Five Degrees Fewer

Surely you've heard the saying "it's a small world." This phrase refers to the connections we make with other people as we go through our lives that overlap with someone new we have just met. It implies the interconnectedness of everyone living in this world, that the bonds we create with other people help us form new relationships, making the world seem a little smaller than before. Such instantaneous connections are possible in places and with people we may have never expected as a result of the military life.

The famous phrase "it's a small world" is closely related to a concept called "6 Degrees of Separation," which is a theory that if you were to trace back six people (maximum), beginning with someone you know, you will, in one way or another, share a connection with any person you encounter. It is a series of six interpersonal links that connects you to anyone. However, as military children, these degrees of separation are greatly reduced.

Living in so many different places as military teens comes with encountering numerous people. Our networks of connections, which expand at every new location the military sends us to, extend over enormous amounts of people. In comparison to non-military affiliated teenagers, we have much greater exposure to different people and opportunities to increase our social networks. This comparison exemplifies how being military teens allows for a reduction in the degrees of separation between us and other people.

We as military teens also have physically covered much ground, and therefore we have gained an extensive amount of common area with others. Upon meeting someone for the first time, it is much more likely that you are less than six degrees apart from a connection with them, which is a fascinating reality about our lives as military brats.

Instances of realizing you are fewer than six connections apart from someone often occur in our military lifestyle, as both sides consist of various connections and relationships through frequent moves. Upon meeting a fellow military child, you have most likely discovered an unexpected social connection. For instance, you may have realized you both knew the same friend at a previous duty station. Such interactions can serve as an initial icebreaker, and through the personal connection they create, may be the beginning of a new friendship.

As a result of the numerous connections you have made as a military child, you might just be five degrees closer to someone than you would have been otherwise.