The word for Week 9 of WordWise Wednesdays is “Ataraxia”.
Meaning:
Ataraxia is a state of profound, unshakable mental tranquillity and freedom from emotional disturbance. It describes a quiet, settled condition in which fear, anger, restless desire, and worry no longer continually agitate us.
Ataraxia is not indifference or disengagement. It is the ability to engage fully with the world without being continually thrown off balance by it.
Ataraxia can be equated with “Sukoon” (सुकून) in Urdu/Hindi/Punjabi.
Origin:
The word comes from the Ancient Greek word atáraktos, which means “undisturbed.”
The word is central to four of the most prominent philosophies of the ancient world: Cynicism, Skepticism, Epicureanism and Stoicism, each with its own approach to achieving ataraxia.
Insights:
The following are some reflections inspired by the word:
- Peace can involve examining what unsettles us. A question to ponder: Is my distress arising from what happened, or from the fears and assumptions I have added to it?
- Knowing what is enough can quiet the endless wanting.
- Uncertainty need not demand an immediate conclusion. “I do not know yet” can create room to think without rushing into either reassurance or catastrophe.
- A useful image is that of a bowl of water: when it is constantly stirred, its surface cannot settle. Ataraxia is the stillness that becomes possible when the stirring subsides.
A question the word invites is:
“What am I continually stirring within myself—and what might happen if I allowed it to settle?”
Did you check out the word of last WWW? Check here.
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