The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows - Deepstash

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CZESŁAW MIŁOSZ​

“The bright side of the planet moves toward darkness... And for me, now as then, it is too much, there is too much world.”

CZESŁAW MIŁOSZ​

197

2.22K reads

kenopsia

kenopsia

The atmosphere of a place that is usually bustling with people but is now abandoned and quiet.

216

2.04K reads

Chapter 1: Between Living and Dreaming

Chapter 1: Between Living and Dreaming

The interplay between existence and imagination.

  • Chrysalism captures the tranquil intimacy of being indoors during a thunderstorm. It mirrors the human tendency to seek comfort in isolation amidst chaos, reminiscent of Emily Dickinson's poetic retreat into solitude.
  • Kairosclerosis unpacks the paradox of consciously experiencing joy while simultaneously intellectualizing it, leading to its erosion. This aligns with how over-documentation of happiness on social media often dulls the moment's authenticity.

218

1.46K reads

Onism portrays the frustration of being confined to one body and one perspective. It parallels existential concepts like Heidegger’s "thrownness," where one is aware of being trapped in a finite existence.

Ex: Imagine standing on a train platform, watching destinations you’ll never explore. Or when scrolling through Instagram, envying lives you’ll never live—a tangible form of Onism.

212

1.11K reads

D. H. LAWRENCE

“My soul is a dark forest. That my known self will never be more than a little clearing in the forest.”

D. H. LAWRENCE

191

1.1K reads

dès vu

dès vu

The awareness that this moment will become a memory.

214

1.24K reads

Chapter 2: The Interior Wilderness

Chapter 2: The Interior Wilderness

Navigating the self as an uncharted psychological landscape.

  • Agnosthesia defines the bewilderment of not knowing your true emotions, like searching for lost keys in a foggy room. It's a modern analogue to Freud's theory of the unconscious shaping our choices.
  • Liberosis, the yearning to care less, reflects society's obsession with control and perfection. Think of Marie Kondo’s method of discarding items that don't "spark joy" as a form of Liberosis in action.

206

889 reads

Rubatosis, the unnerving awareness of your heartbeat, exposes the fragility of human life. It’s the same awareness that strikes during a near-miss accident.

Ex: A person scrolling through their favorite playlist for hours, unsure why a specific song makes them cry (Agnosthesia). Or the bittersweet decision to decline an extra work shift for self-care (Liberosis).

197

776 reads

JOHN KOENIG

“Ask yourself—how many cover-ups have you taken part in? How many times have you heard something you weren’t supposed to hear... Everyone around you must be doing it, too.”

JOHN KOENIG

186

749 reads

nodus tollens

nodus tollens

The feeling that the plot of your life doesn’t make sense to you anymore.

200

821 reads

Chapter 3: The People You Know

Chapter 3: The People You Know

Examining relationships through emotional micro-lenses.

  • Sonder, the realization that strangers lead lives as complex as your own, is a startling shift in perspective. It’s akin to the empathetic narrative style in George Saunders’ short stories.
  • Jouska describes rehearsing conversations in your mind. It aligns with behavioral theories around mental simulation as a stress-response mechanism.

201

696 reads

The Giltwrights metaphorically embody self-criticism as an imagined jury tracking every misstep, echoing Beck’s cognitive triad of negative self-perceptions.

Ex: Visualize walking through a crowded airport and realizing each traveler harbors their own epic (Sonder). Or obsessively rethinking an awkward comment from last week (Jouska).

186

610 reads

JOHN KOENIG

“If someone were to ask you on your deathbed what it was like to live here on Earth, perhaps the only honest answer would be: 'I don’t know. I passed through it once, but I’ve never really been there.'”

JOHN KOENIG

194

614 reads

énouement

énouement

The bittersweetness of having arrived here in the future, seeing how things turn out, but unable to tell your past self.

194

651 reads

Chapter 4: The People You Don’t Know

Chapter 4: The People You Don’t Know

The anonymous yet intimate connections with strangers.

  • Kenopsia, the eerie ambiance of an abandoned place, embodies humanity’s innate discomfort with absence. Post-pandemic office spaces exemplify this.
  • La Cuna, the sadness of no more frontiers, critiques the diminishing allure of exploration in a hyper-mapped world. Think of how Google Earth robs some of the wonder of physical travel.

Ex: Visiting a once-bustling mall now reduced to silence (Kenopsia).

193

581 reads

JOHN KOENIG

“You take it for granted that you’re a different person every year, upgraded with a different body and a different future.”

JOHN KOENIG

186

568 reads

sonder

sonder

The realization that each random passerby is the main character of their own story, in which you are just an extra in the background.

199

557 reads

Chapter 5: The Passage of Time

Chapter 5: The Passage of Time

Time’s fleeting and bittersweet nature.

  • Énouement encapsulates the ache of knowing how life turns out but being unable to share it with your past self. This resonates with life lessons learned too late.
  • Zielschmerz, the dread of pursuing a dream and exposing yourself to potential failure, is the psychological equivalent of imposter syndrome.

Ex: Reflecting on old diary entries and wishing you could advise your younger self (Énouement).

187

512 reads

JOHN KOENIG

“Your life is not just a quest, or an opportunity, or a story to tell; it’s also just an experience, to be lived for its own sake.”

JOHN KOENIG

190

492 reads

onism

onism

The frustration of being stuck in just one body, that inhabits only one place at a time.

189

501 reads

Chapter 6: The Search for Meaning

Chapter 6: The Search for Meaning

Crafting purpose amidst life's chaos.

  • Vemödalen, the fear that originality is impossible, critiques how digital saturation erodes uniqueness.
  • Ballagàrraidh, the sense of not belonging in the wilderness, contrasts humanity’s romanticized idea of nature with its harsh reality.

Ex: Feeling lost in a sea of indistinguishable selfies on social media (Vemödalen). Or struggling during a weekend camping trip because modern comforts are absent (Ballagàrraidh).

184

459 reads

IDEAS CURATED BY

yuyutsu

Content Curator | Absurdist | Amateur Gamer | Failed musician | Successful pessimist | Pianist |

CURATOR'S NOTE

A compendium of new words for emotions.

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