The proverbial "tree in the forest"

"On cold days a man can see his breath, on a hot day he can't. On both occasions, the man breathes." - White Teeth, Zadie Smith

This quote struck me as particularly intriguing. In the context of the book, they are referring to Allah, Jesus, Buddha, a higher being. However, I find it particulary interesting when placed next to the proverbial "tree in the forest". If a tree falls in a lonely forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound? Is sound only a sound if someone hears it? Apart from the books original higher-being reference, it is an intriguing thought. Do our actions always have an effect, regardless of whether they immediately touch, or are seen, perceived by anyone else? In cases of unseen acts, does it circle back around to karma?

In the sense of the books meaning, it is basically stating that regardless of whether you are witnessed directly, your actions are observerd by a higher being and will come upon you at judgement day. Can we apply this thought separate from the reference to God or other higher beings? Will all of our actions act as a drop in the ocean, eventually creating a wave, eventually creating a tidal wave, eventually creating a tsunami? Do we assume that things we do (obviously aside from mundane, daily tasks) can go unnoticed? Are we but a drop in the ocean? And if we are, wouldn't the ocean be less without that drop?

Although we can't see our breath on a hot day, it is still there keeping us alive. Perhaps things that are not tangible, not physically visible, still have an enormous affect on the world, a lasting consequence - good or bad, maintain the flow of life. Perhaps we are not just a tiny drop in the ocean but a piece of a greater web, a web that keeps things in balance, in check. When a tree falls in a forest, regardless of whether it makes a sound (perception) or the sound is heard, it has a greater affect on the landscape, the wildlife, everything from the insects to the air we breath. Maybe it isn't the breath, or the falling of the tree but the ripple that that produces...