. The more astute of you will already know that I'm continuing to think about the shadow emotions and have moved on to,Weltschmerz, anomie, angst and nausea.
Why isn't there a simple English word? Perhaps because it's a very unEnglish emotion. When my eyes slowly fill with tears while standing in the queue of the supermarket checkout I have to beat a retreat to the shelves of malt whisky where any tears will be seen as quite acceptable tears of delight or envy. When I go to the doctor and there is that embarrassing moment when they, or hesh, asks what is wrong and I reply Weltschmerz, there is yet another embarrassing silence. This is understandable, because what I am really saying is give me some of those pills that will make me see the world like you do, or a fistful of money, or a bottle of gin, a ticket to the Congo or something to make me feel truly deeply and joyously miserable. Anything but more of those damn antibiotics you love so much. Life is a disease. And is the moments of awareness of the fact, when it is caught in the headlights dashing across the road, that are interesting to consider. I sometimes think that David Hume did not find David Hume when he went looking for him because the wrong David Hume was doing the looking. David Hume was actually in a cupboard under the stairs calling out, 'I'm in here! Come and find me!' I shall think about this while I drive to Birmingham for lunch.
6 Comments
3/31/2013 12:44:37 pm
Life is a sexually transmitted terminal condition. (Mind you, I think I'd have anomie if I was going to Birmingham for lunch - or for any other reason really)
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I am picturing your Weltschmerzian musing as you drive to Birmingham and I recall your admission in a recent blog that your driving antics had goaded a bus driver into chasing you in anger.
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tom flemons
4/1/2013 11:19:33 pm
The sun may be shining on your villa in the south of France but here in the Midlands it is cold and grey with a bitter biting wind.
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Much of what you say is true - apart from me having a villa in the S of France. In my Midlands villa the sun is shining and it is Spring.
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tom flemons
4/2/2013 03:41:33 pm
That sounds like a cross between Polyanna and Eyore. Something we do not want to imagine here!
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