Whether you know what it means or not, chances are you've been struck by the feeling of 'sonder' at some point in your life.
Sonder is something pretty much everyone experiences at times in their life, and it's leaving many feeling some mixture of dread and wonder.
It's one of those things you don't have the word for in the moment and can't quite seem to express how it feels.
Advert
Have you ever been in a crowded place, looked around you and been struck by the realisation that everyone else there is a fully formed and fascinatingly complex person?
This is 'sonder', the feeling that everyone you go by in life is living a vivid and complex life of their own and that you are all just figures on the periphery of their rich tapestry of existence.
Think about it, when you're on the move you'll have your reasons for being out and about, a place to go back home to and a myriad of other thoughts and experiences swirling around your mind that make you who you are.
This is the case for absolutely everyone, that bloke who let you off the bus first this morning is a fascinating creature of hopes, dreams and experiences just like you, but from your immediate perspective he's just someone you briefly interacted with one bog standard morning.
Occasionally though, very occasionally, we're struck by the feeling that despite us not being aware of the details everyone else around us is leading their life just like us.
Advert
You are a solitary soul cast adrift in a world of people just like you, each one weaving a rich tapestry with their lives which nobody but they can see in its entirety.
As you pass by them in life you can maybe see one single thread of their tapestry, and in turn they can see one of yours, but all around you are people with so much more to them than you can see on the surface.
The hopes, dreams, hobbies and experiences that make people endlessly fascinating are all there bubbling away beneath the surface.
One person said they 'love sonder' as the thought that someone is having a shower right now and another is walking their dog while somewhere a family is sitting down to dinner is just incredible.
Advert
Another said they thought 'we should all live with more sonder', while a third said they'd felt it before but had been unable to explain it without being able to give a name to the sensation.
In essence everyone is the main character in their own story and not just a background to your own perception of the world.
It is quite incredible that the wonder of the human experience is something everyone around you is going through.
You may never truly know them but at times it's stupendous to just be struck by wonder that everyone else is living their life just like you.
Topics: Weird
Joe Harker