Six Degrees Of Chaotic Connection

While I was at school today in my math class the teacher began to discuss something called the Chaos Theory. In short, it's a theory involving mathematics, physics, economics, philosophy, and biology that states that every action no matter how small affects everything else in the world. Sort of like if the world was a pond and the action was to toss a small pebble into the pond, there would be an ever expanding outward ripple from that action that eventually will affect everything in the pond even if it is such a small effect that it goes unnoticed.

This made me think of another theory that I have previously heard of called Six Degrees Of Separation. This theory states that as the world becomes more connected through social networks, clubs, organization, and individual personal connections, we are on average only six introductions from any other person in the world. Basically a person anywhere in the world can be introduced to any other person in the world by six levels of mutual friends or connections.  An example would be - A friend of a friend of a family member who is a member of this club has a co-worker who knows him or her.

These two theories made me think of the long term outward ripples from the actions of the guy who raped me. Not only is my life forever changed but his is ruined, and everyone I have in my life is in some way, even if so small they don't notice, also affected. Everyone is his life will also be affected. Even Great Clips and it's employees where I get my haircut is affected because the guy who hurt me also for some unknown reason cut my hair off and made me a Justin Bieber look-alike. I have a baby in my belly now who will live a life of their own and affect countless others, and the ripples in the pond continue on and on throughout time.

Suddenly I realized how interchanged these two theories are. His actions affected my human connections rather it be personal or organized for the rest of my life. Those ever changing lines of connections that connect one person to another has been rewritten and in a sense grouped and organized differently causing further and further chaotic and ever changing lives for people I will never know exists.

At first I was a little saddened by this because I thought to myself, "Wow, I hate that he has that much power. I hate that his actions can change so many people, things, and events".

As I thought about this, I began to cry in the middle of the classroom. I had tears dancing along the edge of my bottom eyelid keeping step with a drum beat my lip was beginning to produce.

My math teacher who is aware of what happened to me was walking around the classroom peeking over our shoulders at our assignments. She knew I was struggling to hold back tears and she placed her hand on the back of my neck and shoulder to silently console me. Her simple action made me feel better.

We seldom stop to think about how such a small gesture like saying hi to a stranger, complimenting a friend, or giving a hug and a pat on the back to someone who is hurting has the ability to affect someone's life.  We need to realize if a small pebble thrown into a pond can create outward ripples that affect the entire pond, it is equally effective in a positive way when our tiny actions of kindness create the same outward ripple within the Six Degrees Of Chaotic Connection in each and every human life. When we show kindness to another person, they are far more likely to show kindness to others in a continuous outward expanding ripple. So now I ask myself, "Jaime, do you want to sit idle and let his negative actions affect your life in a negative way, or do you want to absorb the negative and create a catalysts for an outward expansion of positive ripples that will eventually affect the world"? Even if those changes are so small that they aren't perceived by someone separated from me by Six Degrees Of Separation, they would still outwardly charge in a ripple and create a change for the good of people I will never meet.