Ground school and synchronicity

I don't know too much about Carl Jung, the influential psychologist and philosopher, but as I understand it, his concept of synchronicity essentially means "meaningful coincidence," or a coincidence that actually isn't one. (Uh oh, a paradox.)

This is from Wikipedia's entry on the topic:

"Synchronous events reveal an underlying pattern, a conceptual framework which encompasses, but is larger than, any of the systems which display the synchronicity...it is descriptive of a governing dynamic that underlay the whole of human experience and history — social, emotional, psychological, and spiritual....Jung believed that many experiences perceived as coincidence were not merely due to chance but, instead, suggested the manifestation of parallel events or circumstances reflecting this governing dynamic."

Cause and effect are not linear in time, but happen at the same time, or don't even exist. Things are connected through a larger framework that cannot be perceived. It's kind of like Dustin Hoffman's blanket in I [Heart] Huckabees:



By the way, you may have noticed the bowler hat conspicuously placed in the background of that scene (it's in the first few seconds). I suspect that's an homage to Rene' Magritte, a contemporary of Jung who explored philosophy and paradox in his surrealist paintings, which often featured men in bowler hats. Love the Huckabees movie.

Anyway, all that aside, this synchronicity concept is a pretty cool idea.

So yesterday I was looking at this blog to review my latest post, and I just happened to notice that one of Google ads in the lower right corner was for "San Diego Ground School." (Ground school is book learning for student pilots.)

Well, I have to click on that!

It lead me to the web page of a ground school that is nearby and inexpensive. If you've been following my story, you know I'm doing everything I can to learn on the ground to keep my costs down.

Then I saw that the latest session finishes on July 12, the day before I go to Hawaii for flight school. Synchronicity? Is the universe conspiring in my favor??

Negative, Ghostrider. Imagine my disappointment upon realizing that the session already began weeks ago. A cruel joke, Universe. If you'd served me that Google ad on my first post in May, all would be bliss.

But wait...the website says you can drop-in to any individual classes. Now here's the really interesting thing: Since I'm going to learn helicopters, and this class is for airplane pilots, most of it doesn't apply to me. In fact, the only topics (in seven weeks of classes) that are completely relevant to me are radio communications and weather.

So, guess what is covered in the next class, this Wednesday? Radio communications and weather.

Looks like I got that Google ad right on time. Synchronicity? You decide.