Presque vu and Jamais vu

04/07/21 • 8 min

You hear 'vu', you think of 'déjà', right? Yeah, fair enough, most people do. But did you know that déjà has two siblings, often overlooked? I'm talking about presque and jamais, and I'd argue they bring just as much to the table as their big sister does.

The Vus (I like to think of them as a girl band, by the way) comprise of three states of mind, all pretty common, but one just more famous than the others. Déjà, as you may already know, roughly means 'already seen'- but what of the two others? Well, presque is known as 'almost seen' and jamais, 'never seen'. Between them they're equally frustrating, and very common.

So let's find out a little about them! Have you ever felt something on the 'tip of your tongue'? Then you've felt presque vu! And ever not recongnised something you probably should? Then jamais vu is your jam! Of course, I'll go into a little more detail in the episode. Plus, I manage to squeeze in references to The Matrix, Bridget Jones, Beyonce, BTS and Atomic Kitten. Never say I don't have my finger on the pulse.

Also, you may notice there's no guest for this one. Every now and again a feeling that comes along that is...unguestable. I have a list of these emotions, willing to be made into shows, but sadly uncoupled with people to talk about them. So instead I brought in some old friends to provide a bit of context. Wonderful Guy Kelly (@brainmage) discusses his dealings with déjà, and Richard Soames (@RichardSoames) and Benedict Salter help me out with their acting skills.

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Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/getting-emotional.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Previous Episode

Too Much Birthday- with Annie Armstrong

When you're sad, you cry. But what do you do when you're happy? Sometimes, you have an overwhelming amount of joy and just don't know what to do with it. Maybe you feel overwhelmed and leave the situation, maybe you get stressed out, or maybe you feel the emotional version of a sugar rush, and sugar crash.

This idea of 'debilitating joy' was one I found on The Cut, a site that's part of the New York magazine family. It was written about by Annie Armstrong, and she kindly agreed to tell me a little more about it- from her inspiration of childhood book series, The Berenstain Bears, to her own experiences. And she points out this feeling isn't birthday-specific; it could occur at any moment where you're just a little...too...happy. Perhaps you're walking down a sunny street, or seeing a great show, or delighted to see your friends again- what do you do with that surplus joy?

We got to thinking- in a post-Covid world, will this be something we experience more often? As the world opens up and we're faced with more fun, will it be overwhelming? Will we feel, just a little bit, of Too Much Birthday?

Big thanks to Annie for chatting to me- you can find her on twitter at @anniesalright. We're there too, on @getemotionalpod. Come and say hi!

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Next Episode

Sisu- with Clare Balding and Dr Hilary Virtanen

Here in Britain, we're known for having a 'stiff upper lip'.But do other countries have an equivalent? Well, Finland certainly does! And they called it 'sisu'.

It's about grit, determination, and working toward a goal. It's a willingness to keep on going, even though you might not win the battle you're fighting. Hey, even if you don't win, the victory is in trying. There's no direct translation in English, so I've done my best to dig out the spirit of the word. And I've come to the conclusion it's about being gutsy, showing chutzpah, and just...keeping on. Pure determination through adversity.

I've had the best time researching this word, and finding out more about a country I (embarrassingly) knew very little about. My research took me to the Finlandia University in Michigan, where I found a Professor of Finnish and Nordic Studies- Dr Hilary Virtanen (@HilaryVirtanen on twitter). Not only did she give me more info on sisu, she told me about times she, or students on her campus, have felt it too. After speaking to her I got a real sense that sisu, and the Finnish community she works with, are something pretty special.

I also decided to ask around, and see if anyone else had felt this determination through adversity. And during a chat with Clare Balding about her new children's book, 'Fall Off, Get Back On, Keep Going', I realised this feeling extends to kids as well as adults. Her book is about giving kids the skills and belief they need to face struggles in life, and it's an absolute winner- I highly recommend it! And she very kindly told me about a very candid story from her own past- one that I'd never heard before- as an example of a time she's had to work through.

Sisu was quite the most intriguing word I've come across in a long time, and it gave me a chance to indulge my love of history too. If anything, making this podcast was quite the opposite of sisu- it was a joy to make! Hopefully you enjoy listening as much as I enjoyed putting it together. And next time you find yourself going through something a little tough- dig deep, and you might find some sisu to help you through.

Oh, if you want to say hi, I'm on twitter, @GetEmotionalPod. Thanks!

Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/getting-emotional.

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