How to Read “If there is a connection, it is easy to meet even across a thousand miles”
En areba senri wo hedatete mo ai yasushi
Meaning of “If there is a connection, it is easy to meet even across a thousand miles”
This proverb means that if you truly have a connection with someone, you will definitely meet them, no matter how far apart you are.
It expresses the idea that physical distance or different environments cannot prevent a true connection from forming.
People use this proverb when celebrating an unexpected reunion or when they feel something fateful about meeting someone far away.
For example, you might use it when you accidentally reunite with a childhood friend after decades, or when you unexpectedly meet an important person in a distant place.
We use this expression because some encounters feel too mysterious to dismiss as mere coincidence. We want to find special meaning in them.
This proverb puts into words the feeling that some invisible force might be at work in life’s important encounters.
Even today, it’s common to connect with people on the other side of the world through social media, or to reunite with old acquaintances at a new job.
In such moments, we realize how true this proverb really is.
Origin and Etymology
The exact source of this proverb is unclear, but we can understand it by examining its structure.
The expression “senri” (a thousand ri) is a unit of distance from China that has been used in Japan since ancient times to represent a very long distance.
One ri is about 4 kilometers, so a thousand ri would be 4,000 kilometers. This exceeds the distance from one end of the Japanese archipelago to the other.
At the heart of this proverb is the concept of “en” (connection). In Japanese culture, influenced by Buddhist thought, en is not mere coincidence.
It means an inevitable connection tied by invisible threads. The idea that encounters between people are determined by karma from past lives has been deeply rooted in Japanese society.
The expression “ai yasushi” (easy to meet) is also interesting. By placing the contrasting concepts of great physical distance and ease of meeting side by side, it emphasizes the power of connection.
During the Edo period, transportation was limited, and traveling a thousand ri was a life-risking journey.
Even so, the belief that you could meet someone if you had a connection with them likely served as emotional support for people.
This proverb has been passed down through generations as an expression of trust in fateful encounters and the mysterious power in human relationships.
Usage Examples
- To accidentally reunite with a college friend at my overseas work assignment is truly “if there is a connection, it is easy to meet even across a thousand miles”
- My encounter with that person was “if there is a connection, it is easy to meet even across a thousand miles,” and I can’t help but feel it was destined
Universal Wisdom
Behind this proverb lies the deep loneliness humans carry and our thirst for connection.
We are fundamentally social creatures who cannot help but seek meaningful encounters with others.
Yet at the same time, we realize how unlikely it is to meet truly important people in this vast world.
This is where a fundamental human anxiety exists. If all encounters are merely coincidental, we might go through life without ever meeting the people who matter most.
This proverb offers hope against that fear. If invisible threads of connection exist, we will surely meet the people we need to meet.
What’s interesting is that this proverb doesn’t deny the importance of effort.
The expression “even across” acknowledges the existence of physical obstacles. But if there is a connection, the encounter will happen despite those obstacles.
In other words, while believing in destiny, people must keep moving forward.
Humans are creatures who seek certainty, yet we also have the power to find hope in an uncertain future.
This proverb skillfully captures both aspects. By believing that encounters have inevitability, we gain the courage to continue our lonely journey.
This isn’t self-deception, but wisdom for living life positively.
When AI Hears This
The “six degrees of separation” theory, which states that people worldwide can connect with anyone through an average of six intermediaries, is a mathematically proven fact.
This means that even someone a thousand miles away is actually surprisingly close. Small-world theory explains this phenomenon.
Human relationship networks have a structure that mixes “dense local connections” and “long-distance bridges.”
Even more interesting is sociologist Granovetter’s discovery of “the strength of weak ties.”
His research showed that many people who successfully changed jobs got their information not from close friends, but from “acquaintances they occasionally meet.”
Close friends share similar information, while distant relationships bring information from completely different worlds.
In other words, chance encounters and thin connections are the keys that open doors to new worlds.
From this theoretical perspective, connection isn’t just luck, but probabilistic inevitability on a network.
Even if you’re a thousand miles apart, if multiple “weak ties” exist connecting you and the other person, the probability of meeting rises sharply.
Physical distance doesn’t matter. What matters is the distance on the network.
Modern social media visualizes exactly this structure, and the reality that we can connect with people on the other side of the world with just a few clicks proves this proverb’s scientific accuracy.
Lessons for Today
What this proverb teaches us today is the importance of continuing to believe in the possibility of encounters.
Now that social media and online tools have developed, physical distance has lost meaning more than ever before.
But at the same time, the danger of missing truly important encounters among countless information and people has also increased.
What matters is not just waiting for connections, but cultivating them.
Don’t let a single encounter end there. Keep in touch. Visit places that interest you. Join new communities.
The accumulation of such small actions attracts fateful encounters.
This proverb also teaches us not to fear separation too much.
Even if you’re apart now, you’ll meet again with people you truly have a connection with. Believing this might make decisions at life’s turning points a little easier.
Career changes, moving, new challenges. This proverb gives us the courage to move forward without fearing change.
The encounters you need in your life will surely come. Believing in that day, why not take a step forward today?
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