Serendipity - Fact or Fiction
Have you come across the word serendipity before? I tried searching for it on dictionary.com today, and discovered that they did not have the word? (Later discovered I was looking for serependity rather than serendipity :)) I kept searching other sources and I was able to get a definition at wikipedia. This defines seredipity as follows
Serendipity: to make discoveries, by accident and sagacity, of things not in quest of.
I knew the word serendipity as far back as when I was in secondary school, I read a book back then and it seemed the entire theme of the book was centered around that word. If I remember correctly, I think the title of the book even had serependity in it. It was a story of strange miraculous events happening within a hospital. The question on my mind this morning is, “Is serendipity real?” Is it possible to really make discoveries by accident and sagacity? By the way Sagacity means the quality of being discerning, sound in judgement, and farsighted. Do discoveries come the way of people not in search of them? I don’t agree do you? I am willing to be convinced.
I remember making a reference to serendipity in an article some while back. It is human nature I guess, to rejoice at occurences, rather than find out if a pattern exists to the occurences and hence see if the event can be reproduced. Maybe I’m Logic Smart, I easily find patterns in things. I believe when you understand the patterns anything is replicable. If you know how each element in a car works you can make a car! Anything that remains mystified cannot be reproduced.
In my study of serendipity, I discovered that the definition of serendipity is flawed. Yes, discoveries seemed to be made accidentally, but then they were not accidents that could have happened to anybody. They were accidents that had a cause. Before I start sounding too theoretical, here are the examples that give credence to my claim. The list of things that are attributed to serependity are alarming. Try these for size.
Post It Notes, Penicilin, Pacemaker, Cornflakes and Wheat flakes, Ivory-brand soap, photography, safety glasses, Microwave Oven, Achimede’s theorem, Isaac Newtons theories of gravitational pull, vacination, bioelectricity, the first oral contraceptive, anti-cancer drug- cisplatin, viagra, quinine and many more. All these were discovered by so called accident!
What I find particularly interesting however is how easily we miss certain similarities in the process involved in every one of these innovations. Yes, serendipity, but was it also serendipity that the process that gave birth to each serendipitous discovery was similar? I dare say, that by behaving in a certain way it is possible to initiate events that generations ahead will lazily term serendipity. If you do the things they all did, you too might be witnessing some serendipity soon. The question is what are the similarities?
1. They were all looking for something! Haven’t you wondered why the apple that is quoted to have fallen on sir Isaac Newton’s head, never fell on your grandfather’s head. You know what I think? I think it did, but he probably just cursed a few times and moved away 
Why, because he wasn’t looking for anything desperately. If you want to experience serendipity, be on a search! Eureka is the shout that punctuated Archimede’s discovery, it means “I have found it”, tell me, how do you find without searching?
“Serendipity. Look for something, find something else, and realize that what you’ve found is more suited to your needs than what you thought you were looking for.” Lawrence Block
2. They were all somehow prepared to see the opportunity! First I’ll like you to notice that all of these discoveries were made by scientists. This shows there is something about the mind of a scientist. This doesn’t mean you don’t have a prepared mind if you are an art inclined person, it only means there is a way you might want to consider thinking. What are the characteristics of a prepared or as the case may be, scientific mind? The scientific mind is curious and factual. When curiousity is undaunted in the face of lack of factual answers, the RAS is tuned to pick stronger signals.
“In the field of observation, chance favors only the prepared mind.” Louis Pasteur
3. They all found something bigger than they were looking for! The results of this acts of serependity were either more money, better healthcare for all, more convinience or summarily abunadance. The progression was towards more, or better. The system of operation of the world, your company, your community is designed to make more move towards you, but you need to be the initiator. If you are looking for nothing…you’ll probably get something bigger, trouble!
“Serendipity is looking in a haystack for a needle and discovering a farmer’s daughter.” Julius Comroe Jr.
When you set your routine on a search, prepare your mind and move into action, look out for whatever happens, for somewhere in their lies the key to more! I really wished I had the space to write about 5 of the serendipity inventions. So interesting, believe me. By the way, are miracles serendipitous?
Hello. I am 
Er, I’m confused here. I’ve never heard the word before but in one place you said “Serependity” and in the definition you said “Serendipity”.
Is it Serependity or Serendipity or Seperendipity or Seperependipity???
Serependity…Fact or Fiction? That would be determined by what your core foundational beliefs are…
Serendipity:” to make discoveries, by accident and sagacity, of things not in quest of” Now I can not say I agree with that based on my beliefs…
My life actions are not by accident, I believe my steps a ordered…I believe I am part of something bigger than myself and every part of my journey in this life is something to learn neither for me or for someone else looking on my life.
Sagacity…Yes I would say that described what the Holy Spirit’s function in our lives (if we let Him)… I do agree there are patterns to something not all things, if you are going to be humanistic about it…or as you say logical. Not everything can be judged using logic you will only get confused…The world we live in was not created by Logic…says the creationist …Now an evolutionist would differ.
