Here's a strange little experience I had this morning. I had gone to the bank to make a withdrawal. While standing inline, a man whom I've seen before but never spoken to walked into the bank. This individual is mentally challenged, but he always seems to have a cheerful disposition. He often walks up to a random person and says something pleasant like, "I hope you have a wonderful day," then turns and walks off. He doesn't really bother anyone, so no one complains.

As I walked up to the teller, I heard the man speak to the person behind me. I didn't really catch what he said, but it was something nice as usual. He then turned and walked out of the bank.

When I was through at the bank I decided to stop at the convenience store across the street to buy a pack of smokes. When I walked in I noticed the man talking to the girl behind the counter. He then graciously stepped aside and allowed me to make my purchase. Then, as I was about to leave, the man called out to me, 'Sir, do you need a lighter?"

I turned and smiled as I replied, "No, I don't. Thanks anyway."

A while after I got home, I opened the pack and pulled out a cigarette. Well, you guessed it by now. As I tried to light my smoke I found that the only lighter in my house had run out of lighter fluid.

I believe this was nothing more than a strange coincidence. However, I can see how a little thing like this can reinforce the belief in psychic phenomena.

What do you think, anyone?

well, our brains have electro energy which goes with other things,

I have no idea what you meant by that.

Yeah, Source, I was just thinking the same thing.

Your situation just seems like coincidence. You were buying smokes, and he thought he'd help you by suggesting a lighter.

i'll second that wannabe

actually i don't know; he could have been nice yeah that's my second thought or would be most other's first thought, "it was just a coincidence" but maybe it wasn't... it's like people like that who are autistic can maybe really have a sixth or psychic sense that we don't have.
Therefore, i am not really sure but since i am like a natural paradox in itself, i think that it can go both ways... but that is surely interesting and i wonder what will happen when you see this man again? i'm a firm believer in fate, so yeah. i think that this man i don't know i'm sort of thinking that it wasn't a coincidence.

omg

i really expected alot more to that story, and its in the AM here so im a little emotionaly unstable.
he's a loony he observes you with smokes, asks you if you want a light, thats it, the only unexplained mystery is why he's so friendly most of the retards i know piss you off to no end, smell like they have not washed in months, probably soil themself, and are a social and financial burden.

I tend to agree with you Wannabe and Ciraxis.

I've noticed a lot of little coincidences these past few months. Someone will mention a song I haven't heard in years, then within a day or so I'll hear it on the radio or someone will be playing it on disk. Or on the opposite side, I'll suddenly think of something I haven't thought of in a long time, then someone will bring that subject up. For example, a couple of months ago, I suddenly started thinking about my old Moog 35 modular synth which I sold back in 91. That same day, a friend of mine emailed me saying he found a Moog 35 in mint condition for sale in Denver.

For some reason the incident today made me start to wonder.

I still think it's all just coincidence. But if it is some sort of psychic phenomena, I couldn't begin to understand the dynamics of how it works.

BTW, Ciraxis, what is your avatar supposed to be?



If I do see him again I'll definitely consider taking his advice.

It's nice to know you're such a humanitarian. Now, run along and go piss on a dumpster.

HE'S A PSYCHIC SERIAL KILLER RUN, RUN FOR YOUR LIFE





















Lol just kidding. He was just being nice and it was just a little coincidence.

That was really uncalled for.

Proably just a coincidence, but you never know.

Despite drunk's rude post, he did bring up a point (albeit a small one). This thread isn't a dramatic story of demons jumping out of Ouija boards, or visitations by aliens. You have to realize I'm a skeptic, and I don't put much stock in stories of psychic phenomena. However, I'm trying to be open minded, and I would like to learn why anyone would consider this more than just coincidence.

If there is something deeper to these occurrences, then I'd like to learn what that is. If it's all merely coincidence, then that's fine with me too.

Nah, there's a bag boy (goodness that's not PC) at the grocery I frequent who's rather chatty sometimes. He's says things like that all the time. If I buy cereal, he'll ask if I need milk. If I buy some deli chicken he'll suggest paper plates. Yes, I'm serious. He's very thoughtful. That's why I was pretty certain it was a coincidence.

All that other stuff is normal. My boss and I talk about movies we haven't seen in YEARS. Stuff you'd never expect to see on TV or in the video store or anywhere else for that matter. As soon as we talk about it, within a week it's on TV. It's just one of those things. Actually, I think there's a name for it. Synchronicity, maybe? I can't remember. I really don't give it too much thought.

Thanks Wannabe (or can I call you WS)? I've always thought of it as mere coincidence. I was hoping to hear from someone who thought there might be more to this, but aside from stellarx3 events such as these are considered inconsequential.





Sorry eveningsky, I don't know how I missed your post.

im sorry if i over reacted

it just angers me how quickly you people are to get excited over such things.

i guess its an american thing.

Could be.




But Southerners are a lot more laid back.

Coincidence.

Let us know when you start predicting stock prices or something.

Are you kidding? I'm keeping those to myself!

Dawn of the Drunk, I'll be keeping my little eye on your posts for a while I think.


as for the thread, Synchronicity was the name of a theory behind coincidences put forth by Carl Jung a very clever man with a bent toward explaining the un explainable.
theSOURCE, I would be inclined to think the gentleman you spoke to was just being helpful but for some reason you found the coincidence odd. What was it that made it feel more than just an ordinary coincidence for you?

