Does anyone not believe in coincidences?

Question

I have never really believed in coincidences, but recently a lot of incredible coincidences have started to happen to me.

The odds of some of these things happening must be incredible.
Anyone ever heard any theories on coincidences?

Answer 1

Jungs theories on synchronicity are quite well documented.

He held that the term 'co-incidence' could be misleading,m as it tends to make people think that it means nothing. In fact we often say things are "just a co-incidence". But the word itself simply means that two (or more) things are occurring in relationship to each other.
It maybe a relationship of time, or of location, or of some other weird thing going on.
Jung quotes the tale of a woman who lost a film of photographs she had taken of her family when the second world war broke out.
She could not find it anywhere and all those images were lost. After the war, as the city tried to reconstruct itself, she bought another film from the chemists and took some more photographs of her family that had survived the war.
When she had the images back after development.... the who sets of images were superimposed. The new film she had bought was actually the one that had been lost many years before, re-packaged and sold BACK TO HER!

But there are many other famous examples...

For instance, the North German liner 'Grosser Kurfurst' sailed from Bremen to New York in 1906. On the voyage three women gave birth. One in third class who had triplets, one in second class who had twins and one in first class who had a single baby.

In 1897 Morgan Robertson wrote a piece of short fiction called "Futility" about an unsinkable luxury ocean liner called 'Titan' that ran into an iceberg and sank on it's maiden voyage. Ring any bells?

On Dec 5 1664 in the Menai Strait, North Wales, a ferry sank with 81 people on board. There was only one survivor, a man named Hugh Williams.
On Dec 5 1785, in the Menai Strait, North Wales, a passenger ferry sank with 60 passengers on board. The name of the sole survivor was Hugh Williams.
On Dec 5 1860 another ferry sank in the Menai Strait... guess what the name of the only person who lived to tell the tale was... correct for 10 points, it was Hugh Williams.
Fun, eh!

Answer 2

Coincidence literally describes two or more events or entities occupying the same point in space or time, but colloquially means two or more events or entities possessing unexpected parallels, such as thinking about someone and then receiving an unexpected phone call from that person, when it is clear that there is no ordinary causal connection.

The index of coincidence can be used to analyze whether two events are related. A coincidence does not prove a relationship, but related events may be expected to have a higher index of coincidence. From a statistical perspective, coincidences are inevitable and often less remarkable than they may appear intuitively. The odds that two people share a birthday, for example, reaches 50% with a group of just 22 [1] (see the Birthday paradox).

Remarkable coincidences sometimes lead to claims of psychic phenomena or conspiracy theories. Some researchers (see Charles Fort and Carl Jung) have compiled thousands of accounts of coincidences and other anomalous

Answer 3

I would not say that I believe in coincidences, but things like that happen often, I am under the belief that we all have a perfect path that might lead up to the best life we can live, it is our job to figure that out (like a choose you own adventure book) but the universe gives us clues along the way, when we have "coincidences" it is actually a sign that we are going the right direction, your life is coming into order the more you have the closer to the direction that is ideal for you. It is always reassuring when you make a decision and things seem to fall into place, coincidence...no just affermation that things are good
a very simple but easy to read book is the alchemist, by paulo Coelho. kinda talks about that, nothing to take serious but a nice philosophy to follow loosely

Answer 4

This is an old concept, and yes, there are people who do not believe in coincidences. They are called fatalists. They believe only in Fate and Predestination.

The word "Coincidence" means "a sequence of events that although accidental seems to have been planned or arranged." It implies that the mind tries to find order out of chaos and accident.

Jung's "Synchronicity" was an attempt to view an order behind chaos.

Most people tend to ignore the events in their lives which are so incredible that they seems like small miracles. Everyone has these, but some people want to believe that they are in control and so they are unaware when these happen.

Religious and spiritual people tend to believe that these are "Blessings." Materialists tend to believe that these are related to "Luck" or the "Theory of Probability." The reality is that those who are aware of these events when they do happen and are grateful when they happen tend to have more of these than people who are not even aware.

Answer 5

I do, kinda.
Two years ago i met my boyfriend a few months into the relationship we found out we used to live on the same street when we were toddlers just doors away from one another. i went to school with his cousin and our parents grew up in the same area(strange because we've moved now). We went to different schools but i got the same bus to college as hime, all this and we never met.Our families both moved from on side of town to another walking distance from eachother. However we didn't meet until i was 25!!!
Sometimes it's nice to beleive. Something was trying to get us together, maybe it wasn't our time back then, but now it is. I love a good fairy tail.

Oh yeah and his Aunty lives on the same road as my parents and has done for some time!!!

Answer 6

Read 'Beyond coincidence' Martin Plimmer and Brian King

There you will find loads of wierd coinsidences that may change your mind, like there are numerous similarities between the assassination of Lincoln and Kennedy...
It contains many interesting stories... Highly recomend it for anyone wishing to discover the power of coincidence.

Answer 7

Synchronicity. The psychologist Jung coined the term. Here's an interesting article for you.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synchronicity

Answer 8

A few years ago, my friend drove me to the airport( I was going on Concorde to New York) We talked about her first husband, who neither of us had seen for several years. When I took my seat, guess who had the seat next to me? Her first husband ! Another time I was dining alone in a restaurant in Paris,and I heard English voices a couple of tables away from me, it was my brother and his wife!

Answer 9

You might check out some articles on chaos theory - it's sort of a question of order in what otherwise appears to be total randomness.

Answer 10

yes. even with infinate choses we make and the endless possible outcomes in every hour of ours lives- it doesnt surprises me that we find connections in some things. I like finding them, it adds mystery.

I think you'll find (with out sounding like I watch too much Matrix) that something important (good/bad) is about to happen.

Good luck I hope it all your coincidences mean good things