My Karass...and Ultrarunning

Yesterday's post was about sharing secrets with strangers, and touched upon the notion that such confidants must be part of one's karass, a term invented by Kurt Vonnegut in his book, Cat's Cradle.

Karass is a great term, and using it in conversation usually results in some knowing looks (plus some puzzled ones). First from the Urban Dictionary:

A group of people linked in a cosmically significant manner, even when superficial linkages are not evident.

Think of the small group of people you have ended up running into and spending time with over the course of your life. Some may be friends, others not. A big part of Vonnegut's Karass concept revolves around coincidence evolving beyond apophenia, into the realm of the mystical. The author suggests a divine plan behind the interactions of those within a karass, but adds it is unlikely that its purpose will ever be revealed. I suspect it is, like the universe itself, recursive in function. In summary, to begin to understand one's karass and those who are entwined within it, simply look for a common denominator between all those you have spent substantial time with, by choice or otherwise. The collective experiences garnered through these contacts both become and determine one's karass.

And another take:

A karass is a spontaneously forming group, joined by unpredictable links, that actually gets stuff done— as Vonnegut describes it, "a team that do[es] God's Will without ever discovering what they are doing." A granfalloon, on the other hand, is a "false karass," a bureaucratic structure that looks like a team but is "meaningless in terms of the ways God gets things done."

No doubt you've experienced these two types of networks in your own life, many times over. The karass is that group of friends from college who have helped one another's careers in a hundred subtle ways over the years; the granfalloon is the marketing department at your firm, where everyone has a meticulously defined place on the org chart but nothing ever gets done. When you find yourself in a karass, it's an intuitive, unplanned experience. Getting into a granfalloon, on the other hand, usually involves showing two forms of ID.

karass: a term for a disparate group of people linked together without their knowledge. Your family and friends would not be part of your karass. You wouldn't choose its membership, and you may never know who is in it or what its purpose is.
 

I know that my karass includes various Ultrarunners, inlcuding the 3 mentioned yesterday.  It truly is an adventure discovering other members along the trails.

   

Sharing Secrets With Strangers on the Trail

Here’s a topic that I may have touched upon obliquely in the past: how Ultrarunners can be comfortable with sharing even their deepest secrets while running with a stranger.

This has happened to be on more than one occasion.  Most notably I was on a business trip to Hawaii (tough gig, I know!) and had a few hours one afternoon, so I drove up to the hills above the University of Hawaii—pretty much straight inland from Waikiki beach—and parked at a trailhead to get ready.  Moments later, as I was sitting on the edge of my driver’s seat, lacing up my shoes and getting my gaiters on, another trail runner showed up, and also began gearing up.

I asked her whether she was a local and knew the trails.  I must have looked OK, for without hesitation she said yes and asked whether I’d like to join her for a 7-8 miler.

I jumped at the chance, as I only “knew” the trails from maps that I has scoped out, having never run there before.  So off we went.  In the couple hours we spent running, we talked about jobs and family, and got deeply into the life-and-death struggles we’d experienced dealing with the addiction issues of a loved one.  The tears flowed freely but were just as quickly erased by warm rain showers, followed by rainbows.

Eileen and I parted as friends who likely would never synch up again, but whose presence for a few hours and miles was a priceless gift.

I had similar experiences running at night with a couple of different pacers back in 2010 at the Umstead 100 Mile Endurance Run.  Deep secrets shared with strangers, literally only minutes after meeting for the first time.  But I get it.  It just seemed natural.

I guess these folks are part of my karass, a term invented by Kurt Vonnegut in his book, Cat's Cradle. 

More on that tomorrow.  Stay tuned.