Events beyond coincidence?

We all know what a horrendous week this has been for too many members of our CPF family. In fact the sheer number of tragedies, illnesses, accidents, dispossessions, insults to the innocent, general malaise and pain is extraordinary and unprecedented over the three years I've been a member of this wonderful group.

Like many of us, I've experienced a few unexplainable incidents, but I've never been much of a believer in the paranormal or the occult and have always tended to view coincidences as just coincidences.

But the sheer amount of bad things happening to so many people in a concentrated time frame is strange and seems almost beyond coincidence, though I realize that I'm contradicting my earlier statement. Perhaps the hurricanes established a dark mood that somehow amplified other negative events.

Anyone else think about this?

Brightnorm

Re: Beyond coincidence?

Brightnorm,

I agree that the whole load of big things happening the last week or two has been a bit odd.

I'm not sure they could be connected though. I can't really think of anything that could tie them all, or some of them together, with any logical reasoning.

Just bad timing I guess. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif

Re: Beyond coincidence?

Agree with Bikr, stuff happens all the time and it takes just a little squinting to start seeing patterns.

After Kennedy was shot, there were a bunch of articles about the mysterious similarities between Lincoln's and Kennedy's assassinations (.."both were succeeded by vice presidents names Johnson"..). I mean there were a LOT of similarities - but (I think) they were just coincidences people found because they were looking real hard for them.

Re: Beyond coincidence?

You know the saying, it never rains, it only pours.

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon23.gif

Re: Beyond coincidence?

Your focus becomes your destiny? Always. Negative thoughts bring negative results,even in a given group. So who is up for positive thoughts and action? At least a good comedy and popcorn? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/popcorn.gif

Re: Beyond coincidence?

You can find similarities or dissimilarities in any group of events if you look hard enough. Same thing with patterns of numbers. I don't attribute any particular meaning to either. If bad luck is associated with the hurricanes then it is mostly experienced by the people who are directly affected by them. For everything else, it's just a conicidence, or perhaps a few bad events makes others more prone to report bad experiences they wouldn't have otherwise. I've been nursing a bad cold/fever the last two weeks, for example. Bad luck tied in with everything else? No, I caught a germ from my brother who caught it at work. Just another random bad event, and had it not been for this thread I never would have mentioned it publicly.

People in general tend to be extra panicky and paranoid whenever a string of natural disasters occur.

Re: Beyond coincidence?

you guys are feaking me out this stuff gives me the willies /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon15.gif

Re: Beyond coincidence?

History tells me when bad things starts snow balling, stock up on your flashlights and batteries, cause WW3 wouldn't surprise me if it happens now.

Re: Beyond coincidence?

"Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they're NOT out to get you..."

But my favorite is "Paranoid? Nah, one's enough."

Re: Beyond coincidence?

[ QUOTE ]
chmsam said:
But my favorite is "Paranoid? Nah, one's enough."

[/ QUOTE ]

WHEW.

Re: Beyond coincidence?

I might as well add to the "bad week" we're having here on CPF.

This week I was a victim of Identity theft. My checks were stolen by someone before they were delivered to my home. Someone then wrote checks on my account to the tune of over $500.00 Then my father got ill and had surgery on Sunday afternoon. Then to top it all off we had one of our cars stolen right out of our driveway.

Re: Beyond coincidence?

I got an email this morning that an old friend passed away yesterday. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif

Larry

Re: Beyond coincidence?

Another thing to consider....the menbership in the CPF is about 6 times larger now than is was in the spring of '02 when I joined-up.....I was number 1555 when I signed up. Percentage wise, the bad things happening to members is probably about the same. Plus, IMHO, people seem to like to share stories of personal misfortune.....and the mess in Florida the past six weeks has created a lot of stories of misfortune..and sometimes good fortune!

Re: Beyond coincidence?

This is one time I am going to look on the other side of things...

I am sure if we concentrate on the negative, we can come up with lots of negative examples to verify our beliefs. On the other hand, looking for the positive side of things also has its rewards.