I will comment on what I know…your examples given…the discovery of penicillin, Isaac Newton’s , vaccination ( smallpox)….Where called accidents…I call an ordered step. People that where already in a state of searching, will be a lot more attentive and sensitive to there surroundings which you clearly said.
So to conclude I would say Serependity is a fact, but I just would not call it an “accident” or “luck” but ordered steps.
Serendipity was coined from a Persian fairy tale called the 3 princess of seredip I quote….as their highnesses travelled, they were always making discoveries, by accidents and sagacity, of things which they were not in quest of…”
All that are born of God through the Son are of Royal blood and with the enabling of the Holy Spirit (sagacity) our journey or quest in life will not be accidents but ordered steps by God as we discover the wonderfulness , beauty and mysteries He has for us along the way.
Miracles on the other hand is when heaven it’s self step in and supersides nature….as you must have heard before …when the super hits the natural.
It’s are pure and simply SUPERNATURAL!
Ahahah…Nike, thanks for pointing that out…I just discovered that rather than just being a tongue twister, serendipity is a finger twister
The word is serendipity…not serereperere…:)
Noted and corrected
Angela -
I believe you are of the school of thought, that “nothing just happens!”, there are no accidents, there is a higher order that created and controls the universe. I agree too. Which is why I think that even the accidental events in our lives if carefully studied have a pattern. Someone said that the beauty of life is in living it forward and understanding it backward. Forward thinking is not logical, but past events can be analysed with logic. I believe good students of the past shouldn’t be part of the errors of the future…abi?
Angie, Angie, Angie, Kare omo.
Deolu, Word, on all counts.
Those quotes are just the shiznit, they are more than just quotes, they should be regarded as laws.
I think the key in all of this is to actually be looking for something, to be in a quest of sorts, because I have realised from my own experience that when you have you rmind set on something, you get more info on that subject.
Some things that were right under your nose but didn’t make any sense or seemed not to have any use whatsoever spring up in your face and there you have it, your very own private “Eureka” moment, only because to cared to be on a quest.
Have you also realised how the most serendipitous of people are amongst the hardest and smartest workers, they seem to be so blanking lucky, but like Louis Pasteur said, Chance favours only the prepared mind.
Thanks for this one.
Even though i am an ardent stickler to the fact that life is a mathematical equation, i also believe that the word ’serendipity’ do exist. I have grown up seeing that word everywhere but my understanding of the word became clear when i read the book “Cracking The Millionaire Code” BY VICTOR HANSEN AND CO.
It is true that one has to be passionate about what he wants but it is also a fact that some forces do show up to help if you align yourself to their rules.
Life itself is controlled by forces. I do not want to preach religion here, but each person will do himself,herself a lot of good by reading that book. That book is not a religious book though but a business and money making one .
I would just like to throw this question out there…..Why do people think that you can separate “faith” I don’t want to call it religion, cos I’m all about relationship with my creator.
But why do people think you can separate that from Business or making money.
People should ask themselves why they want to acquire wealth. Why do you want to be rich? Why do you want to archive?
It’s truly irritating when I hear people make statements like “I don’t want to preach” when all motivational books on acquiring wealth and self improvement are all based on Christian principal ….In other words “preaching”
This is part of the description of the book mentioned by Olaito……..
Mark Victor Hansen is co-author of the phenomenally successful Chicken Soup for the Soul series, and Robert G. Allen is the author ofthe blockbuster paradigm-shifting best seller Nothing Down. But it wasn’t always that way. Neither author is a stranger to failure. Both have lost everything, more than once! But, independent of each other and over time, these two men came up with principles for helping both themselves and others.(Christain principle).
Now, with this book, Hansen and Allen have teamed up to provide you with their time-tested tenets for unlocking the secrets of creating Enlightened Wealth.( what does Enlightened wealth mean?)
Along the way you’ll read stories of people just like you who have discovered the extraordinary lives they were meant to live and stepped into them. You’ll learn how to turn your unknown assets into millions, create your own Enlightened Wealth Statement, unleash the power of “hundredfolding”, follow the 101-Day Plan to your first million, and use Residual Philanthropy to pave your way to even greater wealth. (Hundredfold….Christian principle)
I REST MY CASE…
There was more but I was not going to give the book any FREE advertising on this blog.
What struck me from this, is the fact that many in search of a particular goal get ‘blinded’ to other things along the way.
In your quest keep an open mind cos you may just discover some ‘extras’ to what your quest was all about and the world calls those extras ‘Serendipity’…..
Thanks for stretching my mind once again Deolu…
Hmmm….Mr. Olaito, your response is urgently required.
@ Angela - Hmmm… I think an integral part of making money involves a lot of faith. And when you earnestly expect something to happen, you literally bring it to pass. I think people seperate it as a way of not being percieved as religious…I think, I really can’t answer for people.