Moderate Living

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Chances Are – Part 2

This 2 part series came to be because I was trying to comment further on an interesting post by Laura over at https://booksthatmakeyouthink2.co.uk/2024/11/17/chances-are/

For fun, here’s the abridged version in verse format (the longform is in the comments section):

A sign happened that moved me to make a certain choice. This sign was really really unlikely.

The most important things in my life happened as a result of this choice.

Earth could be/or could not be a product of similar unlikely events.

I am forever grateful and awestruck by how crazy the concept of chance can be.

I was able to post one comment the day I saw the post and then I wanted to follow up with another. So I wrote the next one up the next day (the one I abridged above) with the concentration of a Mozart or Hemmingway because I really like the topic of chance. After submitting the additional comment and refreshing the page, I was aghast to see that my comment was no longer there. It was as if the WordPress apparatus had ripped it apart and threw it back into thin cyberspace air. The comment that I had worked a full 10 minutes on was gone.

I couldn’t believe WordPress did that. But then, I started seeing these different posts this week where bloggers were highlighting problems that they had with WordPress about Likes, Subscribers, and Comments. I figure this was all related somehow so I let it go.

I made my best attempt to recreate the comment but because it’s long – and I want to test a hypothesis I have about WordPress’ spam filters and comment word count – I put the actual comment in this post’s comment section.

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22 responses to “Chances Are – Part 2”

  1. Michael Williams Avatar
    Michael Williams

    Hi Laura! here’s that comment that I had written out before: 

    i wanted to start by saying that I recently celebrated my yearly anniversary of being at my current house. I remember when I first looked at it all those Augusts ago. The lot was nice and the overall neighborhood was quiet. However, despite the fact that the investor had redone the floors, the kitchen, bought brand new appliances, carpeting, etc., there was just something missing about the house. it just wasn’t interesting me enough. Then, as I was leaving, I passed through the kitchen and decided to inspect the new appliances. I got to the refrigerator and when I opened it, I found an unopened half a gallon of iced green tea from that April/May – a flavor that I love and drink alot. I was so stupefied by this sudden sight that I took this picture of it right then and there: 

    I decided to follow this sign and quickly moved on the house. I closed that November. this sudden change moved the needle of destiny, shifted the sands of probability. it began the end of some relationships but more importantly, it took me into the most consequential era of my personal life – an almost perfect 180 degrees from the trend that my life was following before. the overall impact of this decision was staggering.

    at the risk of being self-deprecating, I consider the entirety of my life to be predicated on good luck. Ok, maybe 98.4% of it, but even that may be an underestimation because i’m simply not sure if even a smidge of individual merit fits into this equation. Nevertheless, I’ve made my peace with who I am and at this point, wouldn’t have it any other way. I have posted about it before, but I keep a statue of Athena’s emissary goddess Tyche on my desk as well as a replica pythagoreas cup, the former I silently incant towards to commemorate the role fortune has played in my life and the latter serving as a reminder to stay in a careful moderation (in the spirits of Themis and Nemesis). 

    when I talk about chance with other people, I’m usually quick to point out that the earth was once a cold lifeless gradual amalgamation of gases, dust and rocks. and that this meant absolutely nothing because time meant absolutely nothing at that point, it was irrelevant. but somehow, the earth, by following its young orbit to the slightly older sun, managed to collect a specific set of chemicals from rocks, that reacted in light of the specific distance from the sun, which produced a chemically mutative reaction from the who-knows-how-many reactions it was doing before. and because of that, we’re all here posting on wordpress. 

    while I can extrapolate and compare the events of life’s formation to my own life’s trajectory, where life’s origins abounds in scientific concepts it misses, or is arguably contradictory, in the realm of artistically ascribed meaning or intelligent design. further, the trouble with chance is that it starts to recruit different sciences that get locked in the hopeless stalemate of proving or disproving. when I look at it, what were the odds that the seller of my house would have thought to remodel it the way he did, and hire the people he did who drank the same kind of drink that i liked and then left that one half-gallon container of it there. The odds were very unlikely and mind you, I myself still had to choose to inspect the refrigerator AND take the sign of that drink as something to influence my decision. That is both a source of wonderment and abject terror for me given what life I have now as a result of it. The conclusion is forever a work in progress, a conclusion that only I have the power to ascribe meaning to. 

    It’s really funny because a day before I saw your post, I was listening to Johny Mathis’ Chances Are (my musical selections are eclectic). I guess it’s some type of subconscious artifact from me celebrating the house anniversary. 

    Nevertheless, I – again – thank you for this thought provoking post. If I could give something more impactful than just a Like or a nice comment I would, but the best I can come up with is that I hope Fortune…chance… has good to give to you and your family and to mine and my family and my friends and their families. It’s worlds within worlds to think about and I think it’s safe that “both sides of the court” can rest here lol. 

    Reply
  2. ibarynt Avatar
    ibarynt

    What a story! I never know whether to believe in chance and coincidence. I do believe everything happens for a reason.

    Reply
    1. Michael Williams Avatar
      Michael Williams

      isn’t it weird? i have 2 very close friends that I celebrate this anniversary with and we all find it very unique!

      Reply
      1. ibarynt Avatar
        ibarynt

        Weird indeed. I guess that’s one way to cost cutting if you all decide for a joint celebration 😅.

