You are the main character of your life.

Each day, you likely go past hundreds — perhaps thousands — of people. You’ll never communicate with most of them. They’re sort of like extras in your story. You may interact with a few, they are supporting actors--the barista at your favourite coffee shop is a recurring character. Then you go home to your family and closest friends, your co-stars.

But take a step back and realize every one of those “extras” you pass has a life and a story as complex and vivid as your own. Not only that, but you — with all of your intricate dreams and goals — may only be an extra in their story.

There’s a word to describe this realization: "sonder."

John Koenig is the author of the dictionary of obscure sorrows. The mission of the project is to label previously indescribable emotions or feelings with neologisms, new words introduced to help people articulate some of the things we all feel. Koenig........

© Castanet