It's a Small World

“It’s a small world,” Pat said to Mark and me. I had brought the two of them together the other night because I knew they shared an interest in Canadian fishing even though I don’t. I’m not opposed to it, it’s just that I prefer fishing for a compliment, wading into an argument, or casting a shadow. When I introduced the two of them to each other a few years ago they discovered they had both stayed at the same privately owned cabin on a small island in Canada.

Since their connection was through me, I felt an obligation to bring them together again so they could learn how each came to find the same cabin. While I happily listened and nodded knowingly from time to time, they talked for the better part of an hour regarding shared acquaintances, obscure logging roads known to only a few, and how this all came to be. When the conversation rested Pat remarked about how small the world is. It was an understatement; I was in awe of the multiple connections these two men had.

Perhaps I am too easily impressed, but the likelihood of these two men crossing that many lines is fictional. Pat’s ten years older than Mark, they grew up in separate states, worked in different fields, lived in different counties and had never met each other before I introduced them.

It has been said that there are just six degrees of separation between any two people on the planet. It’s a friend of a friend type of connection. Pat and I have been friends for several years, whereas Mark and I go back several decades, and now those two share a connection separate from me.

Although I am not a fan of name-dropping, I will acknowledge that who you know often trumps what you know. The possibilities of who knows who are mind-boggling. For instance, it is quite likely that most of us know someone who knows someone who has met one of the United State’s Presidents (and is willing to admit it). It’s no longer noteworthy to say that you know so and so from here and there as almost everyone does due to the current fad of being famous for apparently no other reason than being famous.

When counting the degrees of separation, I have noticed that the warmer connections are the closer ones. When I was younger I was impressed with how many people my parents knew. It seemed that no matter where we went someone was always saying, “Hi Tom” or “Hello Pat.” I was always proud to answer in the affirmative when asked, “Are you Tom and Pat’s son?”

For a short time my kids seemed impressed with my small circle of friends and acquaintances. Now the focus has shifted from me to my children. I am just as proud, but in a different way, to say “Yes” when asked if I am Jennifer or Nate’s Dad.

As I get older, I am less interested in expanding my social horizons than I am in keeping my eye on the friends I have. I find that if I am attentive to my family and friends my life is indeed full. I am content with a very small world, in fact, the smaller the better.