Serendip is an independent site partnering with faculty at multiple colleges and universities around the world. Happy exploring!

Reply to comment

Maiya Zwerling's picture

Can we allow for serendipity?

To answer this question, I thought it might be important to everyone if I supply a definition for serendipity. According to the OED, serendipity is "The faculty of making happy and unexpected discoveries by accident. Also, the fact or an instance of such a discovery".  Serendipity is not just happiness but it is unexpected happiness. Which means it lacks decisions to be happy. The happiness just occurs randomly. I would agree that an unexpected happy thing in my life really does improve my day. After a very hard week in school this week, I received a package from back home with my favorite tea and guitar strings for my guitar. This surprise really did improve my over all mood. Unfortunately, I don’t know many people who don’t allow for serendipity. I guess you could look at everything as a negative thing but random happy things aren’t something that can be avoided. They just happen. I am wondering what he means by increase satisfaction? I think in life happy things improve our daily moods, which could be considered a satisfaction in life. I don’t think you can increase the serendipity of your life though. You’re lucky if good things happen to you. If they don’t it’s basically out of your control. So yes, to answer directly serendipity can make a person happier but people cannot go looking for it. It has to be a chance occurrence. Does anyone else have an idea of how we can allow for serendipity?

 

Reply

To prevent automated spam submissions leave this field empty.
2 + 0 =
Solve this simple math problem and enter the result. E.g. for 1+3, enter 4.