We often hear the term “ripple effect.” It creates the impression of tiny wavelets spreading out from the source – a small stone thrown into a pond. The illusion contained in this phrase is the suggestion that only small effects flow out of small causes.
In the Red River Gorge wilderness, not far from Cincinnati, two men were hiking in the high hills. Darkness began to overtake them as they descended to their campsite. Sharing a flashlight, there was enough illumination for them to stay on the narrow trail. But then the flashlight got dropped, flickered, and went out. They decided to continue on their way. Four steps later, the hiker in the lead misjudged the trail and went over, falling hundreds of feet to his death.
Most of us like to walk through life believing we have a 360 degrees perspective on how the world works. Then we get blindsided by a surprisingly large trauma resulting from the simplest bad decision or action. We realize again that, in fact, we only have about 100 degrees of visibility as to surprises lurking in the shadows.
Life’s hidden dangers keep me wary, inside and outside the octagon. I may start to relax a little bit, but then another ripple effect will take place, abruptly ending my complacency. Getting humbled pulls me back into the real world, which was waiting for me the whole time.
In the octagon, fighters know that the simplest error, which might otherwise be harmless, at the wrong time can result in serious consequences. Cause and effect can be wildly out of proportion in the heat of caged combat. Reviewing film of my adversary’s fights, I study their fighting style. But I’m also learning cautionary tales from the man they’re beating up – defeating moves I hope not to repeat.
When you’re in a fight, everything’s a blur. But each movement, each decision carries the potential for exaggerated effect. The smallest mistake or momentary distraction can be that small rock tossed into the water. The tsunami ripples that fighters worry about can largely be curbed, by remembering NBA great Bill Russell’s observation, “Concentration and mental toughness are the margins of victory.”
Our lives can also be made vastly better by small twists of fate - resulting in significant, unexpected benefits. These are the tsunami ripples that give us life-changing empowerment, flowing out of encounters or decisions previously considered trivial.
