Six Degrees of Separation
Many of us, those in the six-degrees-of-separation group for certain, know the term, and maybe even its premise. The doubters, you know who you are, say, “…an observation of some merit, but I’ve never seen it work in my life.” Others, like me, have surely rummaged around the internet (not always accurate but forever expedient) in search of a deeper understanding of this enigma.
I do credit the internet for this description: “Six degrees of separation is the theory that anyone on the planet can be connected to any other person on the planet through a chain of acquaintances that has no more than six intermediaries…”
Okay, so now I have a technical/researched explanation. I take a swig of my morning coffee followed by the last bite of raisin toast and resume my tour of cyberspace in search of sites that can further my knowledge of this hypothesis. A jumping-off place where I hope to meld theory with experience: something I call Janet’s Life! I donate an hour of my creative time until that not-so-quiet voice in my head tells me, “Your novel is…!”
That same evening, as I set the table for supper, an insight begins to bubble like the water that cooks our pasta: The only multiplier to this 6° phenomenon is to play a part in it.
My search is over. I have my answer: Our world is connected, be it by six degrees of separation or amongst those at our kitchen tables. Awareness: How I treat others is never separated from me by more than six degrees.
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