It’s a bigger tragedy when we’re unable to describe our tragedy. When we don’t have the language to articulate it.
We know something is wrong with us, but we don’t know what. It’s frustrating. However, once overcome, there’s a feeling of great relief.
The word I am looking for is catharsis. Originating from Greek katharsis (meaning cleansing or purifying), it now means the process of releasing or venting the pent-up emotions to achieve relief and clarity.
It works something like this.
You’re lost. You’re confused about how to describe your emotional state. And then… you come across the right word or expression. That’s it! Something magical happens in that moment. Once you’re able to articulate your tragedy (saying it aloud or writing it down on a piece of paper), it’s as if you’ve done half the work to heal it.
The remaining work follows naturally, without you having to put in too much effort.
Let me give you an example.
I was reading Milan Kundera’s The Book of Laughter and Forgetting where I came across a Czech word: litost. What is it? According to Kundera, litost is a state of torment created by the sudden sight of one’s own misery. The following instance from a character’s childhood illustrates this definition.
His parents made him take violin lessons. He was not very gifted and his teacher would interrupt him to criticise his mistakes in a cold, unbearable voice. He felt humiliated, and he wanted to cry. But instead of trying to play in tune and not make mistakes, he would deliberately play wrong notes, the teacher’s voice would become still more unbearable and harsh, and he himself would sink deeper and deeper into his litost.
A couple of things to notice here. First is the moment you realise that there is a word to describe what you’ve been feeling. It’s like an aha! moment. Then comes the context, the story within which this word has been described. It makes us feel that we’re not alone. That there are people (real or fictional, it doesn’t matter) out there who have suffered the same torment that we are struggling to name. That’s catharsis. And that heals.
Kalampedia 