(meditations on living)

Many people believe a crippling lie which inhibits creativity – there is nothing left in the world to be discovered. Until the 20th century, maps had many dark/unexplored areas. Slowly in the 16th century, coastlines were added, then interiors of countries were filled out in the 20th century. The unknown in science and the natural world was everywhere, even adults felt childlike wonder at the world. When learning is treated like an exploration mission, we learners become explorers and are encouraged to seek out information which results in many opportunities for “serendipitous learning”.

Serendipitous learning is “surprise learning”¹, it “emphasizes the role of unexpected realization of hidden, seemingly unrelated connections or analogies for learning and research”². In pursuit of a new route to Asia, Christopher Colombus landed in Americas, which brought light to a “new world” for cartographers of the time. When learning or imagining, we get to embark on amazing journeys to worlds, pathways, and ideas not yet known to others. It is quite beautiful when an ordinary journey turns to the extraordinary due to unexpected information.

Not every new path is enjoyable, at times there may be “turbulent waters” (a.k.a. coming into contact with an idea we vehemently disagree with or a subject we struggle to comprehend). Other times, a turn can go from a dense thicket into a beautiful clearing which inspires the viewer beyond the present moment. Albert Bierstadt had an awe-inspiring experience like this while travelling with a friend which produced the incredible painting, A Storm in the Rock Mountains, Mt. Rosalie, 1866. While Bierstadt did not know what to expect, he embarked on the journey in pursuit of seeing beautiful, unexplored lands.

The creative process is full of serendipitous learning, not just in painting, but writing as well. Many authors remark in their interviews that writing is a process of discovery. The author is first to explore a story, as a result they discover details throughout the process which were unimaginable at the beginning. Perseverance and endurance are attributes any creator must have when pursuing an elusive idea. The author is a guide to the story or topic of interest, because they traversed the unknown terrain first, then show readers a path found. Afterward, readers are encouraged to go find their own path and explore the world, too. Many fictional worlds help me make sense of my own reality, so I play in them with my imagination or explore the characters motivations to grow my own moral compass.

Tess Gunty spoke about her own writing process for The Rabbit’s Hutch³. She leans in with curiosity when writing, without setting out on a known path, she meanders with the story – allowing the story to reveal paths otherwise missed in the midst of the forest. This interview was definitely worth listening to for creatives or anyone interested in delving into the life experience of another.

A.J. Swoboda also shares this concept in an interview about his new book⁴, which is where I learned the term, “serendipitous learning”. His lens was less as a writer and more as a human. We, as humans, need to have teachable spirits, seeking beyond our realm of understanding and treading new paths even when we feel uncomfortable.

Serendipitous learning is exciting partially due to the fact that it happens when the learner least expects it. Recently, I was able to experience the joy found in exploring the unknown when I happened upon a little “side quest” in my learning. One minute I was reading about the Dalai Lama and his pursuit of justice for the Tibetan people, when he suddenly made a passing comment about Liu Xiaobo. A short time later, I dove into Liu Xiaobo’s story about advocating for democracy in China, which prompted a reading of his poetry about grief and remembrance of the life-altering protests in Tiananmen Square, 1989⁵.

The destination of these tangents is unknown even to me; however, each path has always enriched my life somehow. Theologian/Writer/Priest Henri Nouwen writes about the importance of learning from everyone we encounter as a way to grow, instead of restricting the people we learn from as those we deem good enough⁶. Censoring inputs ultimately limits the unique connections people make by crushing curiosity. Curiosity is one of the greatest tools God has given us. Along the way, down random corridors in life, I have found wonderful places which have led me to ideas I never even set out to find, simply by leaning into curiosity.

In an age and time where answers are at the tip of my fingers, I am working harder to take side quests in learning. Side quests, at times detours, require an explorer’s mindset which is not quite satisfied with the way things have always been done, cultivating a desire to explore the unknown. There are many more places where we can explore and create pathways that have never been there before. To believe otherwise is a version of complacency which poisons the soul and robs the world of new wonders.

1. https://open.spotify.com/episode/73c6zsSobM8B8Wd7XeNNPR?si=SaT4_OooSeGael_KESzJtQ (episode ST74 from Slow Theology Podcast) ↩︎
2. Fine and Deegan, 1996; Gritton, 2007 ↩︎
3. Tess Gunty on Narrative Voice, Her Writing Process, and the Books That Most Inspire Her (click for link) ↩︎
4. A Teachable Spirit, A.J. Swoboda, 2025.
   See podcast link above (ST74) ↩︎
5. June Fourth Elegies, Liu Xiabo, 2012. ↩︎
6. Following Jesus, Henri Nouwen, 2019. ↩︎