Dark Matter, [Social] Gravity

Gravity... it's like a bad childhood in the memory of someone you care for deeply: never seen directly, but, rather, observed via its effect. Gravity is the 800-pound gorilla of the universe, crafted by God to remind us of just how little control we have over the nature of things. But unlike the famous Samsonite gorilla, gravity plays more of a role in maintaining balance and order than simply inflicting chaos and destruction. It does so quietly. Imperceptible. Yet, hypothetically, in the case of nearly a quarter of matter in the universe, provides the only evidence of existence where the electromagnetic spectrum fails us. Such is the nature of "dark matter".

Gravity. It's God's universal reality check. But its existence begs the question: is there such a thing as "social" gravity? Of course there is. It's the effect we feel between ourselves and those around us; the push and pull of the social dynamic. As Aristotle put it: "Man is an animal that lives in a polis (state)." From a less political perspective, Clifford Geertz states that, "man is an animal suspended in webs of significance he himself has spun". Or, if you're a math geek like myself, you can simply observe Metcalf's Law that the weight/value of a social network relates to the number of its participants by a very simple equation: n(n − 1)/2.

But if the accelerating effect of gravity asserted on us by the social network is real, then so too is the reciprocal effect of our lives on those around us. It's the footprint we leave in the sands of the souls of those we touch in this world. So, ask yourself a question: if you died tomorrow, what would be your footprint? Would your funeral be so full of grieving people that even closest family have trouble finding seats, or barren like a lone sports spectator arriving to the stadium on the wrong day. Would your wake be the memories of brillant people inspired to charge on into the future, or just another party for the alcoholics and drug addicts you partied with in life. Would your children stand over your grave in both quiet indignation and deep relief, removing their masks only to spit on your tombstone? Or would your mourners be like the followers of the philosopher/mathematician/scientist/writer René Descartes, who stole his bones 16 years after his death and venerated them in a grand parade out of honor and desire to keep his ideals alive?

What's your effect on the world? Are you the 800-pound Samsonite gorilla - thrashing about and destroying everything in your path. Or are you like gravity or dark matter - quietly keeping the world of those around you in balance in an otherwise chaotic universe? Trust me. If you don't know the truth, those that know you best do. Be the force that binds, not the one that destroys.