Sonder, a unique emotion for a unique time

I write in front of a window.

It overlooks a busy intersection.

Every day, thousands of people cross below me. 

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Usually, I don’t think about these people at all, much less as individuals. They’re just strangers to me, random pedestrians waiting for the light to change.

But every so often, suddenly, randomly, I have a moment of clarity.

I look at the people, their faces, and realize they too are consumed with work, with relationships. And they too think about their choices, their fuck-ups, lessons learned. 

I realize they too are burdened by their own mistakes and failures, their worries, their regrets. And they too are lifted by the things that make them happy, whatever those may be.

Suddenly, randomly, I realize we’re all the same.

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This is called Sonder.

It’s an emotion. And now more than ever, as copywriters, as marketers, as people, it’s important for us to feel it, to let it wash over us. 

Because existential moments make us more empathetic people, not to mention more empathetic copywriters and marketers.

After all, our work as marketers is understanding the worldview — the reality — of others, even if it’s starkly different from our own.

And doing so can be difficult.

But feeling Sonder makes it easier.

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