Connecting Clouds

Are emotions universal? Do we all experience the same feelings? My guess is yes, but we don’t describe them in the same way. In my classroom with students from around the world, one feeling word that is sometimes confusing is “bored”. What causes boredom? In some languages there is more emphasis on something that is tedious or mundane. In others, the meaning is closer to annoying. Some may even say it means lonely. For example, in some cultures a movie is boring if you watch it alone. The contents of the movie would not be referred to as boring.

Han

Other emotions are elevated to cultural identity. I first heard about the Korean words “han” and “jeong” on Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations. Sitting in Gwangjang Market, his Korean-American staff member describes han as something that is in Koreans’ blood. It’s not learned; they are born with it. Korean author Park Kyung-ni describes han as “…a collective acceptance of suffering combined with a quiet yearning for things to be different – and even a grim determination to wait until they are.” It has also been described as “deep sorrow, resentment, grief, regret and anger…sorrow, joy, yearning”.

Jeong

Jeong, on the other hand, is a feeling of togetherness, or getting through difficult times together. I have witnessed and felt this with my Korean students and friends. I also felt this in a tiny way when I was in Seoul last November. I had to move to a different hotel, and could only figure out how to go by subway. I checked all the subway station maps and found a way that only had a small set of stairs with 5 or 6 steps in my entire journey from one hotel to the other. I went to the side of the stairs so that I would not disturb other people. I slowly lifted my suitcase up one step. Suddenly, a young woman was helping me lift my suitcase up the stairs. As soon as we got to the top, she walked away very quickly. Clearly, she was in a hurry, but had taken the time to help me. I was very grateful for her help, and felt a small drop of jeong.

Hygge

In 2016, hygge became known to most of the world through The Little Book of Hygge by Meik Wiking. Soon after the release of this book, comfy things went viral. Instagram showed many posts of candles, thick socks, and mugs of tea. But hygge is not an aesthetic. It’s the feeling you get from a cozy, relaxed atmosphere. Or gathering with close friends and discussing deeper subjects. Or simply watching a good movie. In an interview, the author says that the values beneath this way of living are relaxation, indulgence, sharing good food with those you love, gratitude, and equality.

Tip of the Iceberg

We all experience various emotions, but the languages we speak give shape to those emotions. I think the connection between culture and emotions is a very deep and broad subject, which I hope to revisit in future posts. This is just the tip of the cultural iceberg, and there is a lot more to explore and discover.

If you have any thoughts that might help me in my future explorations of this topic, please feel free to leave a comment.

Feature image: Image by Vectorportal.com, CC BY