Serendipity is for Suckers

Those familiar with the website Craig’s list undoubtedly love it. Users post ads or requests for all things, from old furniture to jobs. It’s convenient and large enough that it serves a real purpose. However, my favorite part of the site is not the things for sale or the available job listings. It’s what they call the ‘missed connections.’ Kind of like a personal ad, it allows users to post messages for specific people they have no other way of contacting- usually people they met at parties or on elevators. While most are of the “I almost hit you in my car you’re hot let’s have sex” variety, occasionally one crops up that makes me change the way I look at the strangers around me. These are people I see every day. Two strangers on opposite sides of the elevator are falling in love. A woman has a conversation with a man on the metro and thinks about him for the next week. A man is actively considering infidelity with a woman who’s never noticed him. A pretty barista desperately yearns to tell off the jerk who hits on her. Like Postsecret, it gives me insight into lives that have nothing to do with me. I’m wondering now if the Internet has made people think differently of everyday interactions such as this, if the possibility to find the friendly stranger later makes these encounters less random. However, I also wonder if that same sense of opportunity has lessened people’s appreciation for the wonderful meaningless moments that usually fill our days.