I came across a wonderful word yesterday, qualia. It’s used in philosophy to describe those moments when we experience something fully and are completely conscious of that moment. For example, we taste licorice, run fingertips across sandpaper, smell sea air on the first day of a vacation. Qualia derives from the Latin word qualis which means “of what kind.” Meaning, we are able to distinguish that experience from another.
Reflecting on the word qualia made me consider how it might help us to define what it means to feel alive. Life offers us a sequence of experiences and the more we are to perceive, receive, and distinguish these moments, the more we are able to experience the breadth, depth and heights of life. Our qualia, in other words, helps to expand and define the quality of our life.
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