There is a subtle, yet pivotal, concept that we can find in every single work of fiction in existence, be it literary, cinematic, or otherwise.
This concept is observed in the lovers’ paths crossing when they do; it’s observed in the hero’s timely intervention in the villain’s dastardly machinations; and it’s observed in the event that finally brings the dysfunctional family back together, so that they may finally work out their differences.
I call this concept convergence, and I feel that it’s one of the most important elements in any tale, just as it is one of the most important elements in our own lives.
Many people are oblivious to the wonder that is the convergence. They are ignorant of how often it occurs around them and, when they do notice it, they label it as ‘chance’ or ‘fate,’ and never give it a second thought.
I, truly, feel sorry for these people.
From every major development in our lives, to the most commonplace, convergences rule our existence.
Imagine that you’re walking down the street at a fairly brisk pace. Another pedestrian, going the same direction, walks ahead of you, taking their sweet time. Yet another pedestrian (or, perhaps, a cyclist) comes towards you in the other direction. Without fail, the only opportunity that you will get to pass the sloth ahead will always present itself at the narrowest part of the sidewalk, at exactly the same moment that the person coming towards you is parallel.
Of course, the frustrating example above may be rooted more in my own neuroticism than many of your own examples, but it’s just one of a myriad. The point is that these types of convergences happen all around us every day. They may be buried in minutiae, or part of a violent upheaval in our lives, but they’re there.
Everything, inevitably, converges.
Even if we accept the fact of the matter, however, the questions about ‘how’ and ‘why’ abound (and are far more convoluted). Religion describes such phenomena the guiding hand of God, whereas science describes them in molecular terms – as the macroscopic results of sub-atomic particle behaviour. Perhaps convergences are part of some cosmic pattern? Perhaps we are merely missiles programmed to fly through our lives at a speed and trajectory manipulated by someone or something else? No one can really say for certain, but perhaps acknowledging the existence of the concept, and the inevitability of the law of convergence, is enough.
If you read my novels, REFLECTIONS OF SHADOW, you’ll notice several convergences (both explicit and implicit) in the events that take place. The concept is just one of the many fascinating and inexplicable phenomena that I love to ponder and, like so many before me, I hope that I can use art to draw attention to many ideas that might be otherwise overlooked or unappreciated in our reality.
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