Serendipity

For someone who loves learning and is always asking questions, I sometimes feel that serendipity can't be avoided in a city like Chicago.  Not only do opportunities abound, but they are abundantly diverse in focus and perspective.  A perfect illustration occurred just this past week.

After touring a uniquely urban-situated convent mentioned to me by my City Director, I had planned to take it easy at a coffee shop and achieve some satisfying progress in the book that was then absorbing the vast majority of my spare time.  Unexpectedly, however, my friend - who is on the steering committee for Young Evangelicals for Climate Action - called me up.  Initially, I thought he was calling in regards to the book club that had occupied most of our recent conversations.  It turned out, however, that Chicago was offering up yet another perk to its student-minded residents: Bill McKibben's Do the Math national tour was stopping in Chicago that night, not more than 15 minutes away from where I was. 

Now, I hadn't exactly heard of Bill McKibben, and I didn't exactly know anything of his Do the Math tour, but I proceeded to sign up without hesitation.  After all, since my friend had already gotten our tickets, I would be able to attend for free.  As I now know, Bill McKibben is one of the biggest names in the world of climate change and environmental politics, and his Do the Math tour pulls in not so much 'audiences,' as it does crowds passionately rallying behind a cause sincerely and zealously fought for.

So, naturally, serendipity struck again.  Not only was I immersed in a jam-packed and emotionally-charged auditorium full of environmental 'insiders' (a fascinating experience for an outsider like me), and not only do I now have even more incredibly substantive reasons to add to the already long list of convictions as to why I commute by bicycle, but I was also interviewed by This American Life - one of Chicago's most beloved radio shows!  On this last point, I suppose sometimes there are perks to uniquely being the only environmental amateur among a crowd of experts - the reporter from This American Life specifically wanted to hear from someone in just my position.

Wait a second - so what got me interviewed by This American Life wasn't my qualifications or education or knowledge of climate change?  Right- it was due to nothing more than my proclivity to immerse myself in a context wherein I would be predisposed to learn, to gain exposure to new perspectives and knowledge simply by virtue of my own ignorance on the topic at hand.  What is more, this is something that I have witnessed serving me well over and over again since moving to Chicago: an embrace of my own finitude, that is, the narrowness of own my culturally ingrained perspective or background, leading to an opening of doors, an establishing of connections, and a serendipity that is coming to be regarded as expected.

- Scott, CSM Chicago Apprentice

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