Chance has been one of the most fascinating and mysterious forces that humans have tried to understand throughout history. The idea that events can be driven by uncontrollable factors, coincidences, and unexpected opportunities resonates across various disciplines, from literature to music and science. Through different examples, we can observe how randomness infiltrates human life and shapes the destinies of individuals and cultures. In this article, we will explore some of the most representative cases of chance, from Montaigne’s travel diaries to the coincidences in the lives of Bill Gates and Kent Evans.
Montaigne’s Travel Diaries to Italy: An Unpredictable Journey
Michel de Montaigne, one of the most influential thinkers of the Renaissance, embarked on a journey to Italy in 1580. In his Travel Diaries to Italy, he recorded his observations and reflections while traveling through the country. Although Montaigne was a reflective and meticulous man, his journey was also a clear example of the role that chance plays in human life.
During his journey, Montaigne encountered situations and people purely by accident, which led to a broader view of life. For instance, he came across a painter in Rome whose work left a profound impression on him. This fortuitous encounter would influence how Montaigne perceived the relationship between art and philosophy. Chance also played a role in the decisions he made during the journey, which were not always planned but turned out to be pivotal in his reflections on life and human nature.
Montaigne’s legacy was mostly preserved thanks to his daughter and a series of later scholars. However, access to his Travel Diaries to Italy was a fortunate discovery in 1774 when a bibliophile, François de Salignac de la Mothe-Fénelon, found these lost texts in a library in Bordeaux. This find demonstrates how chance can resurrect forgotten fragments of literary history.
Paul Auster: Chance as a Protagonist in His Works
American writer Paul Auster, known for his mystery novels and exploration of identity, has made chance a central theme in many of his works. In books like The New York Trilogy and The Red Notebook, Auster plays with the idea that our lives are marked by random events and inexplicable coincidences. In his literary universe, chance is not just a narrative element, but a principle that defines the fate of the characters.
In The New York Trilogy, for example, the protagonist finds himself trapped in a series of seemingly random events that lead him to question his own identity and the control he has over his life. Auster uses chance to suggest that our choices may not be as free as we believe, and that external forces may be continually shaping our existence without our knowledge. This reflection, which transcends the literary sphere, also resonates in our daily lives, where coincidences and chance can unexpectedly change the course of our story.
In his work The Red Notebook, Auster delves even further into the role of chance in the formation of our identity. Here, chance is not just a narrative tool but the very structure that defines the lives of his characters. The fortuitous meeting between a writer and an unknown woman triggers a series of unexpected events that mark a turning point in the narrator’s life, showing how small decisions and random occurrences can have a significant impact on our destiny.
Bach’s Lost Suites: Chance in Music
The music of Johann Sebastian Bach, one of the greatest composers in history, also offers a fascinating example of chance. Although we know some of his suites, such as the famous Cello Suites, there is evidence to suggest that Bach may have composed more works that have been lost to time. Bach’s lost suites represent the randomness of history and forgetfulness. The passage of time, the destruction of manuscripts, or the lack of documentation contributed to part of his musical legacy fading away.
Chance in this context is not just the factor that causes these compositions to be lost, but also the chance that humanity gets to rediscover or reinterpret these works. Each time a new suite or an unpublished piece is found, chance plays its role again in Bach’s legacy. The constant search for more lost works reflects how chance can have a lasting impact on our appreciation of history.
One of the most notable discoveries of Bach’s lost works occurred in 1920 when a manuscript that had been considered missing was found in a music store in Leipzig, Germany. The manuscript had been stored among the papers of an unknown musician. This fortuitous find highlights how chance can rewrite the history of music and offer us new treasures from the past.
Outliers: Chance and Success in Modern Society
Malcolm Gladwell, in his book Outliers, presents one of the most provocative theories about success: chance plays a much bigger role than we usually acknowledge. While we commonly associate success with personal effort and talent, Gladwell argues that these factors, though essential, are not the only determinants. Instead, he focuses on context, external circumstances, and, most intriguingly, chance.
One of the central ideas of the book is that, in order to achieve outstanding success, an individual must be in the right place at the right time. Through various case studies, Gladwell shows how events that seem simple or even trivial can have a profound impact on a person’s life. Perhaps the most famous example he uses is that of Canadian hockey players. In his analysis of youth teams, he discovered that players born early in the year were more likely to be selected because they were physically more developed compared to those born later in the year. This small, seemingly insignificant chance could mark the difference between a professional career and obscurity.
Another striking example in the book is the relationship between success in the tech world and exposure to computers. Gladwell highlights cases like Bill Gates, whose access to a computer at an early age was a decisive factor in his success. But this access was not something he could have planned; it was a coincidence that he lived in a city that, at that time, offered one of the first opportunities to access computers at a private school. This type of accidental event, combined with talent and dedication, played a crucial role in establishing Gates as one of the richest and most successful men in the world.
Bill Gates and Kent Evans: A Fortuitous Encounter with Success
Bill Gates and Kent Evans were schoolmates at the Lakeside School in Seattle, where both had access to one of the first computers available to students. Access to this technology, at a time when personal computing was almost unknown, was a crucial factor for their future careers. However, luck played a decisive role in their destinies. Gates took advantage of the opportunities presented to him and, in addition, was fortunate enough to have been born at the right time to benefit from the tech boom.
But in a tragic twist, Gladwell presents the story of Kent Evans, another classmate of Gates at Lakeside. Evans also had great talent and passion for computing, but his life was tragically cut short by an accident before he could fully seize the opportunities that came his way. Had Evans lived, he could have been one of the great pioneers of computing, just like Gates. This contrast is a clear example of how chance, historical timing, and personal circumstances can determine success or failure. While Gates had the opportunity to thrive, Evans’ fate was different, showing that even the brightest talent can be overshadowed if the circumstances do not align.
The story of Gates and Evans underscores an important lesson: success is not just about skills and effort, but also about being in the right place at the right time. Chance, in its purest form, is the factor that can unexpectedly transform lives and destinies.
Chance as a Driving Force in Human Life
Through these examples, we see how chance can be a determining factor in our lives. From Montaigne’s fortuitous encounters in Italy to Gates and Evans’ technological opportunities, chance, with its unpredictable twists, continues to be a crucial element in human history. While some see it as a force that diminishes human effort, others understand it as an opportunity to be seized.
Reflecting on chance not only invites us to question the certainty of our destiny, but also reminds us of the importance of being attentive to the coincidences and small opportunities life offers. Perhaps, like Bach’s lost suites, what matters most is not just what we know, but what still remains to be discovered. And maybe, like Auster’s works, it is chance that shows us that, in the end, we are not always the masters of our story.
References
Gladwell, M. (2008). Outliers: The Story of Success. Little, Brown and Company.
Auster, P. (1987). The New York Trilogy. Henry Holt and Company.
Montaigne, M. de. (2020). The Travel Journal of Monsieur de Montaigne. Translated by R. M. Berré, The Folio Society.
Bach, J. S. (2005). The Cello Suites. Edited by A. Bylsma, Oxford University Press.
Dunlap, D. W. (1920). “The Lost Bach Manuscripts: How Chance Rediscovered a Piece of Musical History.” The New York Times, 14 October 1920.
Salignac de la Mothe-Fénelon, F. (1774). Essais et Voyages de Montaigne. Librairie Garnier.
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