Muse – Resonance Theory

I hold that in the dynamic interactions of life, all things resonate.

When one looks at the whole of humanity across the entirety of the planet Earth, our actions effect those we might never meet. Sometimes in profound ways.

Case in point is what has lead me to this theory. I belong to this site named Open Diary. I was brought to it by a friend who goes by the name Luriena. I met Luriena through a MUCK named Tapestries. I met her on that MUCK three years ago when she happened to take a chance and contact me.

The near 1.5k entries I’ve written, the people I’ve effected with them and the people on OpenDiary who have effected me are all hinged upon that one choice. It is unlikely that, without her pointing me out to this site, that I would have ever found or decided to participate with it. I can’t say what effect in general my presence has had, but overall it has been generally positive for me.

And it all came to be based upon one decision made on a game.

Resonance Theory posits that we should take careful stock of the actions we take in life because they don’t just effect us, but they effect others in an outward ripple of cause and effect. Even those which would appear to only effect the chooser.

Unfortunately, Resonance Theory is limited in its application, as resonance is a chaotic, unpredictable beast, growing more uncontrollable the farther a ripple travels along the timeline.

Something so simple as an education received by the right individuals resulted in the creation of the atomic bomb. Though that same condition, applied to others has resulted in the various medical techniques that save lives every day. Over time a resonance wave can cause good and bad, which makes it hard to apply beyond a handful of individuals down the line.

Resonance is potentially lasting. As we can see, though the originators are quite dead, agriculture itself has vastly changed how civilization. In smaller example, the atomic bomb has had vast effects and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future, until the technology becomes obsolete. But even if it is left behind, another weapon system will rise to take its place in prominence and be a significant factor in shaping world politics. Christianity and other religions have had a profound resonance effect that has its positives and negatives through history and are destined to continue to have the same effects in the future. All of those things started out small and have ballooned out to effect the majority of life on our world.

Resonance also branches madly. For example, my diary reaches many people and it could effect them in a positive or negative light, but I have only limited control over that aspect of it, part of the effect being based upon my relative values in contrast with the named and unnamed people who read me.

Though I don’t have solid control over how my writing effects others, I seek to tailor it toward what I consider good with both my subject matter and the way in which I write. At the very least, if I don’t have everyone agreeing with me, I’d rather not insult those who don’t agree with me.

Thus it is we should consider our actions in this world, even if they don’t seem to have an immediate effect on others. So long as they leave a physical, mental or ideological trace in or around someone they will effect that person and have a potential for resonance to effect others along the timeline.