"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
What is serendipity? The word was coined in 1754 by Horace Walpole in the fairy tale The Three Princes of Serendip. The heroes in the story "were always making discoveries, by accident and sagacity, of things they were not in quest for." According to dictionary.com, serendipity is an aptitude for making desirable discoveries by accident; good fortune or luck. The word "serendipity" is found in English dictionaries today, but only those edited after 1974.
One of the more recent examples of serendipitous discovery in the medical world is the discovery of Viagra. It was originally tested as UK92480, a new treatment for angina which is a heart condition that constricts the vessels that supply the heart with blood.
Although the drug did not help with angina, it did produce an unusual side effect-- lots of erections. The trial were successful and after further tests and developmnt, Viagra was released as a prescription drug that changed the lives of many men who had been struggling with erectile dysfuntion.
"What was amazing about this study was that we saw a restoration of the erectile response. Now we were on to something which could only be described as special," BBC News quoted Pfizer senior scientist Chris Wayman.
Whether we realize it or not, serendipity affects our everyday lives. If you have ever used rubber, Velcro, Post- it notes, Vaseline, or even Viagra, you have taken advantage of serendipitous discovery.
Raven,
ReplyDeleteYou used an example of serendipity which grasped the readers attention. The example used is very different from other famous examples of serendipity but it is a good example. I also like that you incorporated a picture and quote with your post that helped define serendipity. Overall this was a well written post.
It's important for the writer to catch the reader's attention, and you accomplished that by posting a picture that defines serendipity. You briefly explained the history of serendipity and used insightful quotes such as the one from Lawrence Block, to help explain what you have to say. It's good to provide an elaborate definition but I feel like you could have cut down on the definitions and provide personal experiences to help prove your definition is in fact real and tangent to personal life experiences. I like your conclusion because it states how serendipity is important in our daily lives. Some items we use on a daily basis such as the examples you have given, were progressed by serendipitous moments. I think this was a solid blog post with great examples and definitions, which shows that you spent time researching the topic.
ReplyDelete-Edward Jung G5