Sigma | The Sum of All Things
We all remember in math class, the teacher writes a problem on the blackboard. The series of taps the chalk makes on the board as it moved from number to number. Holding a sense of anxiousness, not knowing who would be called to the front of the room to solve it. All the while, mentally preparing ourselves for whatever is to follow. Staring at a token of equality and the void of space to the right that begs for completion. Yet sometimes there was a sign, more like a symbol that gave us instructions as to what needed to be done. It resolved the whole expression in one single little character. It shows resolve and comfort in the way it brings about an end. The “Sigma” pioneered the path forward by illuminating the road we must travel. It signified the answer to confusion. We were happy to do its’ bidding. Summing every step into one undeniable conclusion. We all remember what to do when we see it, but have you recognized what it showed us?
The “Sigma” is used to define the answer when two or more numbers are added together. The “Sigma” represents the one correct answer out of all other possibilities. If you didn’t love math, you hated to see this symbol, looking back at you from the depths of the abyss or on a page of homework. To others, it was a sign of curiosity, recognition, and retribution. Seeing the “Sigma” and not just the equal sign provided us with a pathway to the story, not an unknown. We were eager to have something to work with instead of emptiness. Sigma is the goal we can achieve. The “Sigma” is the place where effort meets accountability. Achieving success by following a step-by-step process. Are you beginning to remember?
There are 7.6 billion people on earth. The sheer volume of that number is astounding, especially when you realize each one of us represents just one, an individual number. Even though we are singular in our existence, we all have a list of characters used to categorize and correlate us. We all have a driver’s license, work id, checking account, and social security numbers. Whether you view yourself as one or multiple numbers, each one of us stands alone. Yet, what do you get when you sum us up. When you add a sigma after the 7.6 billionth person to make up our population. What do we sum up to be?
Are we prime numbers, negative, positive numbers, even or odd numbers, rational or irrational numbers? Maybe we are just imaginary numbers, created to exist for more complex reasons than originally thought. Yet and still, the sigma is there to bring everything together. It doesn’t divide, subtract, or multiply. It takes each one of those numbers and combines them into an achievable end.
This allows us to enjoy a group of friends, a meeting of coworkers, or a family reunion. We collect DVDs, books, and socks. We cook and use a mixture of ingredients one by one. With anticipation, we watch the minutes of the clock creep toward the time we’re released from work. We count the years that have passed since the first time we met our love. We count the calories burned off from that salad after a 30-minute run to nowhere. Sigma has always been there to help us value life a little more. Adding together ideas and actions, perspectives, and opinions.
Sigma has shown us that we are not alone; we are all on the path, but what if that path is flawed? How will the sigma relate to “a flawed path”? Will it rationalize its existence? Will it question its’ definition? Will it wonder how it has come to be or if the decisions it’s made have been just? Will it look out onto the world to search for a new place to be? The answer is, it won’t. It will continue being what it was before, the answer to an agreement. There is no reason for it to change because it is the truth. Yet, the path is still flawed. So, what must change?
The Variables. Our choices define the path. Our choices define the solution. We are the ones that determine if the “Sigma” is just or unjust. What do we decide to show the world? What part will you play? We must take a stake in the things we do. The teacher has put the problem on the board. What are the options? What are you experiencing? Do you hear the tapping? Do you feel the anxiety of the moment? Your classmate’s eyes glaze across the room, wondering who the teacher is going to select. Will it be you? Will you raise your hand first and rise to the challenge, or will you do your best to not make eye contact hoping not to be picked? Will you accept help if you need it, or will you struggle at it alone? If you are the one, are you gonna be ready to answer? If you are selected, are you gonna be embarrassed to fail? If the teacher picks you, stand up, read the expression, walk to the board, pick up the chalk, and show the class what you can do. Because, at the end of the day, it’s just math, right?
