Coincidences

Life is full of coincidences. It’s probably a saying everybody has heard before. At least, I have heard it a lot in my lifetime. Every time I hear the word coincidence I think of the Pixar movie the Incredibles. The teacher is irate that he sat on a thumbtack. And he is trying to explain to the principal that it was placed on his chair by one of the main characters, Dash. He yells at Dash in a fit of rage, “Coincidence I think not!” (Sidenote: if you haven’t seen Incredibles, what are you doing go watch it! highly recommend.) Today has been a day full of coincidences, so it really has been a word on my mind. But what I keep asking myself is, what is a coincidence? What is the actual dictionary definition. So, of course, I looked it up. My good old trusty Google search engine defines a coincidence as “a remarkable concurrence of events or circumstances without apparent causal connection.”. Now the ending of that definition I find interesting, without APPARENT causal connection. So, that got me thinking. Is there anything in this world that is a true coincidence? Or is it all just from our perspective that things are coincidences?

Does a coincidence actual exist in this world? I don’t believe so. So how does that impact you and me? Imagine if we were to believe that nothing in this world is a coincidence. Walk with me here: from our own perspective, things appear as coincidences. So, for example in the Incredibles movie. To the principal in that office, the thumbtack on the stool was just a coincidence. But to Dash, who put the thumbtack there, it wasn’t a coincidence at all.

That shifts my understanding of my view of this life completely! It is almost as if everything and nothing is a coincidence. Everything is connected and has meaning, nothing and I mean nothing is a coincidence but everything I mean everything is. I believe thinking this way will help me. It may also help you have a brighter outlook on life. Or maybe it just helps me have a more positive outlook. Think whatever you want. But my being here isn’t a coincidence. You being on this earth isn’t a coincidence. It is just from your perspective that it is! Take a look at the bigger picture. Consider the chances that, out of the 7 billion people in the world, your parents happened to meet. They happened to have a child, happened to have you! If you think that is all a coincidence, go right ahead but to me that was all meant to happen. Coincidences don’t exist. Everything in life has a reason for happening. There is a reason for existing, a reason.

So, I leave you with this thought today, what are you going to do with this reason? this purpose? I hope something amazing. Because you existing isn’t a coincidence. (;

-Claire