        Reply
  3. lyndhurstlaura Avatar
    lyndhurstlaura

    Hi Mike, I’m happy to report that at last I’m reading your comment – although the lengths you’ve had to go to in getting it posted are ridiculous. I’ve never had this particular problem with WordPress – yet – but I’ve had comments on Facebook, or the messenger service that goes with it, disappear before I’ve pressed the Post or Send button. Frustrating isn’t the word, and now if I type a long message or comment I copy it, just in case. These problems aside, it’s truly remarkable that you had these fortunate chances in finding your house – when those things happen we tend to say ‘It was meant to be’, although we’re not sure quite who or what could be behind those signs and portents. Ditto with the planet on which we live. Leaving aside the idea of a deity/deities, logic dictates that this cannot be the only inhabited and developed plant in the universe, given, how vast that is, but so far we haven’t found much else. In the distant future we may develop the technology to look further (as in Star Trek), but at present it’s just us. Why should that be? The idea of a celestial being who decided to create us is tempting, hence the development of religion down the ages and the idea of some ‘plan’ for us all. We could discuss this forever – or until our heads spin – and never find an answer. So for now we just accept that strange things happen, weird chances that put your brand of drink in the fridge of the house you want to buy and so forth. It’s endlessly fascinating – but we shouldn’t let it keep us awake at night! Sleep well and catch up with you again soon. Bestest, Laura. PS, I’ve just copied this in case something goes wrong when I hit the enter button!

    Reply
    1. Michael Williams Avatar
      Michael Williams

      glad you got a chance to see this Laura! and again, i felt like your post really merited a detailed response so i enjoyed composing this. it is interesting you brought up the topic of life on other planets in regards to chance. i have a thought on that but i figure i’ll save it for some boring February week when we are all sick of the cold and want to relax in our homes lol

      this is indeed something that can be discussed forever and i have a suspicion some people have indeed taken their lifetimes to examine such things…and they have no answer or perhaps don’t want to find one hehe. now that’s something.

      nevertheless, i’m glad this all got squared away. and i had to laugh when you said you copied your comment just in case. the entirety of my post response is saved on my word processor program haha

      have a great weekend!

      Reply
  4. lyndhurstlaura Avatar
    lyndhurstlaura

    Hi Mike, you have a great weekend too. It’s a fascinating subject which I’m sure we’ll be returning to at some stage, including life on other planets. I’ll look forward to February and your thoughts on that. 😂 For now, I hope life on this planet treats you well. Take care and stay safe, catch you again soon. 😎

    Reply
    1. Michael Williams Avatar
      Michael Williams

      👍😁

      Reply
      1. lyndhurstlaura Avatar
        lyndhurstlaura

        😊😊😊

        Reply
  5. Nancy Homlitas Avatar
    Nancy Homlitas

    I’ve had my comments disappear, but the blogger still received them-especially when the post is continued onto another page.

    Reply
    1. Michael Williams Avatar
      Michael Williams

      that’s what I thought happened too but apparently there was nothing in her spam folder. it makes me think that all these different website themes we use interact with other people’s websites in an unpredictable manner and in the chaos, the comment exchange protocols get messed up.

      hope you’re enjoying the weekend so far Nancy!

      Reply
      1. Nancy Homlitas Avatar
        Nancy Homlitas

        Thanks, Micael. Good wishes to you, too. 🙂

        Reply
    2. Ana Daksina Avatar
      Ana Daksina

      Me too.

      Reply
  6. The Creative Chic Avatar
    The Creative Chic

    What a cool story, Michael. To take chances is to embrace uncertainty, to step forward with both courage and curiosity. Missed or seized, chances shape the path we walk, reminding us that nothing in life is certain—only that every moment offers a new possibility. I hope you’re well.

    Reply
    1. Michael Williams Avatar
      Michael Williams

      what a beautiful expression Jennifer! thank you – these words are a gift in and of themselves! hope you are enjoying this Saturday so far!

      Reply
      1. The Creative Chic Avatar
        The Creative Chic

        It’s my pleasure, Michael. I am enjoying this gorgeous day so far. A brisk 53 here this morning but it’s lovely! I hope you’re okay today and that the day is good to you, because you deserve it.

        Reply
  7. Ann Coleman Avatar
    Ann Coleman

    WordPress is very glitchy these days, God knows why. I have blogs I can’t like or comment on, and other blogs I can comment on but it doesn’t appear until the next day! My own stats are way down, so I suspect the same is happening for some of my followers.

    Reply
    1. Michael Williams Avatar
      Michael Williams

      it is isn’t it? i was wondering if it something to do with the decentralized nature of their themes interacting with other themes because the comment/post i put in the comments section – with the links – worked. i thought it would be the links that set off the filters. now, I wonder if all this jumbled code interacting with other jumbled code is producing non-measurable noise for counters and servers.

      hope you’re enjoying the weekend so far Ann. best regards from NJ

      Reply
    2. Ana Daksina Avatar
      Ana Daksina

      Ann, please send a comment to this effect to WP’s Mitch Teemley, who is gathering evidence to convince them that there is indeed a problem. 👌

      Reply
  8. coolpeppermint Avatar
    coolpeppermint

    your comment brought lil tears to my eyes. i think of jung’s concept of synchronicity, mr manhattan’s quote on miracles. thank you for sharing.

    Reply
    1. Michael Williams Avatar
      Michael Williams

      ok, i did not know about jung and mr manhattan’s quotes and just googled them. i now have reading material while watching today and tomorrow’s football games ! 👍👍👍

      Reply
  9. Ana Daksina Avatar
    Ana Daksina

    Please forward this post to WP’s Mitch Teemley, who is gathering evidence to convince them that there is, in fact, a problem.

    Reply

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