It's a small world after all...

We all know that the world is quite large, okay not as large as the sun but large enough. There are 195 countries and an estimated six billion people living in them, so we expect that in our lives we are only given a tiny glimpse of what this glorious planet has to offer.

Assuming that idea is true we are often surprised when world seems to be smaller than we think. We can discover unexplained coincidences, and strange occurrences where our perception of the world's size is altered. Recently I have found many of these surrounding other people in my life. I went away to University and met new people from all over the United Kingdom and found that one of my new classmates was dating a guy from my secondary school. They are now living together not far from me! I have recently re-met an old acquaintance and found that they live round the corner from my grandparents! You can bump into old friends after years have gone past and they already know your new best friend. A famous idea that relates to this is the 'six degrees of separation' concept created by Frigyes Karinthy and then written into a play by John Guare. It is the 'idea that everyone is at most six steps away from any other person on Earth, so that a chain of, "a friend of a friend" statements can be made to connect any two people in six steps or fewer.'

With social networking sites like Facebook it is often quite easy to see how this concept works with the 'mutual friends' feature. We are often surprised at how our friends from one area of our life know others from a completely unrelated area.

Whether these concepts and occurrences are all just coincidences not to be analysed or explained, remains the question. I seem to overuse the world 'random' when describing something that I find surprising or out of the ordinary. While some may argue that everything is random, I am then without a word to describe what such affairs mean.

Without an explanation and not even sure if I need one I am left to realise that It's a small world after all and in the words of the Disneyland Attraction, 'It's a world of laughter, A world of tears. It's a world of hopes, And a world of fears. There's so much that we share, That it's time we're aware, It's a small world after all.'

Luck, a man-made idea?

Do you ever take time out of your day to wonder how luck has played a part in it?

The idea of luck centers around chance, fate and faith, all things we ultimately have no control over. We normally become aware of luck when we notice it's absence. We believe a pre-determined force is out to get us, after experiencing a sudden negative turn of events or upon hearing some bad news. If this negative pattern continues we then label ourselves as unlucky. However, what does luck actually signify and how can we be sure it exists and it is not just a coincidence disguised in a man made ideology created to increase hope? By definition luck is 'a force that brings good fortune or adversity' or 'a favoring chance.' Therefore it's existence is an added bonus, but it's absence just joins the end of a long list of attributes, qualities and objects we don't have, but nevertheless depress us further because we don't understand why we don't have them.

Luck can be measured on a variety of levels, depending on how you view it. There are universal symbols of luck such as the four-leaf clover and Irish leprechaun. We also collect personal items throughout over lives that prove lucky for us. This could be a favourite pair of underwear, piece of jewelery, photo or general keepsake. Whether these items are lucky we will never know. It is questionable whether our belief in them, tips the scales to creating a positive outcome when they are near, or if the luck surrounding them is merely a random turn of events.

Symbols of bad luck usually center around superstitions, involving breaking mirrors, black cats crossing paths and the number thirteen. Do we believe in these myths to provide a reason for our fear of making a mistake or choosing the wrong path? Certain acts are often created to promote fairness and assure the outcome is left to chance, for example when names are picked out of a hat. Sometimes our faith is tested when our prior expectations are proved correct and so cynical thinking comes into play. This can therefore remind us of how unlucky we are or suggest the idea that luck cannot exist as humans will always intervene and upset the natural and supposed random order of things.

We can also ask how much is luck dependant on free will? We live our day to day lives and make choices, some big and some small. Along the way luck intervenes and either helps or hinders us. It's presence can sometimes belittle achievement, as we believe our constant efforts are often wasted as an unknown element is in complete control waiting to shine it's light on us and seal our fate. Luck is also an idea used as an excuse for uncertainty. If we cannot be completely sure of something we say it is all down to luck. Therefore humans are absolved of error and blame, as whatever they do they cannot be sue of anything, because luck does not knock before it enters. The element of surprise then becomes our safe house. How does that make any sense?

We come back again to the idea of subjectivity. One person might consider constantly tripping up and walking into things a sign of bad luck, whereas another might look upon this as a clumsy behavioral habit that could be passed down genetically. Similar to irony, good luck normally pays a visit to someone else when you are feeling particularly in need of it. This is described in the great words of Alanis Morissette in her song Ironic, 'it's meeting the man of my dreams and then meeting his beautiful wife'. Now the reaction to this differs from person to person. Some, like myself, read into situations of irony, fate and luck and believe that there is a reason why each of them have occurred at that precise moment. Others refuse to believe that such a power can exist without human interference. Unfortunately neither can be assumed as right or wrong.

Most unknown, invisible, ideas, notions and beliefs are linked together magically in a web of intangible mystery. Some believe that a man makes his own luck, others believe it is bestowed at random selection. The idea of luck simplistically is hope. Hope that on your birthday the sun will shine. Hope that you will excel at that job interview. Hope that you will one day fall in love with someone who loves you back. Hope that something good can happen to you and it not be in the form of payment, guilt or necessity. Hope that something good can happen to you for no other reason than at that particular moment of that particular day you just happened to deserve it.

Is it written?

I have always been fascinated by the idea of fate. The belief that an inanimate controlling force is at work somewhere, tipping the scales and rocking the boat.

