There are words in every language that inspire people to be positive and at peace

Rameshinder S Sandhu

Rudyard Kipling once said, ‘The word is the most powerful drug used by mankind.’ Ever since coronavirus arrived, it not only sprouted fear in us but with it, heaps of negativity in our daily conversations, making us overlook all the positivity in the world.

Recently, my mind raced to inspiring words I made notes of during my globetrotting in the last few years. I came across them through interactions with locals or other tourists like me.

Here is a list of some of them:

Ailyak: The world having become very impatient, this Bulgarian word reminds one of ‘calm’ and ‘patience’. Ailyak simply underlines the art of doing everything calmly.

Sisu: The Finns’ favourite, it refers to holding on to courage and self-belief however hard the challenge one may be confronting.

Lagom: This word is popular in both Swedish and Norwegian cultures, which tell us to keep the old adage ‘less is more’ in mind. This word is also about maintaining equilibrium in every aspect of life for a fulfilling experience.

Aloha: This comes from the island of Hawaii (USA), which is all about joy and cheer. Wherever you go, whomsoever you meet, whatever you do –carry your joy along; spread it with an open heart. It’s one of the most popular words from here, for the significance it holds.

Hakuna Mutata: This comes from Swahili language spoken in Tanzania. Its translation in English stands as ‘no worries’ or ‘no problem’. It attained global fame after it was used in the movie, The Lion King.

Ikagai: One of the most famous Japanese words, on which a book is also written, it means to find a purpose in life. The book by the same name talks of finding something that gives you joy.

Kaizen: This is another Japanese term, meaning self-improvement for real growth in life. Kai means good, zen means change. Rather than finding weaknesses in others, it’s better to look into ourselves to replace our own weaknesses with strengths. Though the term originated in the business world of Japan, but today it’s commonly used.

Ofa: This word comes from Togo, which underlines the warmth in relationships, highlighting that things are to be used and people are to be loved and not things are to be loved and people to be used. Accept people as they are.

Waldeinsamkeit: A German way of relaxing and finding oneself. It means to be alone in a forest, which does wonders to the mind. It’s similar to Japan’s forest bathing where you lose yourself in the forest with an aim to find yourself. According to German media, many Germans indulged in Waldeinsamkeit with arrival of coronavirus, to escape its stress.

Chardi Kala: From our own home country, a perfect word from Sikhism, this symbolises high spirits in our every state of life. It’s used daily in the final prayer, called Ardaas. Like Finnish language’s Sisu, it also aims to remind us to keep our spirits high, no matter what we face in life.

(Sandhu is a travel writer from Amritsar)