There is no doubt in my mind that a lot of bad things have recently happened and those people need our support.

On the other hand, my wife was looking for help with a non profit project that she is working on. Yesterday, through a fluke set of circumstances, she found a major source of help for her project.

We are having a small celebration at our house.

After some reflection I realize that this good fortune could also be due to our lack of storms on the west coast... Now sending positive thought eastward.

Tom

Re: Beyond coincidence?

Last week was interesting as far as coincidences go. While others have had a bad run of luck good things happened to others. For me, the last year was filled with temporary employment and my wife lost her job, too.

In May, I was offered three jobs almost at once - I chose the wrong one and got laid off the same day I started - bizarre.

Last week I had four job interviews scheduled and completed the first two with a job offer for each - the rain/pour syndrome.

If one believed in numerology, or whatever, the following might have some meaning, but to me it just proves that life and events occur in cycles. BTW #13 is often "lucky" for me.

The following dates are exactly to the date.
I accepted the first job offer one month before my wife's birthday. I was offered another job (rejected it) a month after the anniversary date of my father's death. I will begin the job exactly 13 months after being laid off and one month before my wedding anniversary.

This all dawned on me yesterday. Damned if I know whether it has any significance.

Re: Beyond coincidence?

[ QUOTE ]
nightshade said:
Your focus becomes your destiny? Always. Negative thoughts bring negative results,even in a given group.

[/ QUOTE ]

I have been unemployed for over 5 months now. I viewed it as an opportunity to get some serious work done towards my Masters degree. Fortunately, I had prepared extensively for such a possibility... often at great sacrifice. However, this preparation will allow me to just go to school full time through next summer when I get my MPA. I live alone, that is, pay $1200/month rent and all other bills (plus tuition, books, etc.) without any assistance.

I understand that there are exceptional cases of hardship sometimes, but it seems like most people who buy "luxury" items and eat out all the time, and treat themselves too much are often unprepared in the case of economic hardship. More often than not, people have great control over their own destiny for better or for worse. This includes their level of preparedness for life's many variables. Take control of life and make the best of situations, even if you have to make some sacrifices in the short term. Those sacrifices will most likely pay dividends down the road, in peace of mind if nothing else. I became unemployed knowing that I was prepared for it, and then I could view it as an opportunity. Just thinking out loud... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

-Randy

Re: Beyond coincidence?

Tree - Yep, that's the one! Don't need two of 'em.

BTW, tonight is the full moon. Ain't superstitious (didn't Jeff Beck cover that tune?), but anyone who has worked nights or especially oever night in any medical field, will tell you a story or two.

Remember that very often bad luck turns to good luck, especially with the help of friends.

Re: Beyond coincidence?

??? Aside from Diesel Dave's circumstances (and me and Otok are donating an extremely rare light for CPF raffle on Dave's behalf), Arc going under, and what has been spoken of here already, what else has been happening? Sorry but I have tended to stay close to my own two or three major LH threads lately since there is so much going on associated with them.

Re: Beyond coincidence?

I'll add to this,
Two weeks ago a very good family friend ...their son commited suicide. Ok, like that's not bad enough ...... during the funeral, the biological mother stole the two young children from where they were staying (yes, during the funeral for their father) and took them to Georgia.

Some bad mojo going around.

But let me edit this to say there is of course good news. My wife and two other women finally found a home for their new Art Gallery after months of looking.

Mike

Re: Beyond coincidence?

[ QUOTE ]
MR Bulk said:
??? Aside from Diesel Dave's circumstances (and me and Otok are donating an extremely rare light for CPF raffle on Dave's behalf), Arc going under, and what has been spoken of here already, what else has been happening? Sorry but I have tended to stay close to my own two or three major LH threads lately since there is so much going on associated with them.

[/ QUOTE ]

Craig (The_LED_Museum) is getting evicted. Also Dspeck has been AWOL for a while now. Those are the bigs things, but there are lots of other things too.