I’m a physician by training. I believe in science, in evidence-based medicine, in rationality. I’m more inclined to believe arguments that appeal to logic than to emotion. However, sometimes events occur which defy my attempts at scientific explanation.
For example…
I’ve recently set myself a goal of jogging around my neighborhood, nonstop, for 20 full minutes three times a week. I’m not naturally athletic, so it took two months of regular practice for me to stop huffing and puffing. Now that I’m fitter from a cardiovascular standpoint, the limiting factor is leg fatigue.
So the other day, at minute #18, I was fighting the aforementioned leg fatigue and holding a grumbled conversation with myself. The little devil sitting on my shoulder had been wheedling me to take a break since the 15-minute mark, and as the lactic acid built up in my calves, his suggestion sounded more and more appealing. I gritted my teeth and promised myself I would keep jogging until the next STOP sign, and then allow myself a rest.
Apparently I wasn’t the only one trying to get fit; in the distance, I could see a man approaching me at a brisk walk. As it turned out, we ended up passing each other at the STOP sign. With a sigh, I slowed my pace and felt the burn start to fade.
As I dropped into a walk, this man—just a random passerby–asked, “That’s it? You’re done?”
…How did he know?
Remember, I didn’t know this man from Adam. And he had no way of knowing who I was, or how long I’d been jogging, or that I was trying to weasel my way out of a contract I’d made with myself. But evidently the universe was trying to keep me honest.
That’s synchronicity. Wikipedia defines it like this:
Synchronicity: the occurrence of two or more events that appear to be meaningfully but not causally related.
I’ve been noticing these events more and more lately. A few weeks ago I was trying to find a gift for a friend. I’d already spent several hours searching through the mall for the perfect present. I probably could have completed my task much faster if I’d been willing to settle for a generic gift, but I wanted something personal and heartfelt. As I walked into the second-to-last store on my list, I heard a favorite song of mine playing over the radio. Minutes later, I stumbled across the perfect gift, right in that store.
Another example: I’d had an especially rough day at work. I’d spent my lunch hour with one hand on my computer mouse, the other hand on my roast beef sandwich, and the phone headset tucked between my shoulder and my ear. At 5 p.m., all I wanted to do was go straight home and watch a movie. But I had to stop at Home Depot along the way, because the chain on the flapper of my toilet tank had broken, and I needed to find a replacement.
Halfway down the aisle, I noticed the music playing over the store’s public address system. I don’t know the name of the song, but I do remember one of the lines in the chorus: “I need a change.”
I remember thinking, Amen to that.
* * *
So for me, synchronicity’s favorite medium seems to be music. It might speak to you in a different way. Perhaps it’s a phone call from a friend you were just thinking of—the one you haven’t spoken to in months. Or perhaps it’s a sweet parking space that opens up in the crowded lot of your favorite shopping mall—just as you drive up.
I’ve come to think of these events as the universe’s way of giving us a wink, or otherwise trying to get our attention. Some people might also use the word “coincidence.” To me, this term seems inadequate, as it lacks a sense of premeditation. I much prefer the imagery of a Higher Power intentionally placing waypoints in our path.
And yes, I do believe premeditation is involved. Because here’s what synchronicity means, when it happens:
If you were in any other time or place right now, this moment could not have occurred.
To me, this is a profound thought, because it means all your previous decisions have led you to this moment, and no other combination of choices and outcomes could have brought you here. And if you consider the number of decision points the average person navigates in his or her life, the probability of coincidence becomes vanishingly small.
Let me explain. Suppose Person X is faced with a decision leading to two possible outcomes, A and B. However, he will only experience synchronicity (right time and place) if he chooses option A.
Person X chooses A –> synchronicity
Person X chooses B –> no synchronicity
It’s clear that the probability of synchronicity is 1 /2, or 50%.
Now assume Person X has made two decisions back-to-back, but will only experience synchronicity if he chooses option A both times.
| Decision 1 | Decision 2 | Synchronicity? | Probability of synchronicity(S) | |
| Person X chooses… | A | A | YES | |
| Person X chooses… | A | B | NO | |
| Person X chooses… | B | A | NO | |
| Person X chooses… | B | B | NO | |
| 1 / 4 |
Thus, the probability of synchronicity occurring decreases according to this formula:
S = 1 / 2n
where n = the number of possible choices made along the way.
Now consider how many decisions I made that day before I walked through the doors of the Home Depot. I could have decided to go straight home, and synchronicity wouldn’t have happened. I could have decided to stay home (ahem, play hooky) from work, and synchronicity wouldn’t have happened.
Now consider how many decisions I made in the 30+ years prior to the Home Depot event. I could have decided not to buy my current house, and the toilet wouldn’t have broken, and synchronicity wouldn’t have happened.
Now consider that many decisions have more than two possible outcomes, which changes the denominator of our equation. I could have decided to go to Lowe’s or Wal-Mart instead of Home Depot, and synchronicity wouldn’t have happened.
And then consider that synchronicity often requires more than one person to be in the right place at the right time. The guy in charge of the Home Depot PA system could have left it off, and synchronicity wouldn’t have happened.
See what I mean? When you consider all the variables involved, the probability of coincidence approaches zero.
* * *
Thus, synchronicity generally means one of two things:
- You were meant to be here, you were meant to experience this, and you are generally on the right track, which is tremendously affirming; or
- you’re NOT on the right track, and you needed to know it.
What is the universe trying to tell you? And more importantly, are you listening?
(And by the way, if you’re wondering, I did jog out those last two minutes.)
