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“There Are No Coincidences!”
No seriously, there totally are
There Are Coincidences: We Just Keep Misusing the Word
We’ve all heard someone say, “There are no coincidences.” Usually with a knowing smirk, a raised eyebrow, or that sage-like tone that makes you feel like you’re about to be let in on a cosmic secret.
The problem is… it’s not true. There are coincidences. That’s literally what the word means.
A coincidence is when two things “coincide.”
Coincidence comes from the Latin roots co- (together) and incidere (to fall upon). To coincide just means two things happen at the same time or in the same place.
Period.
End of story.
When you bump into your old college roommate in a Las Vegas bathroom? Coincidence. When you think about your mom, and she calls two seconds later? Coincidence. When you finally buy that stock and it tanks the next day? Sorry — still a coincidence.
It doesn’t automatically mean the universe is whispering to you through bathroom stalls, smartphones, or the Dow Jones.
