Ever happened that you decided last minute to wear a shirt, and you step outside and the sky is in the shades of your shirt? Or you were randomly thinking about someone, and they approached you out of the blue! Or you saw this reel of Ramen and your best friend in the evening says “Let us go have Ramen.” Coincidences! All sweet little coincidences! Coincidences feel like a cheeky little surprise by the Universe.
We all experience these little moments and honestly, they bring us joy! Plasters a smile on our faces for the rest of the day. The weirdest coincidences will happen and we will be left to think “How did that even happen” all day.
Scholars, Spiritualists, and Normal people, all have thought about and tried to apply some logic to coincidences. To have something to back up the crazy experience.
Although the question “What are the odds?” has become synonymous with coincidences, they are more than just unexpected events. Despite the variety of experiences in the boat marked “coincidences,” we are tempted to gather them for reasons that go beyond mere oddity.
No Coincidences In Opinions
If you throw the question “What do you think about…?” there will be at least 7-8 different explanations, theories, and analogies of the same concept. The concept of coincidences is no different.
Some have an opinion that these little moments are a sign or message from above- a warning of some sort. If we think hard enough, we will find some connection or message hidden.
On the other hand, some believe that they are just us connecting two dots subconsciously. It is our mind that leads us from point A to point B forming a connection.
“The world is so unpredictable. Things happen suddenly, unexpectedly. We want to feel we are in control of our existence. In some ways, we are, and in some ways, we’re not. We are ruled by the forces of chance and coincidence.” – Paul Auster
Scientifically Speaking
Because everything has a scientific point of view, many researchers and mega minds have tried to find a meaning behind coincidences. Today’s experts think coincidences have no deeper significance. However, we all experience them and tend to give these amazing combinations of events a profound meaning.
According to a study by mathematicians Diaconis and Mosteller, Coincidences are “a surprising concurrence of events, perceived as meaningfully related, with no apparent causal connection”.
Similarly, another study describes it as “Extremely improbable events are commonplace but humans aren’t great at reasoning objectively about probability as they go about their everyday lives.”
The Everything Happens For A Reason Theory
The universe is one big system. It runs on its plans and pathways taking all of us together. The things happening in our lives- finding a long-lost pen, seeing someone on the road, noticing a stranger, and more. Every incident that happens to us, big or small, is a part of the universe’s plan and all we do is simply walk on it.
That’s the theory in an instant. Every day we’ve spent, and every mountain we have climbed led us to this particular moment in our lives.
What crosses people about this theory is that it leaves no room for free will and being in control of one’s own life. It is disheartening to some to know that whatever decisions they take in life, whatever paths they choose, were already decided. And whatever their life becomes, good or bad, it is bound already.
Universe Sending Messages
Many people think that these connections promote psychological development and change, allowing you to individuate and become who you are. They think that coincidences convey personal messages to them.
People who are more interested in statistics tend to believe that coincidences are simply unexpected but predictable happenings that stand out because they surprise us.
Both explanations absolve us of responsibility: either unusual forces are at work, or the cosmos is acting irrationally. Even with all these explanations, coincidences stay a mystery for most people.
The Unus Mundus
The power of synchronicity caused meaningful coincidences. They may be seen as glimmers of the unus mundus, or “one world.” Another one of Carl Jung’s concepts. The idea that reality has an underlying structure and order, a network that connects everything and everyone, is known as the unus mundus theory.
For Jung, synchronicity included ESP, telepathy, and ghosts in addition to coincidences. And current study indicates that those who believe in the supernatural are also more prone to experience frequent coincidences.
This is the problem with trying to explain coincidences in a way that goes deeper than chance: it can easily drift into the paranormal.
“It is such a complex matter we live within, it is impossible to track logic and decision making really, so therefore each choice can actually only be seen as coincidence.” – Alva Noto
In the end, you choose what you want to believe in. Whether you want to believe it is the universe giving you signs for the future, or they are just subconscious. But you will surely notice even more coincidences now, after reading about coincidences. Happy exploring!
