The concept of “it’s a small world” is often being explored and constantly being substantiated.
Sometimes called the “small world phenomenon” in scientific circles, the idea is bolstered by a renowned theory called “the six degrees of separation.” Its basic premise indicates that all 8 billion humans on Earth can be connected by a maximum of six social acquaintances or intermediaries.
The concept was analyzed in the 1960s by social psychologist Stanley Milgram, who performed an experiment involving letter delivery between strangers in different regions of the United States. Using only local knowledge of immediate acquaintances, each participant was asked to forward the letter to a well-known acquaintance selected to bring it closer to the ultimate destination. The experiment showed that short paths – between five and six – exist in large social networks and that using only local information, individuals can find these paths.
Scientists believe that with current advancements in social networking and digital communication, the number shrinks to three to four degrees rather than the five or six in the original version of the theory.
But science notwithstanding, we’ve all had a brush with the world’s smallness, likely more than once or maybe even numerous times. It occurs when you don’t expect it, like when you strike up a conversation with a server at a restaurant who turns out to be related to your favorite teacher from college, or when you discover that your brother’s boss dated your aunt for a couple of years.
And it always makes you pause and recognize the relative tininess of the entire world.
I recently experienced a classic example of the concept. While my wife was involved in a car sale transaction with a young woman and I was waiting for it to be complete, I started talking with a young man who was also standing by. As we exchanged tidbits of information, I discovered he was originally from Lexington, South Carolina, which is where my wife grew up.
But as if that wasn’t amazing enough, we found out they actually attended the same middle school! To break it down, here are a few people randomly joined by a run-of-the-mill situation in Texas County, Missouri, and they end up being so closely connected.
What are the odds? I think we need Star Trek’s Mr. Spock to calculate that.
Anyway, it’s very interesting to contemplate that you’re only separated by a few people from a tribal official in a village in Angola or a girl attending high school in a small town in the middle of Siberia. It’s wild to think that yourself and a sherpa in Nepal or a janitor in Finland could have something in common.
It kind of brings a lot of meaning to the old saying that “we’re all in this together.”
As the Sherman Brothers wrote in their iconic song from 1963 to be used at a new attraction by the same name at Disneyland in Anaheim, California, “It’s a small world after all.”
