Although diverse interpretations exist across a wide range of fields of study, the most commonly understood concept of path-dependence theory is the one based on the argument that history matters. That is, the process of social change in general does not unfold in an arbitrary way, but rather recurs, meaning that earlier decisions tend to affect subsequent decision-making processes. In this respect, what happened in the past is not a thing of the past at all , because the behavior, actions, circumstances and decisions of today and the future depend greatly on those o the past. Therefore, history is considered a very important factor in path-dependence after they theory. According to the theory, it is relatively easy to change decisions soon after they are made, but it gets harder and harder to change them at a later point in time because events restrict the available options. According to this logic, decisions taken in the past become an increasingly absolute and inescapable norm as more time passes. This is similar to the situation of an African cheetah running after a small antelope at full speed. Although a much bigger antelope comes into the cheetah's view, it is easier and better for the cheetah just to keep chasing the small antelope because it requires a tremendous amount of energy and a more sophisticated technique for the cheetah to suddenly change direction in order to pursue the bigger one.