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…editorial…
…mooooo-ing the world…
Ok, so not everyone who see the text in the little “banner” in the upper left corner of our pages, get the meaning right away. Not all that surprising, really, and it doesn't really matter all that much either.
However, some do actually ask what it means, so I may as well reveal the subtle meaning behind the cryptic
message…
the norwegian cow is mooooo-ing the world
…so I don't have to spell it out in mails to curious visitors anymore.
The short message also seems to be seriously misinterpreted and misunderstood by some, which I think says more about those who misunderstand it than about the message itself. Anyway: it's time to clear it up once and for all.
the butterfly effect…
A butterfly flapping its wings in one part of the world, may tip the atmospheric balance just enough to trigger, or prevent, a violent storm some time later – in another part of the world. This is known as the butterfly effect, and it is as real as the weather is unpredictable beyond a certain – pretty limited – time and area.
Now, how about a vibrant “moooo-h” from one of our cows out there on her pasture. Do you think the potential effect is any less than that of a butterfly's wings? I think not.
So, my little word-game points to the potential power to affect our environment, that all living beings – big and small – possess. It's a natural force.
The balance in nature is so delicate that even the smallest action from an individual living being may end up having huge and wide-reaching effects. It doesn't matter if ones action, or even ones existence, is recognized by any other living being, or not, as ones actions are literally felt through the “system” anyway.
no escape…
We all live in the same “system” – in the same world and on the same earth, built up of many natural and man-made sub-systems. On one hand we all have the potential to trigger and affect changes to the systems we live in, and on the other hand we can't escape any of the changes made to the systems.
We may not have all that much control over how we affect the systems or the systems affect us, but most of us do have a sense of what might result in something positive rather than in something negative.
It sure won't hurt if we use our senses to push things ever so slightly in positive directions whenever we can. Inaction is really not a viable option, since even that will have an effect on our environment. We may not see any positive effects of our positively charged actions, but that doesn't mean that there aren't any since we can not know what the effects would be if we didn't do anything and left it all to others.
it matters…
Clearly: our humble Norwegian cow has no particular interest in or knowledge about what happens outside her own sphere – the farm, but she sure has an effect on it. Her “moooo-h” matters to someone, somewhere.
A butterfly in Hong Kong has no idea of the effect it may have had on the weather in Norway, but our Norwegian cow notices the weather around our place even though she has no idea why it is as it is. Someone out there, somewhere, matters to her, because they happen to share the same planet.
The same is true for this tiny and insignificant web site created on a small and insignificant farm in Norway. Some tiny bit of information on one of its pages was just what someone needed. We may also find just the right bit of information on another tiny web site on a server somewhere. These tiny sites matter because they make a (however small) difference, and happen to share the same world wide web.
No matter how we twist and turn things, even the minutest action and/or complete inaction, will have an effect on others. So, if anyone who happens to read this think ones own insignificant contributions, on the web or anywhere else, doesn't matter – think again!
sincerely 
Hageland 13.dec.2007
last rev: 24.dec.2007
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