Way back in me time, and off and on since, it seemed potentially worthwhile to explore what I coined (in my head) as “Gap Theory” and see whether such a theory had explanatory utility.  A gap, of course, is the distance between things, whether the things are physical, such as the gap between your car and all the other ones nearby on the road or in the parking lot, or aspirational, such as goals.  As in the gap between where you are now and where you want to be.  When you look at these written words, you may recognize that for many alphabet-based languages, the gaps between letters and words are essential to our ability to read what is here.  A good amount of our attention and effort is associated with maximizing, minimizing, eliminating, adjusting, and maintaining gaps.  That in and of itself lends a certain “maybe we are on to something” cachet to the consideration of utility.

Gap Theory is clearly not the universal theory of everything (another interesting concept in search of definition).  For example, it is a clumsy if not misguided process to try and explain in terms of gaps the planting of a seed and everything that happens next as it becomes a certain kind of plant.  Or sort out how to strike a golf ball consistently, even though there is likely a gap-minimizing tension between current experience and where one would like to be.  We could, however, explore the role of synaptic gaps in the construction of consciousness.  And, perhaps, the itty-bitty gaps between atomic particles propose that there is a physics of energetic gaps somewhere in that haystack.  That could be exciting.

There are crucial industries dedicated to managing and, more often than not, eliminating gaps.  Fasteners and adhesives help our houses stay together and eliminate drafts, water, and the like by eliminating gaps.  A pre-occupation with minimizing gaps and eliminating gap irregularities can be extended across most manufacturing industries.  Gap tolerance is a thing.  Most new cars today have some sort of gap management technology onboard, whether that be adaptive cruise control, crash avoidance, lane assistance, or some bigger combination of these things aimed at that scary thing called autonomous driving, which has everything to do with managing gaps in a very dangerous environment.  Woodworking, something that I have an affinity for, in large part involves critical attention paid to the alignment and elimination of gaps.  All of which is on the physical end of things and, for many, could be considered bowwwwwing.

Perhaps the most intriguing application of Gap Theory has to do with human psychology.  Think about the dynamics of standing too close (or not close enough) to another person.  Identification and clarification of gaps in joint understanding is a key part of optimizing team effort and solidifying important relationships.  And a myriad of gaps, including financial, occupational, social, and personal health, that we constantly wrestle with in our daily lives.  To have a goal, one needs to have identified a gap.  Logically, there would be no goals if there were no gaps.  Goals help us manage our gaps.  It could be interesting if we approached life by identifying the top five to ten gaps in our lives and developing plans and goals to address what we want to do with those gaps.  Not a bad way of thinking about stuff that we want to change.

There is, of course, another gap theory that search engines cough up (routine due diligence) that has to do with the biblical creation story, specifically the proposed gap between the first two verses in Genesis.  In the context of the current thinking, that would be a singular, and potentially fictitious assertion.  It may not be a gap at all, but an effort by some individuals to stir up controversy among those who care about such things.  It also inadvertently ratifies the uniqueness of the current exploration of a much more generalized and useful Gap Theory. 

Given the extent to which the existence of gaps in our lives and in the physical world attracts our attention and is crucial to address with seriousness and action, maybe in the tomorrows of the future, the idea of Gap Theory will gain traction.  So let this post stand as a little flag marker claiming conceptual ownership of Gap Theory.  Why not?  It makes me feel good and represents a desirable reduction in one of my aspirational gaps.