August 28, 2006

Coincidence

It's happened before, and maybe a similar entry was made here long ago. I am listening to a quiet piece of music. The music pauses before the next note, and suddenly, startlingly, a bird outside sings the very next note -- same octave, same key, same pitch. The music goes on (only a moment has elapsed). The bird flies on. An almost palpable sensation is left in the room.

Is it coincidence? Or is the question left by the incident a conceit or delusion? If everything is caused by something else, then every possible event is bound to occur, isn't it? Coincidence is then nothing more than the perception or interpretation that something has visibly and verifiably occurred.

I interpret the coincidence as suggestive and perhaps meaningful, but of what? No rationale or reason says that a coincidence must occur when I observe it.

In this case, imagination and intuition delight and thrill in finding not coincidence but convergence, while the dismissive mind is forced into a corner, having to calculate the odds of the event occurring, or at least occurring when I would notice it. Such calculations are beyond me. I settle back to savor the "convergence," as I will call it, since it was so positive. Convergence is for good things. Only bad things are coincidence. Or bad luck, or fate.

"May you only have convergences!" might be a nice salutation.

- from Hermit's Thatch

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

You know those little mushrooms that grow around the edge of your bath tub? ROTFL! :D

BBC said...

Rockin Robbin, rockin and a boppin and a singing his song all day long.

Unknown said...

There's no such thing as coincidence. Carl Jung called it "synchronicity". Synchronicities can be positive - ie you attract/create conditions that are useful to you in your present state, or they can be negative, eg you tend to attract the wrong people into your life (the first two husbands in my case!) - or they can just show that you are in tune with whatever is going on. I tend to notice Indian signs, like feathers, or certain animals that cross my path at a given moment, something that happens in the moment that seems to be charged with meaning. Nothing is random, the universe is not random, everything is inter-connected.

Or perhaps the bird already knew the music and was just singing along to it ;-) Art imitating nature!

Unknown said...

Just thought I would give you an example of "coincidence" - I broke up with my second husband - 'Hurricane George' - you know the joke about women who are like hurricanes, they arrive all wet and wild, and when they leave they take your house, your money, your car . . ., well George was the male equivalent. Anyway, I asked the universe for someone to come into my life who was caring, and considerate and fun to be with, a few days later I bump into John - we had both just left our second marriages. Now we are married and living the good life - we both wanted to live in France. We have had so many similar experiences in this rollercoaster we call life it was like looking at a mirror image.

So I don't believe in coincidence!!!

azgoddess said...

ok i second what minou says - that's what i was gonna say...

well, except for the bird knowing...i think he was listening to the music and singing along -- you just couldn't hear him until the music went off - grin