Rational explanation for weird coincidences
Discussion
Pretty certain I'm not alone in this (unless the explanation is that I have some as yet, unrecognised super power) but some examples of what I'm on about.
Yesterday, whilst out walking the dog with the OH, she starts singing 'There'll be blackbirds over the White Cliffs of Dover' to which I say that it's not Blackbirds but neither of us can remember what it is. Then this afternoon on a gameshow, one of the questions is "what birds did Ver Lynn sing about being over the White Cliffs of Dover?"
Also yesterday, the night before I had dream in which featured an older lady in our village (she was dancing at a disco I was DJing at!!) I've not seen her for well over a year, and there she was at the park we'd gone to that we hardly ever visit!
Often I might think of a song I've not heard for a while and within hours of thinking that it pops up on the radio - quite often obscure stuff too that's been requested by someone rather than something that's on a playlist.
What prompted me to post this was this afternoon, I started to write an email to someone but as I start to write, 'ping' - an email from him lands about the very thing I was going to write to him about yet there was nothing that would have prompted him to know this.
I could go on.
Not wishing to be all weird and mystical - and I do embrace the simplicity of coincidence - but the regularity and abruptness of them does sometimes cause me to think if there's a more expansive reasoning.
What do you reckon?
Yesterday, whilst out walking the dog with the OH, she starts singing 'There'll be blackbirds over the White Cliffs of Dover' to which I say that it's not Blackbirds but neither of us can remember what it is. Then this afternoon on a gameshow, one of the questions is "what birds did Ver Lynn sing about being over the White Cliffs of Dover?"
Also yesterday, the night before I had dream in which featured an older lady in our village (she was dancing at a disco I was DJing at!!) I've not seen her for well over a year, and there she was at the park we'd gone to that we hardly ever visit!
Often I might think of a song I've not heard for a while and within hours of thinking that it pops up on the radio - quite often obscure stuff too that's been requested by someone rather than something that's on a playlist.
What prompted me to post this was this afternoon, I started to write an email to someone but as I start to write, 'ping' - an email from him lands about the very thing I was going to write to him about yet there was nothing that would have prompted him to know this.
I could go on.
Not wishing to be all weird and mystical - and I do embrace the simplicity of coincidence - but the regularity and abruptness of them does sometimes cause me to think if there's a more expansive reasoning.
What do you reckon?
StevieBee said:
Pretty certain I'm not alone in this (unless the explanation is that I have some as yet, unrecognised super power) but some examples of what I'm on about.
Yesterday, whilst out walking the dog with the OH, she starts singing 'There'll be blackbirds over the White Cliffs of Dover' to which I say that it's not Blackbirds but neither of us can remember what it is. Then this afternoon on a gameshow, one of the questions is "what birds did Ver Lynn sing about being over the White Cliffs of Dover?"
Also yesterday, the night before I had dream in which featured an older lady in our village (she was dancing at a disco I was DJing at!!) I've not seen her for well over a year, and there she was at the park we'd gone to that we hardly ever visit!
Often I might think of a song I've not heard for a while and within hours of thinking that it pops up on the radio - quite often obscure stuff too that's been requested by someone rather than something that's on a playlist.
What prompted me to post this was this afternoon, I started to write an email to someone but as I start to write, 'ping' - an email from him lands about the very thing I was going to write to him about yet there was nothing that would have prompted him to know this.
I could go on.
Not wishing to be all weird and mystical - and I do embrace the simplicity of coincidence - but the regularity and abruptness of them does sometimes cause me to think if there's a more expansive reasoning.
What do you reckon?
All the times you sing a song and it's not on the quiz / dream about someone and don't see them in the park / don't notice them in the park because you didn't dream about them / think of a song and it doesn't pop up on the radio, you don't notice it.Yesterday, whilst out walking the dog with the OH, she starts singing 'There'll be blackbirds over the White Cliffs of Dover' to which I say that it's not Blackbirds but neither of us can remember what it is. Then this afternoon on a gameshow, one of the questions is "what birds did Ver Lynn sing about being over the White Cliffs of Dover?"
Also yesterday, the night before I had dream in which featured an older lady in our village (she was dancing at a disco I was DJing at!!) I've not seen her for well over a year, and there she was at the park we'd gone to that we hardly ever visit!
Often I might think of a song I've not heard for a while and within hours of thinking that it pops up on the radio - quite often obscure stuff too that's been requested by someone rather than something that's on a playlist.
What prompted me to post this was this afternoon, I started to write an email to someone but as I start to write, 'ping' - an email from him lands about the very thing I was going to write to him about yet there was nothing that would have prompted him to know this.
I could go on.
Not wishing to be all weird and mystical - and I do embrace the simplicity of coincidence - but the regularity and abruptness of them does sometimes cause me to think if there's a more expansive reasoning.
What do you reckon?
The very rare occasion it does happen, you notice it.
May have told this on here before. Dad leaves Hampshire to drive to Plymouth to collect grandad and great aunt to then drive back to London for great uncle sir jacks funeral. Must be a 400 mile , 7 hour drive for him. I leave Hampshire for school trip to natural history museum in London. As we are waiting in central reservation to cross the second half of the road outside the museum, my dad drives right past me. Must have been a 15 second window. That was spooky !
tjl said:
May have told this on here before. Dad leaves Hampshire to drive to Plymouth to collect grandad and great aunt to then drive back to London for great uncle sir jacks funeral. Must be a 400 mile , 7 hour drive for him. I leave Hampshire for school trip to natural history museum in London. As we are waiting in central reservation to cross the second half of the road outside the museum, my dad drives right past me. Must have been a 15 second window. That was spooky !