I guess this belief would denounce the existence of a God, however I have an incling that both beings of power may be out there co-existing. Once fate comes into play the idea of free will is also knocked out of the equation. Some believe that fate is in charge of a master plan laid out for us the minute we are born which leads to our destiny upon our death. I however see fate more as a guideline, it provides us with signs, clues along the way of life which, if we choose to see them can point to a path. How do we know if it is the correct one? We don't.

Similar to religion, belief in fate requires a certain about of blind faith. The cynics would say that signs and themes are created by us in a poor attempt to over-analyse every situation to make it fit a pattern. We are conditioned as humans to stick to the positive and disregard the negative as much as possible. However, when we are surrounded by negativity, bad luck and clouds with what can only be described as a pencil lining, we start to wonder if we are missing the bigger picture. Has fate intervened? Is someone trying to tell us something? Are we on the brink of a sudden self-discovery? Or have we made a fatal error and this is our punishment? As much for self-preservation than anything else, those more spiritually minded tend to use fate as an answer when they can find no other. I place myself firmly in this category.

I do not automatically believe that the cause of everything is fate induced. I think that there can be re-curring themes in every day life that highlight things we need to be aware of in some way. Examples of these would be co-incidence, irony, hindsight and of course intuition. When these things occur they are often annoyances and are only remembered with bitterness. However, when explored they can normally shed some decent light on the situation at hand and often show an opposite viewpoint or final outcome that wasn't available before. Most films of the romantic nature will contain some message or theme that fate and destiny do exist and play a part in our lives.

A good example of this is the spectacular Slumdog Millionaire, which in its opening credits poses a question for the audience with possible answers, one of which reads, 'It is written.' The premise of the film rests on the belief that human strength, understanding or intimidation cannot be a match for fate and sometimes there is no reason why or how, it just has to be accepted. Serendipity and Fools Rush In are boths classic film examples depicting this idea. Aside from their sickening but magical storylines which fit perfectly in the romantic comedy genre, they aim to show how signs are everywhere, and everyone loses their way from time to time and need some guidance.

Apart from guidance, what we all search for on a daily basis is answers. We constantly have to decide if we are making the right decisions. We require proof, compliments, acknowledgement that we are on the correct path. Fate can give us this assurance, and provide some answers, but not all of them. Still this realisation is usually only evident after hindsight when a coincidence becomes obvious in an ironic display of intuition! It may be written but it is not always fun to read!

Go with you your gut...Food for thought.

Ohhhh...there it goes again. That swirling, twirling, churning brief sensation that exists in the pit of your stomach when you feel something is just not quite right.

Most of us are so in tune with this feeling that if practiced we become accustomed to ignoring it. Theories about intuition have been linked to psychic ability and have now been branded with a new-age controversy. Some believe intuition acts as an involuntary sixth sense, while others might disguise a gut feeling as a hunger pang or stomach ache for fear they are entertaining a ridiculous notion. These people are refusing to see the deeper meaning that this sensation is usually pointing to. By definition,'a gut feeling arises when your brain makes an instant connection between what's happening in the present and a similar circumstance from your past.' I believe this to be a subconscious act and we therefore cannot be sure what these past memories are exactly, we just respond intuitively to a feeling that displays a certain amount of confusion and uncertainty.

The real problem comes when we experience this feeling but purposefully decide to disregard it, believing that we know better. Big mistake. More often than not, hindsight comes into play and we realise just how insightful our digestive system is. However, even the endurance of realisation is not enough to prevent us from repeating the same mistake again and again. We are so full of self-doubt that we cannot possibly believe that our body might be trying to tell us something. In fact sometimes it can be the opposite, we do understand what the sensation is telling us but feel guilty for the decision it could lead us to, and so feel it is better to go for the easier option and deal with the consequences afterwards. Again usually a big mistake. As with most things in life, the proof is in the pudding. Therefore only when we have refused our gut's perceptive tendencies and received some either ironic or plain annoying retrospection, do we feel truly sorry for doubting it's true ability.

I like to think of intuition in the same grey area as coincidence. They are both concepts human beings cannot understand completely and so we are then afraid of them. When a repeated coincidence occurs we search for a meaning, a reason why something that previously has not entered our minds, is now suddenly appearing everywhere. For example, I managed to live twenty years of my life not knowing about the existence of the 1980s Olivia Newton John musical classic that is Xanadu. However, this year I learnt a medley from the show for a showcase and now cannot escape the dulcet tones of the main number. It has been on three different radio stations, featured in TV programmes and adverts! Do not fear I am not now convinced that the themes in Xanadu are now a metaphor for my life or anything,(even though I do remember being a muse in a past life!..hmmm)

I guess in life we have become comfortable with over-analysing, dissecting and calculating every possible outcome, reason, motive, idea that may be the cause of an involuntary response such as a gut instinct. The more spiritually minded individuals might delve deep into the meanings of certain coincidences, or seemingly fate fuelled occurrences. One quote about intuition describes it as 'going your way without inquiring about the way'. I think this demonstrates how cynical we have become in that however real the feeling is, we cannot trust it to be true.

I have recently asked myself many times why I have not gone with my gut...this is usually because I have gone with my heart instead.