Economists describe this phenomenon as path dependence: early moves constrain later possibilities. Paul David’s analysis of the QWERTY keyboard (1985) shows how small historical contingencies can lock in standards for generations. In a parallel key, Edward Lorenz’s work on chaos (1963) demonstrated how tiny differences in initial conditions produce vast divergences down the line. Together, they clarify why today’s quiet choice is not small at all; it is an initial condition. Building on that logic, we can see personal lives as systems where a minor adjustment today compounds into tomorrow’s radically different map. [...]
