Hubris & Other Cool Words

Words and languages fascinate me, the way there will always be an infinite amount of singular words and also an infinite amount of ways in which one could string those singular words together to form a sentence with infinite implications… It’s kind of overwhelming but more-so, it's freaking COOL.

Then that’s just the English language, don't even get me started about the never-ending pool of words and combinations comprising ALL 7,000 + languages in the world. In another life I was a linguist, for sure.

One of the newest word additions to my lexicon is this word “hubris”. I had never heard this word spoken before, so when my dad casually threw it in a sentence during a conversation a little while ago, I stopped him for clarification. New word alert! I love when this happens. An opportunity for me to add this newly discovered 6 letter word into my ongoing phone notes app list of “Expanding My Vocabulary”.

I love that a word can be so long-existing, floating around out there in the invisible wordbook repository, somewhere not yet discovered by my brain and I, and then at a very random moment in my lifetime, it’ll unveil itself from the unknown and cross the entrance into my awareness.

Maybe you’re cool and are already familiar with this word. But if you are not familiar, here is a definition (and a brief, cool history):

Hubris:

A noun referring to the quality of extreme or excessive pride or dangerous overconfidence and complacency, often leading to a fatal downfall. It orginates from the Ancient Greek word, “hybris”, directly translated as “excess”, and can therefore refer to an excess of self-indulgent attitudes, such as pride or confidence. 

Hubris is also deeply rooted in Greek mythology and was used as a frequent theme in tragedies and literature to depict a fatal flaw of the tragic hero that led them into a downfall. According to the context of mythology , if someone is said to have ‘hubris’, then the consequence of their inflated self importance could cause them to overstep boundaries, and in turn, ‘provoke the wrath of the gods’.  The drama! I love it.

It was the day after I returned back to the United States after traveling for six months, and my dad and I were indulging in one of our typical conversations where we seek to solve all of the world’s problems. We usually don’t succeed. However, these conversations do succeed in spurring ideas and inspiration that I, as an eager student to my dad, my wise teacher, always find immense value in.

When he explained ‘hubris’ to me,  I marveled at how relevant and potent of a word it seemed to be for the recent state of events in our country, and also just a generally relevant (and fun) word worth the engagement and dissection.

The mere fact that this word exists I think is important to recognize- it implies that the quality of extreme arrogance and dangerous self confidence subsists in this world and in human nature. I particularly like this word, as opposed to simply ‘arrogance’ or ‘conceit’, because a crucial component to its definition, which is emphatically essential to its distinction, is the phrase, “often leading to a downfall”.

Even though the creation of this word originates from mythologies and plays, it can still be viewed in modernity as a sort of cautionary tale when considering that our own behaviors indeed come with consequences, when considering that overindulgence or excessiveness can indeed have detrimental effects, and when considering that the delusion of excess pride or severe entitlement can indeed piss off the gods! And Ancient Greek mythology often utilized powerful themes that still hold pertinence today, hence the timeless popularity of the genre.

Karoshi:

Another new word I learned recently also with scary implications, is a Japanese word called “karoshi”. Karoshi is a term that literally translates in English to “overwork death”, or also put as “death from overworking”. It indicates the serious and sometimes even fatal health consequences from extreme workload and work hours.

In Japan, usually the causes of “karoshi” are extreme stress, strain, and malnourishment from work environments that can lead to heart attacks, strokes, or sometimes even suicide. The culture of being devoutly dedicated to an occupation and long working hours has historically often led to a debilitating work-life balance in Japan, hence the origination and existence of “karoshi”.

It has now become a wider societal issue in Japan in which the government is actively trying to take action to address the problem in the workforce. And even though the term originated in Japan, it’s prevalence is not just limited to there, and the idea that rigorous overwork can physically and mentally deteriorate a person so much to the point of possible death- is a harrowing, but very real, global concern.

Other Cool Words:

While on my recent escapades throughout Europe and Africa, I was exposed to such an array of words, phrases, languages, and dialects. I wish I could say that I picked them all up and now am a multilingual genius, but unfortunately that is not the case. I did, however, try to learn a few words and phrases in some of these new languages.

I spent some time in the countries of The Gambia and Senegal, whose native language is Wolof. In Wolof, a common reply to a “how are you?”  is “jàmm rekk”, which translates directly in English to, “Peace only”. Imagine, running through your normal formalities with someone in a quick habitual greeting, they ask you how you are doing and your reply is, “Peace only”. 

If that isn't the ultimate declaration of chosen contentment for the day, I don't know what is. Why not be at peace today? Claim that peaceful energy, radiate it onto the world, allow it to saturate your entire essence.

In the Arabic language, and also typically used by Muslims world-wide, the usual greeting is “salamun alaykum” which translates in English to, “Peace be upon you”. Another beautiful, endearing phrase that, when voiced to you from somebody else, feels more like a blessing bestowed rather than a simple, banal “hello”. 

Such an easy gesture, yet every time I breathed those words out of my mouth, it was as if they carried with them a true beam of peace diffusing the space between me and that other person, one of deep respect and acknowledgement. 

I think we should all strive to attain the states of being behind the meanings of “salamun alaykum” and “jàmm rekk”, and run far far away and avoid the meanings behind “hubris” and “karoshi”.