Travel and Personal | United Nations

A Few Degrees of Separation

It happened again this weekend. I met someone that, by the laws of probability, I should not have.

I had met her in Geneva in October last year, a day before she was leaving for Nairobi, and when I was still contemplating coming here. Our meeting had been random, at a party, and we had not stayed in touch. Then, 3 months and several miles and friends later, we meet at another acquaintance’s party. Coincidence, if there ever was one.

They say we are all separated by six degrees of seperation - that ‘anyone on earth can be connected to any other person on the planet through a chain of acquaintances that has no more than five intermediaries.’

More and more though, I realize that it is probably two degrees in my line of work. There are way too many common denominators in development work to escape having some acquaintances in common with everyone you meet.

For instance, if you are in the development field in general, you will at some stage of your life have worked and lived in Geneva and/or Washington, DC. For those passing through these countries, it is a small world. Then, we divide ourselves neatly into sectors. Private sector development, financing, youth issues, environment, gender issues, refugees, humanitarian relief. Within these categories, the world is smaller still. This work is all about networking. Everything else is secondary.

What does this teach you? That your mother was right when she told you to be nice to people. Don’t make enemies - you never know when you might run into someone again.

© 2006 The Discomfort Zone.