Illumination and Serendipity
It’s What isn’t There, That makes Us Special
Illumination was started a few months ago, by Dr Mehmet Yildiz with these core values in place: Diversity, Fusion, Synergy, Serendipity. We know that there are now over 12,000 readers and over 1400 writers who call this publication home. Who read, write, comment and contribute to its growth each and every day.
The question is, why?
What makes Illumination a magnet for such interest and creativity?
The answer, as you will come to see, is not to be found in what’s in the publication, but what isn’t. That makes all the difference.
Serendipity was coined as a word in the middle of the 18th century by the English author Horace Walpole. He borrowed the word and its general meaning from a Persian fairy tale called, The Three Princes of Serendip.
Three princes sent off on a pilgrimage of sorts, by their father the king, in search of the practical wisdom and common sense needed to eventually take over the kingdom. Using observational skills, a la Sherlock Holmes, they solved a puzzle, helped find a camel and gained the insights their father was hoping they would.
They also helped create a concept that influences all our lives and makes it easier to start each day with the belief that something special just might happen.
Serendipity: the facility or phenomenon of finding valuable or agreeable things not sought for. An aptitude for making fortunate discoveries accidentally.
Meeting someone friendly and open in the line at Starbucks who happens to be a contractor, and someone you’ve been looking for.
A text, sent to the wrong number (yours) talking about a new bakery that just opened, that specializes in the kind of pastry your grandmother used to make.
Serendipity allows for surprises just around the corner. It supposes that good things, needed things, can be found, even when the search has been ended. It opens up the world just a little wider for us to slip through, when things seem to be getting a little too hectic.
It comes when you least expect, even if you were hoping it would.
Serendipity for Illumination means we don’t judge what you write and suggest it should conform to some standard that we have decided upon.
It means that as you turn the corner on an article about relationship, you might just bump into a story about friendships, just like the one you had as a child. Or as you race down a long corridor of poems and short fiction, there may just be a tale of urban myths holding the door open for you to come in.
Serendipity is the twenty-dollar bill in the couch cushions you need for the pizza. It’s the phone message at the end of a long day, from someone you did not call, who wants to start their project now.
It comes when you least expect, even if you were hoping it would.
Illumination is run and edited by people who care about your stories. Who want you to feel included and appreciated. But perhaps most importantly, they want your insight and perspective to be shared by others. Because we know that one idea, dressed casually and looking like many others, may yet ignite a trend that will grow into something special. A single notion may turn into a series of articles shared by many authors, each possessing a unique point of view that adds dimension and richness to the subject.
We believe in serendipity; mostly because it’s a cool word with an interesting past, that manages to sneak into your life from time to time and make things a little brighter.
Come and check us out. And take a close look at what isn’t there. You’ll be happy that it’s missing.
You might also find these articles illuminating as well.
Joe Luca is writer and editor for ILLUMINATION and a published author and writer of children’s stories, short fiction, non-fiction articles, screenplays and poetry. Publications include Child’s Life, Children’s Playmate and others. There are some other articles below — have a read. And thank you for stopping by.