Church

I've done some research into this, and I really don't know what to think about it, but I have some friends who are in the same boat as me. I am a person who is constantly seeing 11:11 or variations of in places. 85-90% of the time when I look at the clock, it is always 11:11. My birthday is November 11, that is the time I was born, and the last four numbers of my phone number are xxx-1111. Like I said, I've really only started to recognize this recently, but I find it very strange and I don't know if its coincidental because I don't believe in coincidences. Anyone know what I mean or is it just me?

Thanks.

Stare At The Sun

This should go here: http://www.tfproject.org/tfp/forumdi...?s=&forumid=45

MSD

You can find patterns wherever you look for them. Look at the pinholes in a suspended ceiling, you can find faces, words, numbers, anything. It's what you want to see and remember that you do remember.

I'll bet that you look at the clock a lot more than you think you do, but your brain discards the "worthless" memory because it isn't significant to you.

Church

Actually, if you do some research, you'll find that this is a religion to some people, so I think it belongs here.

lordjeebus

Sure, this happens to me too, all the time. In my case the number is 217. It started when I dated a girl whose birthday was Feb. 17.

I believe that you are exposed to all sorts of numbers in your daily environment, but most of the time you unconsciously filter them out because they are unimportant. Once you get into this number recognition mode, however, the number will move from unconscious to conscious recognition every time you see it.

I'd bet that clocks enter your field of vision more than you think, but you're not noticing them unless they confirm this pattern of interest.

(After typing that sentence, I noticed that MrSelfDestruct had the same idea)

This can mean whatever you want it to mean, of course. I'm not going to tell you that it's just coincidence and I'd keep an open mind about this.

bermuDa

if you're discussing a religion then say so, the first post sounds a lot like it belongs in the paranoia forum, and simply using curt statements like this:
doesn't get your point across. If this is about religion then you should explain the religion and maybe include a link instead of telling people what they didn't know they should've been looking for.

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phukraut

are you saying that you -tend- to only look at the clock in 12 hour intervals, 11ish AM and 11ish PM? if 90% of the time you see 11:11, then i say you are looking for this pattern unconsciously. your mind thinks that it's about that time again, and you look to fulfill that desire to see eleven. after all, the clock doesn't change, it's you doing the patterning.

then if you want this to be a religious issue, i think the question you are asking then is: is god or some force impelling you to look at the clock mainly in 12 hour intervals, or is your own mind trying to tell you something?

personally, i think it's your own mind.

Kyo

Humans generally think in terms of patterns; linking objects, words, feelings, etc. Repetition, stress, or emotion can create stronger links. When you receive input from your senses, your mind is able to conjure up a mess of related items to help you identify it and take appropriate action. When you see a car, you recognize it for what it is by comparing it to cars you have seen in the past. You are aware that stepping in front of a moving car is probably detrimental to your health because you have been warned about it and have probably felt pain from other rigid moving objects (bats, fists, etc.)

Alright, so what? Well, by the very nature of our thought processes, we are likely to discount the idea of coincidences. Because our mind uses patterns to identify things, it will tend to focus more on things that form a pattern, discarding all of the other 'extraneous' data. This is, of course, done subconciously.

The thing about coincidences, however, is that they become much less impressive when you consider all of the times coincidences do not occur. If you were to record every number, or sequence of numbers, you see in a day, a week, a year, and then calculate the percentage of those numbers that are 11:11, I am willing to bet that the percentage is quite low - nearing the percentage that probability would predict from random chance.

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World's King

Patterns make me happy.


*King has OCD*

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heavy is the head that wears the crown

TheShadow

I think I had a pretty bad case of OCD [Somewhat better now] when I was younger - if I touched my left wrist or hit it against something, I would have to touch my right wrist, with the same object, and in the exact same corresponding place with Exactly the same amount of force... the real bitch was when I caught some light off the left lense of my glasses, I would have to catch it in the same way off my right lense [visa versa]... Is that OCD, or just some other disorder?

[Excuse the off-topicness, but I had to say it after reading World's King's message]

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You know that song that goes like...

TIO

Just a note: it's now 11-11.

(also, remembrance day at 11:11 on 11-11)

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Strewth

Eldaire

Uh, doesn't really happen to me. I do my best to take the whole world in, so I would therefore not see as many coincidences cause I try not do discard anything more than any other thing.

lordjeebus

That's impressive -- I'd like to have such objectivity in my view of the world but I have little control over the unconscious processes that promote the perception of coincidences and the like.

Is there anything specific you do to "take the whole world in"?

empu

Try setting your clock 7 minutes fast and see what happens.

Eviltree

I seem to see 7:30 quite a lot. I can't think of anything except that I was born <i>sept</i>ember 30, but september is the 9th month. maybe its the sept (seven in french and I think spanish) that does it. Maybe its because thats when I have to be out of bed, and I hate it.

wilbjammin

Sounds cabalistic... this kind of thinking leads towards finding all of the mathematical permutations of God, movies like Pi, and a wide range of philosophies based on order in chaos. I tend to think that there are only so many patterns in the world, and coincidences such as your example with 11:11 create a sort of ennui that adds some magic to life, yet really creates little more meaning than that. Life has creepy undertones at times... but we find ways to creep ourselves out more than life imposing it on us, I think.

Yes, July is named after Julius Ceasar and August is named after Augustus Ceaser... September originally was the 7th month on the calendar.

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Innominate.

Prince

There was a point in my life not long ago when this would happen to me all the damn time. I never could put my finger on whether it was really something that was happening TO me, or whether I was so hung up on the idea of it that it kind of became a self-fulfilling thing, of sorts.

In the end, I don't think there is anything to it, all coincidental.

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phukraut

better yet, have someone else set the clock and not tell you the exact change.

jhericurl21

i see 9:11 alot and it really didnt effect me other than the loss of lives from 9/11. I live in Canada and im asian

Fibrosa

Sounds like pure coincidence.

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D'oh!