lightsmith

You might like to read The Six Degrees of Separation – A story of sadness before reading this because this will essentially be a plot-spoiler otherwise.

In presenting this journal I am not pushing this story forward as being very good or a piece of literary delight. It is not even entertainment I think. I am hoping to show firstly how it was written and then, also, to emphasize its pertinence to us all even if we feel that ‘it couldn’t happen to me’.

The story, then, is about a man who starts off at point A and then, in six artificially delimited transitions ends up at point Z – a person almost totally alien to the original.

It is a warning tale because such things can and do occur every day and if you look carefully, you can see them occurring in and about your own life. It’s well, imho, to bear that in mind.

The story as it took place in reality was far less terrible and harmless. Yet it provided me with a catalyst to apply a little imagination, do a little research and a lot of thinking to realize that the ultimately written story is just as feasible for some people out there (though probably not you the reader).

So the original story is thus:

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I had to order my next lease car. So I looked at the cheapest option which would give me lots of cash in the pocket. A basic vehicle, manual, no extras. It was very enticing because of the savings I’d get – in the lease and in the petrol.

But for just one dollar more per week, I could get air conditioning. I’d like that. I really appreciate that. So I decided to go with that tiny change.

Then I realized that auto would be very useful for my wife and would only cost another three dollars per week…. hmmmm….. yes, why not.

Of course, if I upgraded to the bigger model then I’d get all that AND a cd player which would be nice. And the upgrade would be only two dollars on top – with the added advantage of a bigger boot for the shopping.

And so it went on until I realized I was looking at the top-of-the-range vehicle which was five times the price of the cheapest one. Yes, it contained lots of wonderful comfort, convenience and safety features and was roomy as a bus – but I couldn’t help wondering. How did I get here?

I’d started from one point and increment by increment ended up at the totally other end of the scale.
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Essentially, I wondered what would happen if I transposed this cumulative incremental attitude change to something else – something darker, something more evil.

And so The Six Degrees of Separation – A story of sadness was born. Or hatched. Or expelled from the womb of the dark mind…..