Synchronicity, Chance, and Predestination

I often sense that an event is synchronous—that is, it seems to occur at what seems to be the “right” moment. I am reminded of the old hymn that begins:

“My life flows on in endless song;
Above Earth's lamentation,”

Is this just me putting a pattern on what must be a chance sequence of events? Or, is the pattern all laid out in advance and I just don’t know my next line in the “play” until I speak it? In short, am I living in a universe where chance prevails or is everything preordained? Taking any position in this inquiry is just a matter of faith. So the following is a statement of faith.

I’ve already stated in the opening sentence of this little piece that I am not on the side of “chance.” The experience of my life is one of an “endless song” that is flowing in a definite direction even though I don’t foresee the future. So, I must either believe in synchronicity or predestination. Predestination for me would imply a supreme being that “has a plan” for my life and I’m just an automaton, a puppet on the divine string, dancing helplessly to unheard music.

When asked if their rain dance actually brought on the rain or if they danced when rain was coming, a Native American elder replied, “We dance, and the rain comes.” No cause and effect involved in either way.

How then, does synchronicity work if it is not connected to cause and effect? My usual source of online misinformation, Wikipedia defines synchronicity as follows:

“The idea of synchronicity is that the conceptual relationship of minds, defined by the relationship between ideas, is intricately structured in its own logical way and gives rise to relationships which have nothing to do with causal relationships in which a cause precedes an effect. Instead, causal relationships are understood as simultaneous — that is, the cause and effect occur at the same time.”

Which doesn’t explain anything about how it works. My online source of the “scientific” point of view, The Skeptics Dictionary states:

"What reasons are there for accepting synchronicity as an explanation for anything in the real world? What it explains is more simply and elegantly explained by the ability of the human mind to find meaning and significance where there is none."

Synchronicity was first proposed by C. G. Jung and The Skeptics Dictionary calls his ideas “inane.” As for me, I vote for Jung. Even though I have no logical, “scientific” explanation for how it works, my vote is for that “endless song.”