Everyone has had it. Nobody can explain it.
Déjà Vu - n. - the feeling that you have already experienced something that is actually happening for the first time. (Origin - French adjective, literally translated "already seen")
Go ahead, science. Tell me how experiencing this phenomenon makes me believe I've been there, done that, or seen it before. Tell me how my brain is producing some image of something that I will do in the distant future, but I will not remember it until the moment it happens. Even if you could rationalize some chemical reaction that results in such a strange occurrence, find a way to convince me that this particular event, Déjà Vu, makes any sort of logical sense.
Related Articles
| "Whoa" indeed, Keanu. |
That shit's straight out of Merriam-Webster, dog. Then through my limited research (because I'm not really looking to delve into the concept of déjà vu all night on a Friday...I do have a life, surprisingly), there are several theories I've read about, but ultimately, that's all they are...theories. The only fact you can derive from it is that it has been experienced by many. This is not an unfamiliar thing to the general public. Given, it's also not something that happens on such regularity that a person can't go a day without thinking, "Damn, hasn't this happened before?" Even if that is the case, that's an extremely rare case, and I'd still be willing to call "Shenanigans" on the truth-stretcher in question. I'll be glad to inform said poor soul that having consecutive bad days at the same crappy job does not constitute having déjà vu. That's called "life". Also, we don't live in a Real Life version of Groundhog Day with Bill Murray. He'll tell you it doesn't actually work like that either.
| Here's Bill holding the second cousin of the Caddyshack gopher. |
With all of this said, I would rather discuss my own profound thoughts on this topic. Whether you find them to be profound or not is entirely up to you, but I had a sort of mind-blowing moment the last time I experienced déjà vu. I might as well jump right into it now.
First of all, one of the debates that should immediately draw our attention is the origin of the occurrence itself. Think about it: we are literally experiencing something in real life that we truly feel we have done before. The exact place, time, environment, people...every little detail is so precise that the fact that you recognize it is rather incredible in itself. So how is it that we are recognizing something that you can honestly say you have only physically experienced at that moment, yet mentally you visualized it sometime in the past? One could surmise that the sheer repetition of some everyday activity resides in your memory and eventually it becomes your mind's idea of what could take place, although it's hard to believe that it would only be coincidence if it actually happened. So I'm already going to rule that out.
The next thing to consider is the possibility of premonition. Is it so hard to believe that we all possess some sort of sixth sense, no matter how minute in nature it may be? Clearly I'm not talking about seeing dead people or even possessing psychic capabilities, but I don't find it too far-fetched to have a mere glimpse into the future for even a few seconds every once in a great while. Look at it this way: have you ever had a feeling in your gut, a hunch that something, some random event, would take place, such as bumping into an old friend or receiving a phone call from someone you haven't heard from in a long time...and then it came true? How much different is that really? We're also not talking about constantly having these moments that are life-altering in any way. I can say from experience that I've only had déjà vu during some of the most mundane moments: relaxing at home, sitting in class at school, finishing out my day at work...not exactly epic memories in my life.
Now for my deep thoughts on this topic. Theoretically, if this is in fact a form of premonition, and at that moment, you can distinctly recall having that occurrence, I'm wondering why we can not predict it before it happens. Lets look at the facts again. First, you need to previously have visualized the inevitable event, primarily in a dream state. Next, quite simply, the event occurs. Finally, you acknowledge that said event was not the first time it had occurred, physically or not. So with all of this in mind, wouldn't it be rational to believe you could extract that moment from your memory before it "re"-occurs, and you would then know it's about to happen before it does? That's just following logic. This does open up the potential possibility of altering the events that have then been deemed "predictable", so to speak, which is far too in-depth of a topic to get into without straying from the point. It is still a factor that would need to be considered if the anticipation was possible. The question remains unanswered: why can we not predict the event even though we can confirm it is familiar after the fact? I don't know if there will ever be an answer to that. At least not one that holds water.
My last interest on this matter is a little more philosophical. So let's chalk déjà vu up as nothing more than coincidence or something like it. Is it something that is just part of being human, or is there a higher power involved? For those of you that are reading this that have faith in any one of a number of religions, you have to consider this as something that a higher being could control. The same goes for individuals that believe in extraterrestrials having an influence over our thoughts. The overall idea is that this could be viewed as a sign from these entities. What does this sign mean, you ask? Who knows? It could be a way for them to acknowledge your faith in their existence, or maybe they're just extremely bored and this is a way to screw with your head to keep themselves entertained. The latter actually seems like the most likely scenario in this instance. Hell, if I had the power to control someone's thoughts that way, I'd have some real fun with it. I'd make sure to do it so a person remembers stepping on a heaping pile of dog crap at an outdoor wedding, or when their pants split at work with six hours left on their shift...you know, moments that are already memorable in themselves, but would benefit from that extra bit of peculiarity that makes it stand out.
| I'd make him remember this moment...twice. |
It's pretty safe to say that nobody will ever know how or why déjà vu takes place, unless that's something we discover post-mortem (which also truly depends on your beliefs on afterlife). All I can say though is that it has certainly happened to me several times before, and...
...wait a minute...I feel like I've done this before...
False alarm. This post is different from the previous ones I've done.
Whew...that was a close one.
D.
