Beyond Coincidence?
Deborah Camp delves into the realm of synchronicity
Deborah Camp tantalizes with a triple coincidence compounded
Deborah’s piece addresses the possibility of mystical elements underlying remarkable synchronicities, such as she compellingly presents.
Skeptics cite the Law of Truly Large Numbers to account for instances that purport to defy prosaic explanations.
Regardless, Deborah’s piece prompted me to recall instances of coincidence I’ve experienced — none of which I construe as meaningful.
I challenge you to top these (no contest: you win).
My friend Gabriella — who is perpetually presumed to be my sister due to our pronounced facial resemblance — lives at #38 Wheeler Street in the city abutting mine, and I live at #38 Dexter Road (having previously lived on #21 Wheeler Avenue).
Whilst conversing with an acquaintance, I discovered that her current residence was my residence of 40 years prior. (Alas, the clawfoot tub that had sold me on the place had long since been removed.)
In 1990, in the course of a purported business trip (read: perk), to Scottsdale, Arizona, I encountered my high school Spanish teacher in a museum. (No hablamos en español.)
Twenty-something years ago, whilst rummaging in a shop containing a misfiled mishmash of thousands of used CDs of all genres, I spotted a lonesome CD face down on a shelf. When I turned it over, I was astonished to find it was a Prince CD featuring two recent favorites that I’d been on the lookout for: “Cream” and “Kiss.”
Sexy introduction segment! The music starts at the two-minute mark.
Spectacularly sensual dance moves in both!
Law of truly large numbers — Wikipedia
The law of truly large numbers (a statistical adage), attributed to Persi Diaconis and Frederick Mosteller, states that with a large enough number of independent samples, any highly implausible (i.e. unlikely in any single sample, but with constant probability strictly greater than 0 in any sample) result is likely to be observed.[1]
Because we never find it notable when likely events occur, we highlight unlikely events and notice them more.
The law is meant to make a statement about probabilities and statistical significance: in large enough masses of statistical data, even minuscule fluctuations attain statistical significance. Thus in truly large numbers of observations, it is paradoxically easy to find significant correlations …
… skeptic Penn Jillette has said, “Million-to-one odds happen eight times a day in New York” (population about 8,000,000).
