Thursday, November 20, 2008

Six degrees of me

Yesterday, I was reading the obituaries on the local newspaper's Web site. (I check the funeral notices frequently, just to be sure I'm not listed in them.) Included was mention of the passing of a man whom I did not know personally, but whose younger sister and I were in the same high school graduating class 30 years ago.

When I pointed this out to my wife, KJ told me that this man's sister-in-law works in her office.

My daughter KM, hearing our conversation, observed that the man's son is her classmate at the junior college.

What are the odds that one random individual whom none of us ever met would have a different line of direct connection to each member of my family?

Four centuries ago — give or take a decade or so — John Donne wrote:
No man is an island, entire of itself;
Every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main.
If a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less,
As well as if promontory were,
As well as if a manor of thy friend's or of thine own were.
Any man's death diminishes me,
Because I am involved in mankind;
And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls;
It tolls for thee.
Or, as Uncle Walt told us so many times...

It's a small world after all.

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5 insisted on sticking two cents in:

Blogger Shelli offered these pearls of wisdom...

That is weird.

My cousin (whose mother is my dad's sister) is related to Abraham Lincoln on his dad's side. So. You know me and my cousin is related to Abraham Lincoln, so that's something.

4:38 PM  
Blogger SwanShadow offered these pearls of wisdom...

Shelli: And I have a five-dollar bill with Lincoln's picture on it in my wallet right now. You and I are practically related! ;)

4:12 PM  
Blogger Shelli offered these pearls of wisdom...

Isn't that awesome!? I have one, too!!

4:17 PM  
Blogger SwanShadow offered these pearls of wisdom...

Shelli: One downside, however...

Our newly discovered relational proximity will probably prevent us from ever running away together. :(

4:22 PM  
Blogger Shelli offered these pearls of wisdom...

Dammit!

4:39 PM  

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