Coincidences And Other Weird Stuff...

I don't know if I have ever shared these on these boards before. But I am fascinated by coincidences. Some are amazing and unlikely. Some much less so. And some just make you wonder maybe a little. But I thought I'd share just a couple here.

When I would flip a coin as a child, it would always come up whatever side was upside in my hand. Seriously. I thought at the time this was no accident, because I thought that was just the way it worked (I was very naïve as a child ). Anyways, finally one day, my friend from across the street, "Danny", made me a wager. I could have his 50-cent piece, if I could win a coin toss. Only requirement was, he could toss it as many times as he wanted. Well, he tossed it, and I won every time, using the method I just described above. He was understandably flustered, until I explained it to him. He let me down, though, by explaining to me, why my assumptions were basically false. And the phenomenon ceased, after that. But can you imagine how many times this happened to me, before I found out? It boggles the mind, doesn't it?

And speaking of coincidences, one time in high school, on Easter Sunday, I was listening to the radio. And every time I thought of it, the song Nice Girls, by Melissa Manchester came on. It happened every time. And I did it quite a few times, I know. Again, weird. No?

But there are a lot of unique coincidences and phenomena that happen throughout human history too. Like clocks stopping at the moment of their owners' death. Federick the Great of Prussia (1740-1786) had a clock that stopped at the moment of his death. Many ordinary people claim this has happened to them too.

There's also the phenomenon of statues coming to life. Benjamin Franklin's statue outside the American Philosophical Society in Philadelphia is said to come to life on Easter Sundays. One maid was reportedly knocked over by the apparition.

Also, the statues in Statuary Hall in the Capitol, Washington, DC, are said to dance New Years Eve to celebrate another year of the republic. A guard there said he saw it happen during the administration of Ulysses S. Grant. He may have been drunk though.

 

Sorry but I couldn't resist. But there are many other odd things in history.

In 1864, a year before John Wilkes Booth killed Lincoln, Edwin Booth (John Wilkes Booth's brother) saved the life of Lincoln’s eldest son Robert. Also, Abraham Lincoln's son was present at his assassination. He was also physically present at every presidential assassination that followed.

Stephen Hawking's death on March 14 coincides with Albert Einstein's 139 birth anniversary, while his birth on January 8, 1942, had coincided with Galileo Galilei's 300 death anniversary. Hawking and Einstein both lived until the age of 76 years. Also, you know. Hawking died on π Day.

Here are some more: Mark Twain's birth and death coincide with Halley's Comet. Political adversaries Thomas Jefferson and John Adams died within hours of each other, on July 4th. This is also the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Violet Jessop survived the Titanic, Britannic, and Olympic shipwrecks. The first and last battles of the Civil War were fought next to the property of the same man, Wilmer McLean, in different towns. J.G. Tierney and Patrick Tierney, a father and son were the first and last casualties during the construction of the Hoover Dam—14 years apart. The odds of the universe existing are so small that they're practically impossible.

I would be the first to admit, some of these coincidences are more amazing than others.

Also, I might as well add. Why are we the most evolved animal? No animal comes even close. And the three main races were separated by geological barriers for thousands of years. Yet there is no difference among them, except some minor cosmetic ones. We're even genetically compatible. The lion and the domestic house cat certainly aren't. And everything thing in human history seems to be a moral test, arching in one direction. Witches, heretics, slavery, LGBTQ rights. Is this an accident?

 

BTW there is a theory, just a theory, that we are being observed by advanced ET's, perhaps in the Van Halen asteroid belt. Some scientists have proposed this even. And maybe ghosts and UFO's are them trying to covertly communicate with us. Carl Sagan once said ghosts may just be ET's. Maybe that's what he meant. Maybe they're waiting for us to cross some technological and/or moral threshold. Like in Star Trek.

Actually I think perhaps so-called ghosts are human psyches they have downloaded into their computer (if they still use computers). Why else would "ghosts" be seen wearing glasses and watches as they often are? It's just a theory. I don't know if you can still communicate with dearly departed Aunt Edna or Uncle Frank. But you could try. Or they (if they exist) would probably have the power to bring people back. Having deceased relatives walking around your house would look too suspicious. But Fido or Spot the cat? Why not? Don't hold your breath though. It hasn't happened yet. And as I said it's just a theory .

 

Anyways, I might as well add this to this thread too. You know, I think childhood is a magical time for most people. It certainly was for me.

I already shared the coin flip one. Also, once as a kid, I wanted this sticker which was a prize in a cereal box. There were several, and they were randomly in each box. But I knew just the right ritual to grab the right box. Also, as a young child, maybe about five, I thought God gave what I wanted immediately. Then the phenomenon stopped for no apparent reason.

When I was a kid, I saw this episode of Family Affair. Family Affair aired on CBS from 1966 to 1971 (I saw the rerun). It was called "Fat, Fat the Water Rat":

Family Affair Friday(ish): Season 2, Episode 7, “Fat, Fat, The Water Rat,” 10/23/1967

In it, the rich kids go to a poor neighborhood to play. And one of the poor kids does a ritual to find something. I always found it ironic the poor kids were the ones who possessed this power.

 

Correlation does not imply causality.

 

Anyway, just to round off this thread, I was also going to add. There's some weird phenomenon that psychiatrists and other therapists sometimes encounter (any on these boards?). Credible people sometimes see ghosts. This is a perfectly normal part of the grieving process. But sometimes more than one person does. That's impossible. Sometimes mentally ill people have shared delusions. That's called folie à deux. But never shared hallucinations.

And alien abduction phenomena is utter nonsense. If they could cover interstellar distances, they wouldn't just crash when they get here. They wouldn't look like greys (greys are probably based on the 1977 movie "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" BTW). And they wouldn't do anal probes. They wouldn't be using solid tools at all. Though they may be observing us. From the Van Halen Belt, some scientists think. Yet some credible people sometimes claim alien abductions. What's that all about?

 

There is a radiation belt around earth, called the van allen belt. & grey's were sighted, before ce3k film. & i somewhat agree, abt the tools. & there appear to be other races, as well. I'm a bit fuzzy on the abduction thing, as well. Some say these are done willingly & voluntarily, in regards to this. There do appear to be bad races. Whiich sadly, more folks seem to focus on, than the good encounters. &, in addition to et's & ghosts, there appear to be elemental beings. Also we have our own spiritual guides & guardian angels. Also we do have powers.

 

Sorry, I think I meant asteroid belt. Some scientists think ghost phenomenon is pretty weird too. As for the alien abduction thing, it is a little more open to debate. Sleep paralysis is one explanation. But some stories are more complex too.

 

"Ghost images are rarely 'seen' by more than one individual at a time, even when others are present, and tend to be perceived in periods of emotional crisis. The image often includes some implausible physical factors; for example, the ghost wears clothing, rides a horse, or carries a heavy object despite its disembodied nature...

alien abduction a claim by individuals that they have been kidnapped by extraterrestrial beings. Although this phenomenon is commonly associated with delusional thinking, POSTRTRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER, and acute stress reactions, many of these individuals have no other clear symptoms of mental disorder. Historically, there is no conclusive evidence to support the validity of their claims."

APA Dictionary of Psychology, © 2007 by the American Psychological Association.

 

Oh, and I had to add. Starting in HS, I used to make a wish every Easter Sunday, after the Nice Girls thing, cause I thought it might be significant. But you know I continued that into my young adulthood, kind of out of nostalgia for my youth.

But like I said, I still can't explain everything. But making a wish every Easter. Try it, it works.