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Synchronicity is one of the one of the most bizarre and fascinating unexplained phenomena I've come across. For me, it's especially significant because I am able to validate its existence by repeated personal experiences. Today I experienced something particularly interesting that I thought was worth sharing:
So I had training for work this morning and there were some technical issues with the computer the trainer was using. He told us we could "cadillac" while he waited for the IT guy to resolve the issues with the computer. I thought to myself huh, I've never heard that term before, and thought to myself it was actually a funny word to use for what I assumed to mean "relax" or "sit back". I asked my co-worker if she had ever heard that term before and she said had not. My mom called me later that day and when she asked what I was doing I told her I was "cadillacking". She didn't know what it meant either.
Fast forward to this evening, about 10 minutes ago in fact. I am watching one of those prison documentaries on MSNBC and they are describing a method prisoners use to communicate with each other which involves tying a string to a note. And what do you suppose this method of communication is called? Cadillacking.
It was just completely bizarre. Here is this term I had never heard before in my entire life, and I hear it twice, in two completely unrelated contexts and with two completely different meanings, in the same day. I mean, what are the odds of that happening arbitrarily? If this was the only time in my life something like this has happened, I might have just explained it away as a bizarre coincidence. After all, even the most unlikely of things have to happen sometimes. But this is one of literally dozens of experiences I have had even just in the past couple of years.
For those of you that don't know, synchronicity is a term coined by psychologist Carl Jung to describe this phenomenon. His theory is that events do not necessarily need to be related by causation; rather, they can also be related by meaning. In a dumbed-down way - like attracts like. So applying that to my scenario - I somehow ended up watching that show which included that term because I had been in the training where I had heard that term. It's a bit mind-boggling to me because the HOW aspect remains completely unexplained.
Anyway, I wanted to start this thread so that people could contribute their personal experiences with synchronicity and perhaps the more educated among us can offer their insight and share their knowledge about this phenomenon. Thanks!
Synchronicity is one of the one of the most bizarre and fascinating unexplained phenomena I've come across. For me, it's especially significant because I am able to validate its existence by repeated personal experiences. Today I experienced something particularly interesting that I thought was worth sharing:
So I had training for work this morning and there were some technical issues with the computer the trainer was using. He told us we could "cadillac" while he waited for the IT guy to resolve the issues with the computer. I thought to myself huh, I've never heard that term before, and thought to myself it was actually a funny word to use for what I assumed to mean "relax" or "sit back". I asked my co-worker if she had ever heard that term before and she said had not. My mom called me later that day and when she asked what I was doing I told her I was "cadillacking". She didn't know what it meant either.
Fast forward to this evening, about 10 minutes ago in fact. I am watching one of those prison documentaries on MSNBC and they are describing a method prisoners use to communicate with each other which involves tying a string to a note. And what do you suppose this method of communication is called? Cadillacking.
It was just completely bizarre. Here is this term I had never heard before in my entire life, and I hear it twice, in two completely unrelated contexts and with two completely different meanings, in the same day. I mean, what are the odds of that happening arbitrarily? If this was the only time in my life something like this has happened, I might have just explained it away as a bizarre coincidence. After all, even the most unlikely of things have to happen sometimes. But this is one of literally dozens of experiences I have had even just in the past couple of years.
For those of you that don't know, synchronicity is a term coined by psychologist Carl Jung to describe this phenomenon. His theory is that events do not necessarily need to be related by causation; rather, they can also be related by meaning. In a dumbed-down way - like attracts like. So applying that to my scenario - I somehow ended up watching that show which included that term because I had been in the training where I had heard that term. It's a bit mind-boggling to me because the HOW aspect remains completely unexplained.
Anyway, I wanted to start this thread so that people could contribute their personal experiences with synchronicity and perhaps the more educated among us can offer their insight and share their knowledge about this phenomenon. Thanks!
In his book "Unweaving the rainbow" Richard Dawkins quite thoroughly debunks it, and with very good arguments.
I believe I read that book several years ago. I'll have to dig it out to take another look at it but if I recall correctly, Mr. Dawkin's basic premise on this topic was that seemingly uncanny coincidences are actually quite mundane. I.e. given all of the stimuli that a person may experience in one day, it's not illogical to presume that such coincidences could occur even with regularity. Humans, by their nature, tend to attach more significance to such coincidences than is warranted.
If this is not an accurate summary of Mr. Dawkins' argument, please correct me. But if so, I found his arguments to be woefully inadequate when analyzed under my personal/subjective experiences. I know that my subjective experience is to be accorded very little weight because it's, well, subjective. But here's the deal - I'm a skeptic about most things and as someone who has to use logic every day for my job, I am always looking to explain things in rational terms. So the vast majority of coincidences I experience do get filed away under "random/arbitrary".
But every so often there are coincidences that are so bizarre because the odds of them occurring fortuitously appear to be so minutely negligible. And they actually do tend to occur in clusters and then will not occur again until years later. Dawkins may think they are all just random and arbitrary, and I can agree to disagree about that.
To me, Jung's theory on the matter still holds out for me even if the logistics of the function are still unexplained. I mean, he wasn't trying to establish the validity religion or anything like that. Contrary to what Jung's critics say, he took a very scientific approach to his research. I think he was criticized more so because he was not afraid to think outside of the scientific dogmas and paradigms that existed during his time. But I do not think he was trying to establish anything but a scientific and rational explanation for things like synchronicity.
Synchronicity or 'everything's perfect' whatever you call is exciting and
if I ever really told people some things...even in person they would think
I was somehow exaggerating...I luv this life and everthing is perfect...clockwork,
every single thing.
I'll take Carl Jumg approach vs Dawkins. At least he was writing in the area he was a specialist in, unlike dawkins who is just a money making machine on scandalizing the public ( nothing wrong with that per se, but his arguments can not be compared in credibility with Jung)
When it comes to synchronicity, Jung rules. His book, appropriately titled "Synchronicity", has some of the most amazing examples ever. Anyone who's not read it shouldn't even try to speak on the subject.
Frequently, while I'm watching TV I am doing three other different things at the same time, like writing a letter, note, or a check, or even reading. Many, many times I am writing (or reading) a word at the same time someone saids the exact word at the same time on TV - usually, it is not commonly used words either. Have you ever thought of a person that you haven't seen in a long while, then later on that exact day you run into them? This has happened to me a lot, too.
When it comes to synchronicity, Jung rules. His book, appropriately titled "Synchronicity", has some of the most amazing examples ever. Anyone who's not read it shouldn't even try to speak on the subject.
Yeah, that's a big reason why I have so much respect for Jung. Not just in terms of synchronicity, but just his general approach to everything. Sure, he didn't get all the answers but he had this extremely effective way of analyzing things in such a lucid and eloquent way that I don't think most people could or can replicate and had such powerful/unique theories that have withstood the test of time because they are so logically sound. He was truly an amazing asset to humankind IMO.
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