Day 3 - 299 -- Diffuse Weariness

I had an interesting discussion today with a friend. We spoke about an overall feeling of world weariness that seems to settle in at this point in the term. Too much work and not enough hours seem to create feelings of generalized disappointment and the discomfort that can produce. The phenomenon seems to move one out of a place of peace. This made me search around for definitions of philosophical terms that might fit this sense of unrest.

That first paragraph seems to have touched upon the definitions of three concepts. Firstly, the world weariness fits the German concept of weltschmerz, which is defined as an emotional pain that occurs when one realizes their ideal of the world does not match reality. Hmm -- that sounds somewhat familiar. <smile>  Angst, as an existential concept, covers the feelings of discomfort that push one out of their comfortable zone, resulting in something akin to feelings of dissatisfaction or nothingness. Each of these overlaps aspects of ennui, world weariness or disappointment -- that feeling of not caring or inertia. So, whatever we call it, the feelings have been well discussed by philosophers for some time. We've not discovered something new -- another reason to feel that weariness with the lack of something new and exciting. <grin>.

All this deep thought brought a particular song to mind. The singer-songwriter has been featured here often. His singing style combines singing and rhythmic spoken word. I love this live version since it highlights the band members more than the album recording. The title and lyrics fit very well with this sort of reflective thought. Enjoy!

The Grand Ennui -- Michael Nesmith