What do you think about...

akhensley81

...coincidences?

The morning radio show I listen to was talking about this (clicky) article this morning and I thought it might be a fun topic of discussion. Do you think coincidences are truly random happenings? Or is there something "bigger" at work?

Bonus if you have a good story of something that happened to you.

arv266

I have always believed that things happen for a reason, and not just random occurances.  It helps me keep order in my life and helps keep me positive. 

AliGirl11

I don't think they're random. 

It took me a year after I graduated from college to find a job.  I put in dozens of applications and had at least a dozen interviews.  Finally I decided to interview for a position that was seemingly a "sure thing" at my college in the office I worked in as a student.  If I got the position it would mean that H and I would have a long distance marriage for at least a year while he finished law school.  I found out on my birthday that I didn't get the position and was devastated, but the very next day, I got a phone call from a college near where we live offering me a position I hadn't even interviewed for. 

I sure feel like someone was watching out for me. 

EDIT:  And especially watching out for my marriage!

emilyinchile

I am not religious or particularly spiritual, but I've always felt like coincidences happen with numbers. Right now with the miners, there are all sorts of crazy coincidences happening with the number 33 (33 miners, 33 characters in the first letter they sent up, 33 days of digging with Plan B to reach them, rescued on 10+13+10=33, rescue time was 22hrs+5+4min+1+1sec=33). I don't think that God is up there throwing 33s at us, but I do feel like there's something going on in the universe that makes stuff like that happen.

akhensley81

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_think-23?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:9Discussion:079ccc22-bad3-492c-8ece-8da1261aef8fPost:3cc8e4d6-fb7f-4f4c-bfe8-860300756611">Re: What do you think about...</a>:
[QUOTE]I am not religious or particularly spiritual, but I've always felt like coincidences happen with numbers. Right now with the miners, there are all sorts of crazy coincidences happening with the number 33 (33 miners, 33 characters in the first letter they sent up, 33 days of digging with Plan B to reach them, rescued on 10+13+10=33, rescue time was 22hrs+5+4min+1+1sec=33). I don't think that God is up there throwing 33s at us, but I do feel like there's something going on in the universe that makes stuff like that happen.
Posted by emilyinchile[/QUOTE]

That's interesting!! I lean toward the numbers idea too... I've always noticed the number 23 seems significant and/or comes up a lot in my life. Then again, it just could be that I'm "in tune" to it so I pay attention. But if a 23 comes up I'm definitely going to pay attention. :)

A good friend of mine believes strongly in the theory of synchronicity... it's kind of complicated but it's along the same lines (nothing happens by chance). He had a penny that he called his "synchronicity penny" - some strange "coincidences" that happened in his life with the penny. He drilled a little hole in it and wore it around his neck. He gave it to me 15ish years ago (we were kind of dating at the time)... and I lost it one day while I was helping a friend move. 2 years ago I was walking down a street in an entirely different part of that town, and I came across a penny on the ground with a little hole in it. Same year.

ohwhynot

I think they're completely random and demonstrate confirmation bias.

bonnyandtim

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_think-23?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:9Discussion:079ccc22-bad3-492c-8ece-8da1261aef8fPost:254ca781-c5df-4dfb-8daf-f0d3e297d80e">Re: What do you think about...</a>:
[QUOTE]I have always believed that things happen for a reason, and not just random occurances.  It helps me keep order in my life and helps keep me positive. 
Posted by arv266[/QUOTE]

Ditto for me.