Kismit to the rescue!

why does the truth always seem to offend people so much?

why is the truth so shocking??

i am not the problem i think society needs a good hard look at itself.

Don't take it too hard, bud. Here, have some whiskey. I made it in my backyard a few nights ago. Found a dead bird in the filter, but I assure you it is still very clean.

I've read about Carl Jung's theory of Synchronicity, though not to any great extent.

For some inexplicable reason (to me, anyway) I've lately become more aware of these odd occurrences. As I stated earlier, I've always put them down to coincidence. But (and here's the part where I open myself up to criticism) the event today (a small one, to be sure) made me wonder if there was something more to it than coincidence.

There has been a bit too many funky occurrences in my life lately (many too personal to post here) to simply dismiss them as meaningless.

Then again, as it was once popular to state in my country, it is the silly season.

I have things happen similar to this, so I do feel that sometimes coincidence is more than just coincidence. I actually no longer discuss topics like death with people because I have found, I always hear of a death within a few days.
I know you can't stop that sort of thing happening but hey I just don't want to knowit's going to happen if I don't have to.

Well, the reason I'm not too sure that it was a coincidence is because how can everything be a coincidence? maybe i'm just a bit gullible but i don't know. i mean after reading that one person's post on how the worker at the supermarket always suggests things like that, that i would be like okay a coincidence, but this is more rare and random in such a way. and actually, when you mentioned the songs on the radio or the movie, i don't believe it's a coincidence. perhaps our spirit guides or something giving us a treat of some sort or fate. like if predestiny is true, and we plan out our lives ahead of time up where it ever maybe then maybe we threw these events in as sort of a joke for ourselves or something to remind us of what is really out there incase we ever becamse skeptical. i don't like thinking things are coincidences, like i know when i was younger i had heard of "godincidences" but some of those i thought were merely coincidences because of the lack of tangible proof and the ignorance and just not wanting to believe. when i talk about bees with someone, later that day i or someone in the conversation gets stung.. coincidence or the works of the unknown? i think the radio is definitely a form of communication between the living and the dead and whatever other supernatural forces there are. because i have had experiences that help me believe that. and you know that movie "the boy who could fly" or something like that, those people must know things, they see things because they're not as corrupt as we are. we just have to let ourselves see. but maybe the man would have been more persistant on giving you a lighter if he really knew. but, i have a feeling on this one, because most smokers have a lighter and if they don't they'll usually get one. and you had no idea, and it just doesn't seem like a coincidence to me. but then again i think things work in weird days cause i'm a weirdo like that. my apologies for going all out and not making sense.
peace + love,
ta

A phrase I am very fond of saying to my family and friends when odd little things like that happen is "One of life's little synchronicities!" Seems like I say it an awful lot though.

Don't let those skeptics talk you out of synchronicity. Synchronicity implies there is meaning to existence, and that is contrary to our reductionist, materialistic worldview. When I was 31, (I am now 65), I experienced a mystical state known as cosmic consciousness, where I saw that there was a pattern running through all things. While I'm sure there are true accidental events, most of life has a pattern, the one Jung called synchronicity. Mystical experiences are reproducible. William James found them in all religions. But that is a large topic, and I am going to bed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Dr.H~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kismit and Cebrakon - I found several sites on synchronicity. If anyone's interested, here's one that describes it without going into too much detail:

Synchronicity



I can understand the idea of correlation. An event occurring in one place may have an effect on something miles, or even hundreds of miles away. Where I run into a snag trying to understand this, however, is when Jung writes of "universal forces." They are often referenced to, but are never described in great detail.

Could quantum theory be used to explain this?

What is synchronicity



Now my next problem. Quantum physics may explain the physical side of synchronicity, but what about the connection between a thought and an event? I found this next example amusing, btw:



It seems (to me, at least) that to accept this side of synchronicity one also has to accept the possibility of being clairvoyant. I find this frustrating because it's using one unknown to explain another unknown.

Now, I'm not trying to debunk synchronicity, I'm simply trying to understand it better.

stellarx3 - You brought up an interesting question about there being a possible connection between the man's mental condition and psychic phenomena. I couldn't find anything that supports that, but I did find this:

Dr. Martina Belz-Merk



The site goes on to explain that a person need not have a psychological disorder in order for that person to believe they have had a paranormal experience.

Also, it suggests that stress may be a factor for an increased susceptibility towards unusual experiences. Interestingly enough, I have been going through a particularly stressful period lately. Unfortunately, it also states that this occurs to people who have a strong belief in the paranormal, which I don't have.

And just to be fair, on the skeptical side there's a term for finding a link between unconnected occurrences.

Apophenia.



These are examples of both extremes. I have to say that I'm still on the fence about synchronicity. I can't claim that I have psychic abilities, but OTOH, I have experienced strange events that I have no explanation for (events far more interesting that the lighter incident ).

Wow, I didn't know synchronicity was that deep. I didn't mean to open up a whole thing about clairvoyance and divinity and stuff. It was more along the lines of a saying. Like someone else said, "Life's little synchronicities". And out of alllll that, I can say that I agree about stress causing your noticing more little things like this. Stress plays a major part in a lot of problems we have. I've discussed this before, and won't put you guys and gals through it again.

Yeah, Apophenia: I learned that word watching an episode of the Justice League cartoon. Who says cartoons can't be educational?