I have a more than working knowledge of 5 languages. I love languages. One language I always thought of as an ugly language is German. However it dawned on me today that two of my absolute favorite words are from the German language. Both words describe a feeling that I don't think can be covered with a word in any other language!
Schadenfreude - A feeling of pleasure derived from the misfortune of others. I admit to having this feeling on occasion. I see people who have been less than nice suddenly take their medicine and the feeling of 'yeah' washes over me! I admonish myself quickly but the feeling is noted!!
Sehnsucht - this is a harder word to define in English. Essentially it is a feeling of intense longing or yearning. Sehnsucht represents thoughts and feelings about all facets of life that are unfinished or imperfect, paired with a yearning for ideal alternative experiences. It has been referred to as “life’s longings”; or an individual’s search for happiness while coping with the reality of unattainable wishes. Such feelings are usually profound, and tend to be accompanied by both positive and negative feelings. This produces what has often been described as an ambiguous emotional occurrence.
It is sometimes felt as a longing for a far-off country, but not a particular earthly land which we can identify. Furthermore there is something in the experience which suggests this far-off country is very familiar and indicative of what we might otherwise call "home". In this sense it is a type of nostalgia, in the original sense of that word. At other times it may seem as a longing for a someone or even a something. But the majority of people who experience it are not conscious of what or who the longed for object may be, and the longing is of such profundity and intensity that the subject may immediately be only aware of the emotion itself and not cognizant that there is a something longed for. The experience is one of such significance that ordinary reality may pale in comparison.
I have this feeling often - longing for something I cannot put my finger on but knowing it is out there somewhere. It is usually accompanied by a deep sense of wanderlust!
Today is one of those days!
Friday, June 22, 2012
Words
I have a more than working knowledge of 5 languages. I love languages. One language I always thought of as an ugly language is German. However it dawned on me today that two of my absolute favorite words are from the German language. Both words describe a feeling that I don't think can be covered with a word in any other language!
Schadenfreude - A feeling of pleasure derived from the misfortune of others. I admit to having this feeling on occasion. I see people who have been less than nice suddenly take their medicine and the feeling of 'yeah' washes over me! I admonish myself quickly but the feeling is noted!!
Sehnsucht - this is a harder word to define in English. Essentially it is a feeling of intense longing or yearning. Sehnsucht represents thoughts and feelings about all facets of life that are unfinished or imperfect, paired with a yearning for ideal alternative experiences. It has been referred to as “life’s longings”; or an individual’s search for happiness while coping with the reality of unattainable wishes. Such feelings are usually profound, and tend to be accompanied by both positive and negative feelings. This produces what has often been described as an ambiguous emotional occurrence.
It is sometimes felt as a longing for a far-off country, but not a particular earthly land which we can identify. Furthermore there is something in the experience which suggests this far-off country is very familiar and indicative of what we might otherwise call "home". In this sense it is a type of nostalgia, in the original sense of that word. At other times it may seem as a longing for a someone or even a something. But the majority of people who experience it are not conscious of what or who the longed for object may be, and the longing is of such profundity and intensity that the subject may immediately be only aware of the emotion itself and not cognizant that there is a something longed for. The experience is one of such significance that ordinary reality may pale in comparison.
I have this feeling often - longing for something I cannot put my finger on but knowing it is out there somewhere. It is usually accompanied by a deep sense of wanderlust!
Today is one of those days!
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