The Synchronicity of Life

A storm descends on a small town, and the downpour soon turns into a flood. As the waters rise, the local preacher kneels in prayer on the church porch, surrounded by water.

One of the parishioners comes down the street in a pickup truck. “Better get in, Preacher. The waters are rising fast.” “No,” says the preacher. “I have faith in the Lord. He will save me.”

Still the waters rise. Now the preacher is up on the balcony when another guy paddles toward him in a canoe. “Come on, Preacher. Get in the canoe. The levee’s gonna break any minute.” Once again, the preacher is unmoved. “I shall remain. The Lord will see me through.”

After a while the levee breaks, and the flood rushes over the church until only the steeple remains above water. The preacher clings to the cross when a helicopter descends out of the clouds, and a state trooper calls down to him through a megaphone. “Grab the ladder, Preacher. This is your last chance.” Once again, the preacher insists the Lord will deliver him.

And, predictably, he drowns.

The preacher goes to heaven. After a while he gets an interview with God, and he asks the Almighty, “Lord, I had unwavering faith in you. Why didn’t you deliver me from that flood?”

God shakes his head. “What do you want from me? I sent you a pickup truck, a canoe and a helicopter.”

See, the preacher saw the pickup, the canoe and helicopter as coincidence. Just random stuff happening at the same time. No deeper meaning. Surely we wouldn’t be that obtuse now, would we?

Sadly the answer is yes. We ignore these kind of coincidences every day. You think of someone and they call you five minutes later. You dream about an old friend and run into them the next week. You’re struggling with a decision and overhear a conversation that gives you the exact answer you need. Most of us shrug it off. Weird, but whatever.

Swiss psychologist Carl Jung (1875 - 1961) had a different idea. He called it synchronicity—the “simultaneous occurrence of two meaningfully but not causally connected events.”

Jung wasn’t talking about simple coincidence. He was talking about something bigger. Something that suggests the universe might actually be trying to communicate with us through patterns and meaning, not just through cause and effect.

Have you ever been at a crossroads in your life and suddenly started noticing the same number everywhere? Or kept running into people who all gave you similar advice? Or had a book practically fall into your lap that contained exactly what you needed to read? Jung would say that’s not random. That’s synchronicity.

Some people call it karma. Others call it fate or destiny. Religious folks call it Providence—God’s way of guiding events toward His plan. But whatever you call it, Jung believed these occurrences are clues. Messages. The universe’s way of nudging you in a new direction.

Years ago I was contemplating a career opportunity. While walking on the beach I happened to look out into the ocean. At that precise moment a whale fully breached out of the water.

Later that evening an older man told me he had been coming to the same South Carolina beach for 46 years. He’d never seen a whale breach.

I took the job.

I keep seeing 11:11 on the clock. Not just once in a while—constantly. Some days I catch it in the morning and again at night.

Do I know what it means? Not exactly. But I don’t ignore it either. That’s part of the challenge with synchronicity. It’s not just about recognizing the pattern. It’s about figuring out what the hell it’s trying to tell you.

But here’s the problem: we’re not paying attention anymore. Our minds are cluttered with noise and distraction. We’re glued to our phones, binge-watching Netflix, scrolling through social media. We’ve become way less curious and spiritual than our ancestors.

Most people would rather watch cat videos than contemplate the big questions of life: Why am I here? Is there a God? What happens when we die? Modern life is designed to prevent you from experiencing synchronicity.

The algorithms want you perpetually distracted, constantly consuming, too busy to notice the subtle patterns weaving through your experience. We’ve created a culture that worships information and dismisses mystery.

Forwarded this email? Subscribe here.

But here’s what Jung figured out: meaning doesn’t always follow the rules of cause and effect. Sometimes the universe speaks in whispers—a chance encounter, an overheard conversation, a book that catches your eye.

The human brain is hardwired to look for patterns. It’s survival instinct. When two things happen close together, we automatically start looking for connections. Sometimes we see patterns that aren’t there. But sometimes—sometimes—the patterns are real. Don’t you think paying attention to them makes your life richer, more meaningful, more open to possibilities you might otherwise miss. I do.

Look, maybe that preacher wasn’t just stubborn. Maybe he’s all of us. We’re too distracted or incurious to recognize the synchrony of life’s seemingly circumstantial coincidences.

Here’s what Jung figured out that most of us are still missing: the universe is constantly trying to get our attention. Usually through every day events. But, occasionally through a breaching whale that appears right when you’re looking for a sign.

But we’ve trained ourselves to ignore all of it. We’ve got Netflix and Instagram and a thousand other distractions designed to keep us from noticing the patterns. The pickup truck is still coming down your street. The canoe is still paddling toward you. The helicopter is still hovering overhead. The question isn’t whether synchronicity is real—it’s whether you’re paying enough attention to climb in.

Have you ever had something Synchronistic happen to you? I want to hear about it? Please shoot me a quick message (click below). I promise that you’ll hear back from me.

Hey, let’s make a deal. I’ll keep researching and writing thought-provoking stuff like this if you’ll agree to share with a few people you care about. Just forward the original email or copy/paste the link to this article. Thank you!