Similarly, we'd been down to London to see a concert at the Olympic stadium in 2017. Stayed over in Stratford and headed home the next day, via calling in at mum mum's in Norfolk for a roast. Start to head out of Stratford onto the North Circular, off the slip-road and the car pulling over to let me on was my brother, (who lives in London) also on his way up to my mum's. As you mentioned, the window of opportunity was very slim.
Another I've just remembered one from a fair few years back when I smoked.
Pulled into a petrol station to get some fags so parked in the car park area. There's a bloke who's in a mild state of despair having had his card declined for the £20 of petrol he's put in his car. He's not a scrote - had an NHS lanyard round his neck... he's trying to call his OH to get it sorted and clearly not in a good place. I'm thinking do I help him out? will I see the £20 again? Does it matter if I don't?.... Anyway, get may fags and off I go sort of kicking myself a little for not helping but justifying it my head. Get to my car and I notice by the kerb under a pile of muck and grit what looks like a 20 - and sure enough it is. Has clearly been there a while - so nip back in and give to this fella.
There's no way it could have been his so tt was clearly a coincidence.... but.....!
Pulled into a petrol station to get some fags so parked in the car park area. There's a bloke who's in a mild state of despair having had his card declined for the £20 of petrol he's put in his car. He's not a scrote - had an NHS lanyard round his neck... he's trying to call his OH to get it sorted and clearly not in a good place. I'm thinking do I help him out? will I see the £20 again? Does it matter if I don't?.... Anyway, get may fags and off I go sort of kicking myself a little for not helping but justifying it my head. Get to my car and I notice by the kerb under a pile of muck and grit what looks like a 20 - and sure enough it is. Has clearly been there a while - so nip back in and give to this fella.
There's no way it could have been his so tt was clearly a coincidence.... but.....!
This year my dog had to have his leg amputated, as he was recovering at the time I got my youngest to say where to walk. End of this road left, or right, straight on etc. About 20 minutes into the walk we spit a black 3 legged cat. My boys were looking at it and then 2 people came out of a caravan on the drive and said hello. Lovely people and got the cat down so the boys could see he was fine on one leg.
His leg had been removed 8 years to the day that my dog had his one removed. Really odd but rather lovely.
Dave!
His leg had been removed 8 years to the day that my dog had his one removed. Really odd but rather lovely.
Dave!
Twenty years ago I was in a very dark place, everything was wrong.
I got up one morning and decided to take my life that day.
I went downstairs and switched the kettle on, I wouldn't normally turn on the radio but that day I did. The only words, the first words, were 'there is light at the end of the tunnel'
I got up one morning and decided to take my life that day.
I went downstairs and switched the kettle on, I wouldn't normally turn on the radio but that day I did. The only words, the first words, were 'there is light at the end of the tunnel'
I was taking a photograph of the Hiroshima dome with my mobile and all of a sudden "War, what is it good for? Absolutely nothing!" Frankie goes to Hollywood, came out of my phone at full volume.
Somehow that track from that album had coincidentally and spontaneously opened from my music.
Proper WTF!
Somehow that track from that album had coincidentally and spontaneously opened from my music.
Proper WTF!
Humans actively look for patterns and attribute underlying meaning to events that are not related but happen together by chance.
We visited Taupo last year. They have a golf challenge. A platform is anchored about 150 m offshore. You get a bucket of balls and attempt a hole in one. Can’t remember the prize - £5k perhaps? It seems difficult to impossible because the platform is of course moving around on top of the water) and it doesn’t have grass on top (I got some balls to hit the platform but they just bounced off). However when I spoke to the guys running it they said there had been thousands of winners over the years. All it takes is enough people randomly hitting balls to have some go in.
We visited Taupo last year. They have a golf challenge. A platform is anchored about 150 m offshore. You get a bucket of balls and attempt a hole in one. Can’t remember the prize - £5k perhaps? It seems difficult to impossible because the platform is of course moving around on top of the water) and it doesn’t have grass on top (I got some balls to hit the platform but they just bounced off). However when I spoke to the guys running it they said there had been thousands of winners over the years. All it takes is enough people randomly hitting balls to have some go in.
21st Century Man said:
I was taking a photograph of the Hiroshima dome with my mobile and all of a sudden "War, what is it good for? Absolutely nothing!" Frankie goes to Hollywood, came out of my phone at full volume.
Somehow that track from that album had coincidentally and spontaneously opened from my music.
Proper WTF!
Was that not Edwin Starr?Somehow that track from that album had coincidentally and spontaneously opened from my music.
Proper WTF!
JPvanRossem said:
finlo said:
21st Century Man said:
I was taking a photograph of the Hiroshima dome with my mobile and all of a sudden "War, what is it good for? Absolutely nothing!" Frankie goes to Hollywood, came out of my phone at full volume.
Somehow that track from that album had coincidentally and spontaneously opened from my music.
Proper WTF!
Was that not Edwin Starr?Somehow that track from that album had coincidentally and spontaneously opened from my music.
Proper WTF!
Just a silly little coincidence with no great meaning.
I met my wife online 20 years ago when it wasn’t quite as common. At the time she lived 200 miles away. Roll forward a few years and we’re married and looking to go abroad.
Turns out both our passports we’re issued on the same day.
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