1: a ghostly counterpart of a living person2 a: double 2a b: alter ego b c: a person who has the same name as another

Wikipedia also adds: "The word is also used to describe the sensation of having glimpsed oneself in peripheral vision, in a position where there is no chance that it could have been a reflection." A cosmic anomaly that happens to be one of my greatest fears in life.

Modern connotation amongst my social circles also indicates a sort of other; an opposite double of sorts. I often wonder what would happen when two doppelgangers are forced to meet each other, or even a mere sharing of the same immediate space. As a child I sometimes pondered if there are people out there that look exactly the same as I do, and I have come exceptionally close to finding this man in the fellow by the name of Zach. People have mistaken us for each other, though our physical appearances have drifted even in the short time that I have known him. One time, I did share a manly embrace (no homo, LOL!) with said Zach and it was almost eerie; the feeling of almost hugging myself. An existential dilemma if there ever was one.

One might make the assumption that the farther you get away from your home, the more likely it is you will find doppelgangers of people you know. Since my time in Montreal, I have found this to be increasingly true, as I have witnessed doppelgangers or near-doppelgangers of at least the following people: Molly Siegel, Meredith Riley (although this is in a half-Asian variety), Melissa Cooper, Helen Goodman, and several others which I cannot muster from my memory at the moment.

These doppelgangers are all of the female variety.

This observation may seem coincidental at first, but after thinking it through I have concluded that there is a reason why there are far more female doppelgangers than there are male ones. Now, I do not know yet what this reason is, but my intuition and modern reasoning tells me that there is an absolute answer. Could it possibly be that biddies are more likely to conform to a physical standard of appearances? Maybe, maybe not. Could it have to do with limited genetic variety once two X chromosomes are paired together? Seems like it could be likely, but I have not yet achieved enough knowledge in the field to make a credible evaluation.

Whatever it is, I shall continue my search to find more doppelgangers and the reasoning behind them. I dearly ask of your opinions on the matter, and if you have experienced any such phenomena in your lives.