Serendipity: “Allow luck to show itself”
By Joaquim Monteiro*
In an increasingly predictable life, where apps anticipate traffic, weather, love, fashion... Ibiti Projeto teaches us that analog life is more fascinating than digital life. Here I've learned that ”chance” pulses and how important it is to leave free time in the schedule to simply allow luck to manifest itself.
There's a word in English that sums up the ”ability to find pleasures by chance“: Serendipity. It's, for example, allowing yourself to walk along a trail and coming across a fascinating waterfall. It's getting lost on a bike and discovering a fantastic route. It's having a coffee at Gaia and, at the next table, finding guests with so many points in common. In other words, it's that unexpected discovery thanks to wit and attention to detail. It's the ability, or art, of accidentally noticing and taking advantage of happy discoveries. It's that unexpected encounter with people, ideas or moments of pure beauty.
The SP-Ibiti flight, for example, is not just an air bridge between the Stone Jungle and Paradise: it's a connection with opportunities to experience innovation and sustainability first-hand. Each landing is a spontaneous invitation to discovery, allowing small coincidences to generate great learning, both for the visitor and for the project itself. Allowing yourself to experience the unexpected is a gesture of affection for yourself. It's about trusting and making tangible what life has in store for you. So, as only nice people come here, rest assured that nature has reserved something valuable for you.
The deepest discoveries are often found in the unexpected. That's why I strongly believe that staying at Remote or doing programs like the Travessia are an invitation to well-being or a path to positive surprise.
I recently met Mrs. Nair on a ride to Lima Duarte. Think of a pleasant conversation. I was blown away by her genuine and sincere hospitality. Nair's accent should be registered as an intangible heritage of Mogol. It's practically a dialect that deserves to be heard. This all happened by chance, and today I think that talking to Mrs. Nair is undoubtedly a great program for anyone visiting the Village in search of authenticity. She has a sensitivity that would make any happiness expert jealous.
In other words, providing free time, while in Ibiti, is a necessary activity for real encounters to take place and become a memorable moment of the trip.
The word serendipity - created in 1754 by the English writer Horace Walpole, inspired by the Persian tale The Three Princes of Serendip - is celebrated in the world of creativity and innovation, valued for its ability to turn the unexpected into an opportunity. In popular UK competitions, serendipity has been voted one of the public's favorite words, reinforcing its symbolism of happy and unexpected encounters, of insights that arise when least expected.
In Ibiti, serendipity seems to spring from the earth. That's why it's worth being open to noticing, appreciating and making the most of the unexpected. It is in this combination of coincidences, conscious choices and chance encounters that ideas flourish, partnerships are formed and the project grows. Every gesture and every presence carries the potential for something extraordinary. And it is in this continuous flow of discoveries that Ibiti reveals its magic, always ready to surprise.
*Joaquim Monteiro is a partner in Sertões and a board member of Ibiti Projeto
