Serendipity.

It’s a whimsical word, and the exact meaning is even more curious: a fortunate accident.

At least, that’s how Sara Thomas defines the term in “Serendipity,” a 2001 romantic comedy about love, fate and everything in between. In the film, Sara has a chance meeting with charming Jonathan Trager in the glove section of a New York City department store. They hit it off, but there’s just one problem: Sara and Jonathan are both in relationships. And so they decide to let destiny do the work. If the pair is meant to be, then fate will bring them back together again, because everything happens for a reason.

I saw the movie for the first time this weekend. From the minute Jonathan and Sara met, I knew they would find each other in the end. Romantic comedies are forever predictable, a reason to love the genre. And I was right; Jonathan and Sara were meant to be.

But I couldn’t help but wonder whether serendipity really exists. The term suggests that fate directs our futures and we have minimal control over what happens. And the events that do occur in our lives have purpose and meaning.

Is there such a thing? Or is it simply a mushy word for the hopeless romantics and true believers?

I decided to consult the students of the U of I.

Brooke Talley, sophomore in LAS, is a firm non-believer in serendipity. In her opinion, we have complete control over our lives.

“We make our own fate,” she said. “And everything doesn’t happen for a reason. Some things are just … ” she paused, searching for the right word. “Random.

Our aforementioned female heroine Sara Thomas would most certainly disagree with Brooke. Surely, she would say that she met Jonathan Trager for a reason. Perhaps Sara would identify more with Alex Nickerson, junior in Business. For Alex, it’s not about random coincidences. It’s about God.

“If God created this world with a purpose, then everything inside of it should have a purpose, too,” he said.

Alex put a whole new spin on serendipity. I realized that the term might be more spiritual than I thought.

Kendall Yoksoulian, freshman in Business, confirmed my suspicions: There might just be a celestial aspect to serendipity. A strong Christian, Kendall believes that serendipity exists, but only to an extent.

“If something happens, it’s because of God’s plan, not a superficial kind of fate,” she said.

Life certainly isn’t a series of random events; everything happens for a reason. So serendipity does exist, but not in the way that pop culture shows it. Take “Romeo and Juliet,” for example. Shakespeare deems them “star-crossed lovers,” a term that means their future is “thwarted by a malign star.” Really, Shakespeare? A star gets to decide whether Romeo and Juliet end up together?

Is that really true? Are our lives controlled by destiny or the stars or the alignment of the planets?

Fate is a word that lacks attribution. It suggests that our lives are random. But for those with a strong faith in God, like me, life isn’t random. There’s a blueprint, a map, a timeline and a reason behind everything that happens.

Serendipity relies on fate, which is why I think it can only exist to a certain extent.

But there’s something bigger behind it. Or, according to Kendall and Alex, someone.

“Everything happens for a reason,” Alex said. “Sometimes, those reasons are known to us and sometimes they aren’t. But there is someone who does know what those reasons are: God.”