thinair Boulder, Colorado. elevation 5400 feet.

Intuition and Coincidence

The plate 'o shrimp phenomenon from Repo Man

Miller : A lot o' people don't realize what's really going on. They view life as a bunch o' unconnected incidents 'n things. They don't realize that there's this, like, lattice o' coincidence that lays on top o' everything. Give you an example; show you what I mean: suppose you're thinkin' about a plate o' shrimp. Suddenly someone'll say, like, plate, or shrimp, or plate o' shrimp out of the blue, no explanation. No point in lookin' for one, either. It's all part of a cosmic unconsciousness.

Otto : You eat a lot of acid, Miller, back in the hippie days?

I like to pay attention to coincidence. If I notice a connection between otherwise random events, then there's something in that connection to examine more closely. Not necessarily because of a cosmic unconsciousness, it's probably all just randomness. But if my brain draws a connection, then there's something inside me that establishes a relationship between those events. It's like a window into my subconscious. For me, coincidence, déja vu, and intuitive zaps are all things that make me examine my experience more closely to see what pattern my brain is trying to draw to my attention. I have never been disappointed by the results of such reflection. And if there does happen to be a lattice 'o coincidence that lays on top o' everything, at least I'll be paying attention to what's really going on. ;)

I first saw Repo Man as a class requirement for "Psychology of Architecture" (pronounced "psycho architecture") which had earned a reputation for aggressive mind games (hence the pronunciation). I thrived in that class and came back as a teaching assistant for a couple semesters. Among the other required movies were The Last Wave , Batman , True Stories , Blade Runner , and the 1984 colorized restoration of Metropolis . That collection of movies was part of the appeal of the class for me.