as I can remember. In the absence of traditional ‘proof’ for this belief, I’ve found solace in quantum theory and also the writing of Charles Eisenstein.
My knowledge of quantum theory is basic (and that’s putting it kindly) but it seems to be saying that the universe is made of energy, rather than cells as mainstream science insists, and therefore we are all part of one continuous stream. Charles Eisenstein writes about interbeing in The More Beautiful World Our Hearts Know is Possible which rings a very similar bell. Both of these sources help me when I am getting (self) criticism about such wonky/hippy thinking.
And so it must be that, with everything being connected, if you change one thing then everything else starts to shift. This principle is described by George Monbiot in a 4-minute youtube video made by Sustainable Human. Titled How Wolves Change Rivers, the beautifully shot short film, explains how the re-introduction of Wolves into Yosemite National Park had a ripple effect beyond what was expected.
I suppose the only other thing I want to say about this is you don’t have to do something as radical as introducing wolves to see a ripple effect. Even the smallest actions, saying thank you, helping a stranger, picking up a piece of litter, will have a knock on effect. It might be more subtle than changing the way a river flows but that doesn’t mean it’s not happening.