h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Several years ago, I was travelling by train in the south of Germany, on my way home to Sweden - I ended up in the same compartment as two sisters, and I overheard them speaking Finnish (I have Finnish parents)

One of the girls got off the train, and I started talking to the other one, and was amazed to learn that I knew her uncle!

The girl lived in Finland
Her uncle lived in Sweden
My parents lived in Sweden, in the same city
Her uncle had done some painting and wallpaper work for my parents

Of all the trains on that route, of all the wagons in that train, of all the compartments of that train, we ended up in the same one - *and* I had started a conversation with a complete stranger, which is something I very rarely do - what are the chances for that?

I met my wife at University in the UK. She was an overseas student from Malaysia. On introducing her to one of my friends, "X", X said "Malaysia? Oh, do you know ..." and then named a person X had met at work.

Now since Malaysia has a population of some 23 million, brain thinks "Don't be so f¬c!!ng stupid, do you know how big Malaysia is?!"

But you've guessed it - they went to school together!

And that's what makes it a coincidence. Events coincide in an unexpected, improbable and notable way only very rarely, and that's why we notice them and think "wow!". If my wife had not known this person, I wouldn't have thought "Wow, that's a non-coincidence" and gone around telling everybody about it.

So what's the big deal?

what is this posting about i was looking for somthing
interesting but no i got this
i hate this
can't you people do enything
properly

May I recommend that you look for something interesting properly ...

who are you
and could you
reply to me
properly
start by introducing yourself..............
thats always a good point
.....Anthea............................

who are you
and could you
reply to me
properly
start by introducing yourself..............
thats always a good point
.....Anthea............................

i am sorry for my
irational behaveor
.............................not
i cant beleve you would wast space like this..........
sorry i am slightly paranoid..............
this isnt a good time for me..........
p.s. if you dont like elipses dont read them..........
...........................Anthea...................................

right could you both stop argueing or i'll have to send you to the back of the room and hey isn't this surposed to be about coincidence as is the top point which is rather amusing and it just goes to show you there must be some meaning to it wether it is bound by the chaos theory but the interesting thing to note here is that it's just a theory( i think, if i'm wrong or have just been disproven somewhere in the world please notify me) and that it is not solid fact and if everything is chaotic then it's kinda weird that it creates such beauty in the world which seems so magnificently crafted, and then there's the fact that there is no order with out chaos and visa versa, i mean really what is dictating this to be the law of the universe, is it the universe it self creating it's own coincidences just to laugh at it all, and maybe the universe is one whole so anything and everything you do you are doing to something you are part of so it's kinda not a coincidence if we are all one.

Wow!

Anthea - hi, sorry for not replying sooner, I've been away from h2g2 for a few days. You seem to have been having a good conversation without me though ...

On re-reading my last message it sounded a tad aggressive - it wasn't supposed to be, so if that's how you interpreted it

I should make more use of emoticons Not that one though, that's a blue fish .

Funkanic - an argument requires the presence of at least 2 people, no? i was gone for most of this thread...

Anthea - hope things are better for you now. RUOK?

Funkanic - I think that chaos theory essentially says that even the most (apparently) chaotic events can be broken down into component parts the causes of which can be ascertained so that you can discover the order within the chaos - which seems to tie in quite nicely with your views I think? A common example is that a butterfly flapping its wings on one side of the world sets in motion a sequence of events in terms of air current transmission and amplification which causes a hurricane in another part of the world.

Beware the

You may even be able to discern some order in this message...

Anthea - re "who are you?", "Bodhisattva" is a name chosen not as a description of who I am, but rather where I'm aiming.

A Bodhisattva, in (Mahayana) Buddhist philosophy, is one who has achieved enlightenment but chooses not to escape the cycle of birth, death and rebirth but rather to remain in order to help others to achieve enlightenment. Some scholars have suggested that the concept may have arisen from contact between Taoist Christians (long since wiped out) and Buddhists, as a development of the idea of Jesus leaving heaven to come to Earth and teach people the way.

Whether or not that suggestion is true, I think the concept is one of the most noble of any religion.

There are three short spiritual teachings on my "introduction" page if you're interested; the "Buddhist prayer" is very much consistent with the Bodhisattva ideal.

tanks for the reply
sorry if i came over as annoying and
slightly insane
its not me realy
i am new to all of this
whats with the
see you soon

I just thought that if s cause hurricanes they are probably best avoided

PS I'm new to this too. Welcome fellow newbie (?)

thank i didnt know about the huricane thing
tou learn something new every day
about the argument thing
see you around
Anthea......and member of the guild of wizards

I didn't even see it as an argument

Maybe I'm just thick-skinned

Or just thick...

no i dont think you are thick...
i am shure you are a very smart person
my friend Rachael is thick ... she dosent like this site

But now she is here, which is all that matters...

Chaos theory says that small fluctuations in a complex system can result in huge changes in the outcome. THis is known as sensitive dependence on initial conditions. And chaos theory is as good as chaos fact - otherwise, weather forecasts would never be wrong. Once, a guy said 'maybe we can knock off a few of those decimal points before we get the weather report!' and discovered that doing so changed the predictions vastly. This is chaos theory in action.

By the way, Funk: that is the longest sentance I have ever read! Thought there are longer ones... like "Funk said 'Right, could you both stop...'

Anyway, I'm a bit tired and the font is too small to read, so I don't think I can make any more cogent points for a while. I'll see y'all soon!

- Jordan

sndme e.mail jordan...

Check now!

- Jordan

What have you done noe you plonker

Anthea Never sent this rach did

Oh. Crap.

Well, I guess Anthea will be finding something inexplicable in her mailbox...

- Jordan

What............./&^%&($&^$%&£*^I&$%&I