Apparently, my blog title is less common than I had assumed (apart from books by Blakely Bennett and Mona Shroff). Usually, this topic is about giving someone a second chance – or taking. Latter has been researched by psychologists, like in The psychology of having a second chance (RUG-2021).
Sometimes, a first chance falls through the cracks – for whatever reason. The second first chance will then give us a déjà vu experience, or “the phenomenon of feeling as though one has lived through the present situation before”. Recently, that second first chance happened to me twice.
Clearly, a second first chance is not the corrective emotional experience as mentioned in psychology articles (eg, Weiman Consulting, Wiki). There is nothing to be corrected as the first chance never materialized. Hence, the second first chance.
It does make you wonder about fate: are some people destined to meet?
“People destined to meet will do so, apparently by chance, at precisely the right moment.”
A quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882), and repeated in a 2022 tweet by Harry Styles (b.1994)
Some further interesting quotes on this topic:
- “God always offers us a second chance in life.” Paulo Coelho
- “I believe in second chances, but I don’t believe in third or fourth chances.” Selena Gomez
- “That is what life is about. We do not get redos, but we do get second chances.” Jeffrey Fry
- “To understand everything is to forgive everything.” Osho
- “A second chance doesn’t mean anything if you didn’t learn from your first.” Anurag Prakash Ray
Second Chance (2008) by Shinedown
band, lyrics, video, Wiki-band, Wiki-song
[Post-Chorus]
I’m not angry, I’m just saying
Sometimes “Goodbye” is a second chance
Note: all markings (bold, italic, underlining) by LO unless stated otherwise.
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