Dictionary Of Obscure Sorrows By John Koenig

When I discovered the “Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows” by John Koenig I came across a term that struck me and changed my outlook on the world. The word is sonder. Sonder is the realization that each random passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as your own. This means that there are 7 billion stories passing by everyday and the only story I used to focus on was my own. It made me curious about the inner thoughts, struggles, and ambitions of all the strangers around me.

As an introvert, I spend a lot of time in my mind. In my mind, I often wonder what goes on in the minds of others. After discovering the term sonder, I began to spend more time thinking about other people’s stories. While looking out the window of a car on a busy highway, I would construct scenarios for the people in each car driving by. While sitting in the food court, watching people interact, I would crave to know the motive behind each action. Intrigued by the many episodes taking place around me, I’d often want to sit down and listen to people's’ stories. I long to take in the narrative of others’ lives, and to decipher the networkings of others’ minds.
I would spend countless hours on YouTube going from one documentary to next. I would pick up books at the library on body language and mental disorders rather than the popular teen fiction. Psychology gave me an insight to the world, the people around me, and