What makes a coincidence meaningful?

THERE are two kinds of people in the world: people who say, “What a coincidence”, and people who say, “Just a coincidence”. Same facts, different reactions. Are you the “what a” kind or the “just a” kind?

I’m a “just a coincidence” person. I attended an economics conference in the World Trade Centre on Sep 10, 2001, and decided not to go back for the second day. I read nothing into it. (The conference was below ground level, so everybody who stayed for Sep 11 got out safely, for what it’s worth.)

Coincidences are hard to define. It’s not just two things happening at once. There has to be an element of surprise. But what counts as surprising is subjective and squishy.