CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va.—The first step toward making use of coincidences in our lives is tuning into the possibility of coincidences, says Bernard Beitman, M.D., a founding father of Coincidence Studies.
Coincidences can be useful in a lot of little ways, but they can also help change the course of someone’s life. “It’s the drama of some of them that is pretty amazing,” he said.
He gave the example of how a coincidence helped Oprah Winfrey increase her fame.
In 1982, Oprah just got onto a local television station in Chicago with her now-famous program. At the time, she had become interested in the book “The Color Purple.” She particularly identified with the character Sophia and thought she'd like to play Sophia in a movie adaptation of the book.
Producer Quincey Jones had been discussing a movie adaptation with Steven Spielberg. Jones was in Chicago on business and saw Oprah on the TV in his hotel room. Without knowing she had the desire to do so, he decided she should play Sophia.
Jones and Oprah connected, she got the role, and it accelerated the growth of her popularity.
This is the second part in a series of videos with Dr. Beitman. See part three for a discussion of what may have caused Oprah’s coincidence and what’s behind coincidences in general. Check here for all parts in the series: Coincidences Video Series
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