While some of my fellow fourth-year Cavalier Daily staffers may use their parting words to share what they learned on the job at the paper, I would instead like to reflect on the forces that brought me to the basement of Newcomb Hall in the first place.
If you are unfamiliar with the concept of chaotic systems, it may unsettle you at first. It is the idea that we all live in deterministic systems that are dependent on, and highly sensitive to, initial conditions. In other words, the tiniest changes to our lives can ripple outward and produce dramatically different outcomes over time. But as chaotic as these “ripple effects” may seem, they are not random at all. Chaos theory tells us that chaotic systems are just that — systems — operated by underlying order and structure, shaped by previous interactions and decisions.
Now, you may be thinking, “What is a retired life editor doing, talking about mathematical theory?” I assure you, it connects — somehow — to my print night bakes and student life features…