Mise en abyme (French)
“Mise en abyme” is the process of making an image that contains itself with infinite recursion (for example, as observed while standing between two mirrors). It can be used metaphorically to describe infinite nesting (a dream within a dream, a story within a story) or self-referential discourse (a book or a movie whose content refers to itself).
Ikigai (Japanese)
Ikigai is a Japanese word meaning “reason for being.” On the island of Okinawa, it is thought of as “a reason to get up in the morning,” a philosophy which has been linked to the longevity of the people there.
Tsundoku (Japanese)
The act of leaving a book unread after buying it, typically piling it up together with other such unread books.
Goya (Urdu)
A contemplative “as-if” which nonetheless feels like reality. The transporting suspension of disbelief that can occur, for example, in good storytelling.
