Nanimoshitakunai byo; literally, this means “(I have the) I-don't- want-to-do-anything sickness”.
Though tough to translate the nuance, I would have to say that “malaise” comes pretty close. I first encountered this term when my nihongo sensei told me that she'd like to cancel my weekly lesson for two weeks. Upon re-starting our lessons, she explained that she'd been suffering from nanimoshitakunai-byo, but now she was feeling a bit better.
I bring this up because I don't think a little malaise is a bad thing. We as a society are always on the go, and simply always “on”. At the office we pass the day in a flurry of checking and responding to email, surfing for info to stay up to date on the newest theories and technologies relevant to work, being unfailingly nice to everyone we meet; then comes the “finally home” part, where we pass our time in a flurry of checking and responding to email, surfing various sites trying to stay up to date with the newest info and technologies relevant to personal interests and hobbies, and being relatively nice to everyone we meet. We are inundated by non-stop information in greater amounts than we can possibly handle, attacked by banner-ads, drawn into email adverts... How far can a person continue before something gives? Before some introspective part of you puts on the brakes and screeches, “enough”?
Lord Byron said that we are least alone in solitude. I get that. And sometimes putting the whole world at bay for just one day is not such an evil thing. Is it?
3 comments:
I love the way you think!
:-)
It is an interesting expression and sounds like my occasional pulling into the driveway, turning off the ignition and just sitting there for a moment contemplating how bloody tired I feel then move on.
bernicky - Google is still not letting me use my name.
Post a Comment