What do you think about the phrase "There are no coincidences"?

[DishLady]

Hi Guys and Gals,

I was with a guy yesterday who was very highly spiritual (as am I), so we took a deep dive into philosophical waters and this morning something he'd said to me yesterday was said verbatim. So I texted to tell him about it. I said, "We had good timing." He replied, "There are no coincidences."

I do always say folks are put on my path for a reason... but it's rare for others to get that as well.

What do y'all think about that?

[TalkWithoutSpeaking]

Well this is a very difficult question, in a way.

So my short answer is: depends on what glasses you have on.

This question is part of the question of "is everything predetermined (planned) or is everything random?" and again, I say "depends on the glasses you have on."

Now, the question of if there is such a thing as coincidence or if there isn't (as in, everything is planned/predetermined) can be answered by saying "no", both by spiritual people, agnostics, atheists, religious people, etc, literally everyone. Why? Because according to the religious paradigm, you can say "oh yes, well everything is the works of God (whatever you might think that might be) and therefore God planned it all!" but as a scientific impiricist, in the materialist paradigm, you can say the same, just by adding "oh yes, well the laws of physics, chemistry, biology and evolution... it's all predetermined! Everything is tied to the laws of science! There's no escaping them!" instead.

If you ask me, personally, I'd say that there is no such thing as ONLY coincidence, luck... just simply because there is a pattern. A pattern is what we all look for as humans and if you look closely (although not too closely) you can see a pattern. The pattern is all-incompassing, it's non-dual. So that means that it's not that things are all planned (or the opposite - random) but it's both! It's randomly planned, or planned randomness haha.

[HawkPerception]

I believe coincidences do happen. I was traveling abroad for a soccer tournament when I was younger and when I got to Chile and was at the game, I saw someone that was on one of my previous teams from years ago there. That was a pretty big coincidence to me.

Back in elementary school, I remember going on vacation to Florida and I saw a girl there who had told me she liked me (I know... elementary school. Young as hell) get on the same flight with her parents. I was awkward as hell and just stayed silent and avoided eye contact (not because she was unattractive... quite the opposite).

When you accidentally match someone's shirt at a party, that's a coincidence too.

I can go on with examples of how I've met people in the most unexpected places to meet people. But I don't believe it's divine intervention or anything like that. It's not like them being there has any great impact on my life either.

[ryanrhino]

By coincidence, per Merriam Webster meaning 'the occurrence of events that happen at the same time by accident but seem to have some connection'...

Yes, there are coincidences, as the word itself is a coincidence. Him saying there are none means precisely that one just happened. He decided to point it out, but it was a coincidence that he discussed it.

Scientifically, yes, no 2 atoms may occupy the same exact space, but without coincidence, there'd be no water (H2O) or life itself...

[Kaneki05]

Depends but the common way that this is used I highly dislike it, often to implies there is some sort of a mystical intervention of why things happen.
And it seems here it was used in that way. Not a fan.

Science only guy, and if used in that context it's true to extent though it only applies to things it actually caused, there are things caused by other things that aren't related to something else.
Though of course for everything to exist there was a cause beforehand that caused those two unrelated things but time scale makes it redundant to think about mostly.

[OlderAndWiser]

If you believe in a Creator who gives purpose to our world, it is quite logical to believe that everything happens for a reason, including those things which seem to be coincidental. If you don't believe in a Creator, then coincidences are nothing more than coincidences.

[exitseven]

I think that coincidences do happen. However when things happen so that some big shot politician that is about to go to prison and by some miracle the guy that could put him there is found hanging in his cell and by golly, it happened exactly when the video cameras somehow failed. What a coincidence

[worldscolide]

I'm not a fan of it because it implies I'm not in control of my own destiny.

[DishLady]

I think it’s 1/2 and 1/2… that God puts folks on my path for guidance (or to guide).

[worldscolide]

No disagreement here

[DishLady]

😂😂😂

[Bricealan]

@DishLady Everyone is entitled to their opinion... I have no faith in the idea of 'divine guidance' or the idea that "there are no coincidences'. I know others that share you beliefs but I am not one of them.

[DishLady]

Lol. I'll agree to disagree with you there, then.

[jshm2]

Well... he's not wrong. A "coincidence" is, for the most part, an effect that you do not know, or understand the cause of.

[MannMitAntworten]

Same as, “There are no stray bullets in war.”

[DishLady]

Oooh! Deep!

[MannMitAntworten]

Yet true.

[Panthero80]

I don't agree.

[slatyb]

It's silly.