We live in a world where the world is brought together for us on the computer screen, on the television or in print on a newspaper; we always know whats going on with the others who live hundreds of miles away. We might think that we are locked into our own little society, but this couldn't be any farther from the truth. So, in a world where the world is literally brought to our feet, it's inevitable that we meet thousands of people in our lifetime. And this very idea brought me to Frigyes Karinthy's theory of "six degrees of separation" aka the old social networking.
Six degrees of separation is the idea that everyone in the world is separated from everybody else by six links; think of friend of a friend of a friend of a frie....well, you get the point. It's quite an astonishing and genius idea if you think about it; the idea that a maximum of six people lie between you and some small Asian fisherman catching koi along the Lijang River. Six people.
So, in lieu of my high school graduation and the new chapter of my life unfolding, I'm reminded that our world maybe really isn't as small as we think it is. As I go off to college next year I'm filled with a mixture of apprehensiveness and nervousness. The idea of college still seems so distant to me. But, do not fret readers, I will try to keep-up with my blogging into next year! And while I will inevitably meet hundreds, maybe even thousands, of new people next year, I will keep in mind that my friends and family back at home are not as far away as I think they are.
I'd just like to remind you that the world is not as large and consuming as you may think it is. People often scoff at large international problems as being 'too big' or 'too complicated' to solve. But, remember that the world is right in your backyard; it's not that big. And while you may be sitting reading this blog post on your couch somewhere in Russia, or maybe at a local coffee shop in New York, remember that within five handshakes we could be meeting each other.
Plus, it's kind of comforting knowing that I'm only six introductions away from Brad Pitt :]
