Serendipity: What If We Recognize Wonderful in the Unlikely?

It takes a prepared and open mind to recognize wonderful in the unlikely.

As I watch the 2001 romantic comedy film Serendipity, I became interested in the movie title, one of Sara's favorite words. Sara Thomas, played by Kate Beckinsale, explained to Jonathan Trager, played by John Cusack, that “It's such a nice sounding word for what it means: a fortunate accident.”

Serendipity, I came to learn, is more than “a fortunate accident.” A man named Horace Walpole coined the word from “a silly fairy tale called The Three Princes of Serendip.” The tale narrates that in their travel in search of glory and treasures, the three princes of Serendip (Persian name for Sri Lanka) discovered great and wonderful good in the most unlikely of people, places, and situations. From Walpole's observation that the three princes “were always making discoveries, by accident and sagacity, of things which they were not in quest of”, the word serendipity was formed.
The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines serendipity as the faculty of finding valuable or agreeable things not sought for. I thought that if serendipity is a faculty, then it is some kind of gift or special ability. Cambridge Dictionaries Online defines it as the lucky tendency to find interesting or valuable things by chance. So, I thought, you need to be lucky to make serendipitous discoveries.

Some people possess the faculty to find valuable things not sought for and others don't. Some people are lucky and others are not. What if we recognize wonderful in the unlikely? Does this mean that we are gifted or perhaps lucky? But, what if we are not gifted or lucky? Think about it. When was the last time you were awed by the wonderful thing you uncovered from the most unlikely of things? Valuable, agreeable, or interesting things not sought for are available to anyone. While some avail them, others don't. Serendipitous events occur to all people but not all recognize their serendipitous nature. Many people consider an accident as a mishap and feel sorry for themselves. People are inclined to despairingly regard a misfortune as bad luck and miss the opportunities that they offer. What does it take to recognize wonderful in the unlikely?

In The Three Princes and The Merchant, one of the tales of the adventures of the three princes of Serendip, the three princes encountered a merchant lamenting his great misfortune. The merchant, who built his palace on the banks of a river, has “travelled through many kingdoms building great wealth and collecting the finest of treasures.” Upon his return to his palace, he saw that the river has overrun its banks destroying his palace and stealing his treasures and most of his wealth. When the three princes heard his story, what they said was, “You have been blessed. For if you seek the good in your misfortune you will find even greater fortune.”
After a few years, the three princes passed by the merchant's river and they were welcomed by a servant who brought them to a beautiful palace on a cliff that overlooked the river. The merchant greeted them at the door and narrated that he pondered about what the three princes has told him until it dawned on him to build his palace on the cliff where he could have a wonderful view of the river. While preparing the ground to build just a humble home, his servants came across a great field of gems of great wealth that enabled the merchant to build a magnificent palace. The merchant has since then invited all that he knew from all the kingdoms that he travelled through, to partake of his hospitality. He told the three princes that “the greatest of treasures is their company and friendship for that is more precious than all the wealth in the kingdoms.” The merchant remarked that “I have been blessed beyond measure, for my youthful zest has been returned to me, and I have found that my family, my friends and my good health are my greatest of treasures for through my misfortune has flowed the greatest good, and I discovered my Greatest Blessings.”

What if we recognize wonderful in the unlikely? William Shakespeare, in his play Henry V, expressed that “all things are ready if our minds be so” and Louis Pasteur said that “chance favors the prepared mind”. It takes a prepared and open mind to recognize wonderful in the unlikely. If we can believe that wonderful things lie hidden in our problems or misfortunes, then we can begin to experience serendipitous discoveries. During tough times, I remember Jeremiah 29:11, “The Lord says, 'I alone know the plans I have for you, plans to bring you prosperity and not disaster, plans to bring about the future you hope for.'” And with this passage in mind, I am moved to find out what I am missing in my seemingly desperate situation.