Word every Gracious Individual should know: L'appel du Vide
Definition: L'appel du Vide; French; noun
1. The call of the void.
Why I love this word:
This French word describes the unexplainable desire to jump when on the edge of a cliff, or to jerk the steering wheel just to the right to take a flying leap off the mountain side, or that inclination to walk right into the ocean and never return. I don't think this word was meant in a morbid way. It doesn't describe suicidal attempts. The French simply have coined a word for the psychological phenomenon in which perfectly sane people, with no desire to die, find themselves faced with a steep cliff and experience a strong desire to leap. To jump from their safe vantage point into the unknown. Call of the Void. It's a call of the siren song.
Photograph from Tumblr
Definition: L'appel du Vide; French; noun
1. The call of the void.
Why I love this word:
This French word describes the unexplainable desire to jump when on the edge of a cliff, or to jerk the steering wheel just to the right to take a flying leap off the mountain side, or that inclination to walk right into the ocean and never return. I don't think this word was meant in a morbid way. It doesn't describe suicidal attempts. The French simply have coined a word for the psychological phenomenon in which perfectly sane people, with no desire to die, find themselves faced with a steep cliff and experience a strong desire to leap. To jump from their safe vantage point into the unknown. Call of the Void. It's a call of the siren song.
Photograph from Tumblr
