Trego's Mountain Ear

In Jungian psychology, we find the term ‘synchronicity’ – defined as “Coincidence of events that appear meaningfully related but do not seem to be causally connected, taken by Jungian psychoanalytic theory to be evidence of a connection between the mind and material objects.”

We started the year with a pair of coincidental terrorist attacks – both perpetrated by Army veterans, using pickups rented through the same peer to peer car rental outfit.  With the second incident, folks started looking for a pattern (both men had served at Fort Bragg).  Quickly, though, the pair of attacks were dismissed as coincidence.

In sociology, we don’t have the Jungian explanation – but when the time came for railroads, people built a lot of railroads.  At the same time these NCOs were renting trucks, the FBI described “the largest amount of finished explosive devices ever” being found in a rural home (OK, it was described as a 20 acre farm, but 20 acres is all hat and no cattle).  Turns out the bomb maker had blown off a couple of fingers a couple years back.  I’m not sure whether that’s synchronicity, coincidence, or just an occupational hazard among bomb makers.

Meanwhile, I see that Musk, using X, managed to stop a huge, pork-filled continuing resolution.  Here in the northwest corner of Lincoln County facebook commentary is moving toward more confrontation with the deep county over mismanagement of garbage facilities.  Coincidence?  Synchronicity?  Or is it just that the internet has replaced our traditional media and given the citizenry a place to get involved outside the long established government methodology? 

I’m not a Jungian psychologist – but I’m seeing things that stretch the definition of coincidence.