When I was in elementary school, my reading group was called "Serendipity." We would sit in a circle and read stories aloud from different books, and this part of the day was always my favorite. When I finally got around to asking what serendipity meant, I was disappointed to find out that the dictionary definition did not quite match my own. To me, Serendipity sounded like a magical place or state of mind where everything was beautiful and fantastic. To find out that it meant an accidental discovery, well, the two ideas did not seem to work well together at the time. Ted Gup's essay, "The End of Serendipity," caught my eye and brought back the confusion that I had over the literal and connotative meaning of this word. His interest in the lack of serendipity in the "technological revolution" matches mine, and I feel that his main points are strong and convincing.

His first point calls into question those who are "refining our search for answers" and asks if their intentions are as helpful as they are noble (250). When students find they are presented easy and time efficient ways of researching information, such as the Internet and CD-ROM encyclopedias, they are denying themselves something more important. According to Gup, "random epiphanies and the virtues of accidental discovery" provide the student with a means to learn new information and answers to questions that have not yet been asked (250). When using the Internet and CD-ROMs, one misses accidental discoveries, thanks to the "sliced and diced" formatted programs and the point and click searches (251). I believe that Gup has touched on something that I feel very strongly about. The nation's future lawyers, doctors, policemen, and teachers use the Internet for everything from research to game playing to communication. These individuals are learning the fast and easy means of functioning in today's society, but they are not learning the communication and people skills that they are going to need later on in life. If answers can be found too easily, then the art of searching is lost, and this art is what helps individuals form their personalities and discover their strengths and weaknesses.

This leads to Gup's second point. Journalists are faced with the "moral consequences in being able to tailor the information that reaches [the reader]" (251). If a newspaper is available online, then the reader can easily avoid the stories that have unpleasant headlines. With a newspaper in hand, the reader is more apt to read a story for the simple fact that it is right in front of him. There will always be those readers who skip the front section to go to the comics or entertainment sections, but the chances of this happening are greater on the Internet. The avoidance of information can cause a decline in the awareness of what is going on around us. I do not think that I have to point out that this is already a problem, especially among high school and college students. I am a reliable source when I say that young people do not know what is going on, not only in our own country, but in other countries as well. After a long day at school, the last thing that I want to do is pick up a newspaper and read about the bombings in Israel or the kid who shot his classmate. Nevertheless, it is my responsibility to be informed about these happenings. Sensational stories about interns and movie stars are what turn up more frequently online, and this appearance can result in a dangerous situation where America's future leaders are more informed about White House scandals than international politics.

Gup's last point is that "this is not a revolution but an evolution" (252). Technology has been evolving for years and it will continue to do so. In certain areas, medical science or transportation, this evolution can be a good thing. In others, Gup points out that sometimes a blunter tool, such as the encyclopedia or print journals, can be more useful "where knowledge of the world is concerned" (252). When the telephone was invented, people feared that personal interaction would decline, but this invention was just another movement in the technological evolution. Change can be a positive thing, as long as alternative means of getting things done are not forgotten.

After reading Gup's essay, I realize that there is a relation between my own definition of Serendipity and the dictionary's definition. When reading a printed newspaper from front to back or searching for information for a school project, there are many discoveries to be made and much information to digest. Gup quotes Swiss playwright Max Frisch in saying, "Technology is the knack of arranging the world so that we don't have to experience it" (251). Experience and knowledge feed the imagination, and this imagination can take us to magical places that cannot be found with a click of the mouse.

Gup, Ted. "The End of Serendipity." CyberReader. 2nd ed. Ed. Victor J. Vitanza. Needham Heights, MA: Allyn & Bacon, 1999. 250-252.

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