Lachesism: Longing for the Clarity of Disaster

LACHESISM
For a million years, we’ve watched the sky, and huddled in fear. But somehow you still find yourself quietly rooting for the storm. As if a part of you is tired of waiting, wondering when the world will fall apart—by lot, by fate, by the will of the gods—almost daring them to grant your wish.

ETYMOLOGY
Greek, from LACHESIS, "the disposer of lots." Lachesis is the name of the second of the three fates in Ancient Greek mythology. Clothed in white, Lachesis is the measurer of the thread woven by Clotho's spindle, the apportioner who decided how much time for life was to be allowed for each person or being. She measured the thread of life with her rod.

The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows is a compendium of invented words written by John Koenig. Each original definition aims to fill a hole in the language-to give a name to emotions we all might experience but don't yet have a word for. 

WHAT IS THAT MUSIC?
"Unreal World" by Citokid

Lutalica: The Part of Your Identity That Doesn't Fit Into Categories

We all want to belong to something. But part of you is still rattling around inside these categories and labels that could never do you justice. THE DICTIONARY OF OBSCURE SORROWS http://www.dictionaryofobscuresorrows.com ↓ ETYMOLOGY, TRANSCRIPT & CREDITS ↓ Email the author: obscuresorrows@gmail.com Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Dictionary-of-Obscure-Sorrows/137197489655526 Twitter @ObscureSorrows https://twitter.com/obscuresorrows The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows is a compendium of invented words written by John Koenig.

Dès Vu: The Awareness That This Will Become A Memory

Ballagàrraidh: The Awareness That You Are Not at Home in the Wilderness

The story of humanity is a move from the countryside to the big city. But it's happened so fast that a part of you still remembers Eden. That longs to leave your car idling in traffic, and flee into the wilderness.

Alazia: The Fear That You’re No Longer Able to Change

After so many years wondering what kind of person you were going to become one day, somewhere you forgot that this question actually has an answer, and that 'one day' will eventually arrive. If it hasn't already.

THE DICTIONARY OF OBSCURE SORROWS http://www.dictionaryofobscuresorrows.com

The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows is a compendium of invented words written by John Koenig.

Koinophobia: The Fear that You've Lived an Ordinary Life

While you're in it, life seems epic. Fiery, tenuous, and unpredictable. But once you have some distance from it, everything seems to shrink, until it's almost out of focus. So you begin scanning your life looking for something interesting or beautiful.

Klexos: The Art of Dwelling on the Past

Your life is written in indelible ink. There's no going back to erase the past, tweak your mistakes, or fill in missed opportunities. When the moment's over, your fate is sealed. But if look closer, you notice the ink never really dries on any our experiences.

Zenosyne: The Sense That Time Keeps Going Faster

As a kid you run around so fast, the world around you seems to stand still. A summer vacation can stretch on for an eternity. With each birthday we circle back and cross the same point around the sun. We wish each other 'many happy returns.'

Astrophe: The Feeling of Being Stuck on Earth

It's hard not to look at the ground as you walk. To set your sights low, and keep the world spinning, and try to stay grounded wherever you are. But every so often you remember to look up, and imagine the possibilities. Dreaming of what's out there.

Kenopsia: The Eeriness of Places Left Behind

ETYMOLOGY: From Greek, kenosis "emptiness" + opsia "seeing" kenopsia, n. the eerie, forlorn atmosphere of a place that's usually bustling with people but is now abandoned and quiet-a school hallway in the evening, an unlit office on a weekend, vacant fairgrounds-an emotional afterimage that makes it seem not just empty but hyper-empty, with a total population in the negative, who are so conspicuously absent they glow like neon signs.