(Watch Music Video Before Reading!)
From early on in our childhood, we had to learn that life was cruel and filled with unpredictable twists and turns and that we have to learn to accept them as they come and try to overcome them. But what happens when one single, innocent moment of action or emotion sets off a chain reaction of events that snowball into either a major success or a major catastrophe? This occurrence is known as the Butterfly Effect, a stem from the Chaos Theory, which is the study of complex systems that are sensitive to the slightest change in their conditions and can result in either equal or opposite consequences. In the K-pop group F(x)’s music video for their song 4 Walls we see the members going about their day without any troubles or worries. But then suddenly a cup is dropped, tea is spilled, somebody slips, and a seemingly normal day goes awry.
To summarize the whole video, the girls are each in their own individual worlds, most likely as different versions of the same girl. However, when Amber drops her teacup there is a break in the “walls” between each world, causing Krystal to spill her tea on the floor, which somehow materializes into Victoria’s world causing her to slip, fall, and transport all the girls into a dimensional forest. As they wander through the forest lost, the become trapped in instances of distortion. Amber discovers Luna suspended in the air in the same instance as Victoria was, while Krystal discovers Victoria frozen holding a teapot in the same instance as Krystal was. Later on a horse appears, which in some Asian cultures represents spiritual guides and messengers, and informs Amber that the only way for them to escape the forest is to overcome the psychological walls between them and reality. Later on Krystal falls into a pool of water which represents cleansing, and it is also a portal back into the physical world. At this point the girls have become one with the different forms keep phasing in and out. Victoria dunks herself in the bath and emerges as Luna who goes to bed and which somehow splits the girls back up into four different individuals living in the same world. There’s still some distortion as they run about the house with the other members and the video concludes with Victoria lunging out to watch the falling teacup.
It is far better to foresee even without certainty than not to foresee at all - Henri Poincare. This is both true and false at the same time. We were taught from stories of mythology that our fear of the future can lead to us unintentionally making our own worst fears come true. However, in F(x)’s case they were unaware of what was about to happen to them which led to Victoria going back in time trying to stop it from occurring. But just because she stopped the teacup from falling doesn’t mean she has saved the group from being sent to another dimension. How can we save ourselves from a terrible future?
And I had the answers but now they mean nothing. These lyrics from the song can represent humans desire to find the answers to all the problems in life. In politics, we see officials make decisions based off of what they think might happen in the future. However, I never hear enough reference made to making decisions based upon how past leaders have acted. Aren’t we taught from an early age that if we don’t learn from history then we are cursed to repeat it? I’m sure being sent into an alternate universe and seeing people frozen in place is enough to convince Amber and Krystal not to break anymore glass or spill tea. But their experience in the music video is just another example of how we can learn from these instances. Victoria knew she needed to catch that teacup or else they would’ve been sent right back into that forest.
I think it’s safe to say that the Butterfly Effect exists so that way we take control of our future. In some cultures, it is believed that our paths have been drawn out for us already, but by whom? When reading the Christian bible, the only individuals who had an unavoidable fate were those whom God had directly chosen perform certain deeds and/or those that were being punished/rewarded for a good/bad deed they had done. Although it’s important to note that it was based upon their own actions in which these fates were decided. For example, the prophet Moses was to lead the Hebrews into the promise land, but when he disobeyed God and cracked the stone that released the water, he was told that he could never enter the promise land. One could argue “If he was all power and all-knowing then he…” but I believe this allowed humans to take responsibility for their actions. If we had unavoidable fates, then who’s to say that those who had more positive futures couldn’t run about breaking every rule in society and not have to worry about being disciplined because their fate promises them prosperity? The answer to that question…depends on their culture and the authorities of that time.
It’s been said by many that all things happen or a reason. From divine intervention to whether or not we choose to smile or frown at someone. The tinniest actions can be the cause behind some of the most important events in our lives. In conclusion I’d like to reference the film Mr. Nobody. This movie tells of a young child named Nemo who is forced to choose whether or not he wants to live with his mother or his father. Unfortunately for him, both choices result in him dying a tragic death later in his life. At the end of the film it turns out the boy chose neither parent and charted out a new path for his life and he lives to be an old man. While the storyline of Mr. Nobody and F(x)’s music video are both fictional they do paint an accurate image of the chaotic and emotional stress that the decisions we make in life can have on us.
