A new sense of being real and alive

English translation: a new realisation/consciousness of meaning, purpose, and connection (in his life)

17:12 Jan 3, 2019

English language (monolingual) [PRO]
Social Sciences - Psychology

English term or phrase: A new sense of being real and alive

Hi,
first of all: Happy New Year!

I have a doubt about the meaning of “new” in the phrase “a new sense of being real and alive” in the passage below, which describes the experience of a man, Zachary, with a meditation practice called The Wheel of Awareness, which changed his life.

I'm not sure whether "new" refers to the fact that
1) Zachary didn't feel "real and alive" before or
2) Zachary feels real and alive in a new way.

The text also says “I now have a sense of being alive that I’d like to share with others”…
Thank you very much for your help!

*************************

Zachary told me that the experience of the Wheel at the first workshop had opened his mind to a new way of experiencing meaning in his life, helping him feel a richer connection to himself, to others, and to the larger world around him. He told us at the lunch about his experience with focusing the spoke of attention on the hub of awareness in the more advanced Wheel practice. He said that when he had first “bent the spoke of attention around and back into the hub, the sense of being wide open and filled with joy and love” gave him *** a new sense of being “real and alive,” *** an experience that came to change his life and the direction of his professional and personal path. It was, he said, what had been missing that he could never quite name—a sense of meaning, purpose, and connection. Zachary added, *** “I now have a sense of being alive that I’d like to learn how to share with others ***, not just keep to myself.” He said that he was even considering becoming a minister in his faith or a mental health practitioner.

haribert KudoZ activity Questions: 289 (1 open) (1 without valid answers) (1 closed without grading) Answers: 524
Local time: 14:11

Selected answer:a new realisation/consciousness of meaning, purpose, and connection (in his life)

Explanation:
yes, 2) Zachary feels real and alive in a new way.

In this context "sense"= realis/zation, consciousness, perception, recognition
Becoming AWARE and FEELING something in a new way.

Yes, of course he was real and alive before this but the experience at the wheel gave him the feeling of "being wide open and filled with joy and love”.
He says that up to that moment he was lacking a "sense of meaning, purpose, and connection" in his life.
He knew something had been missing but this experience brings clarity to him, with the result that the new awareness changes his life "and the direction of his professional and personal path"

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Note added at 7 hrs (2019-01-04 00:51:58 GMT)
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Just in case it's not clear, getting new "meaning, purpose, and connection" in his life is what is making him feel even more alive and real (true to himself, truly connected to himself and his surroundings)

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Note added at 5 days (2019-01-09 10:36:57 GMT) Post-grading
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Very happy to have been of help!

Selected response from:

Yvonne Gallagher
Ireland
Local time: 13:11

Grading comment

A sincere thanks to all of you for your valuable hints and a special thanks to Yvonne for her help!
As I say in the Discussion, it is always difficult to choose only one answer...

4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer

SUMMARY OF ALL EXPLANATIONS PROVIDED

4 +2

a feeling and experience of ... that is different and more intense than any previous experience

B D Finch

new (and different)

David Hollywood

5 -1

a new understanding of being real or alive

Sajad Mousavi

a new realisation/consciousness of meaning, purpose, and connection (in his life)

Yvonne Gallagher

Discussion entries: 5

haribert

ASKER

First of all, I’d like to thank you all

19:49 Jan 8, 2019

for your precious help!
As always, it’s quite difficult to choose only one answer, because there are useful hints in all of your replies.
Finally, although Ms Finch’s contribution might be more faithful in rephrasing original text, I've decided to give points to Yvonne, because her reflections have helped me find a suitable expression for translating the whole phrase (I think I’ll say something as: a new sense of vitality and authenticity... ),..

haribert

ASKER

Yvonne, thank you for your message!

15:40 Jan 4, 2019

I think you're right! actually in several parts of the book, there is this basic idea that something may get in the way of a healthy development, which would naturally occur, if there weren't obstacles (genetic or deriving from experience or culture) that blocks a positive unfolding.

Yvonne Gallagher

Ireland

15:13 Jan 4, 2019

@ Haribert
I see "new" here as being a reborn sense of vitality rather than a "newborn" one. I think most of us, if not all, are fully alive as children but then other things can get in the way. So it's a question of REcovering that sense. See the amount of synonyms possible, especially under "additional"/"restored" meanings of the word ("recent" and "modernised" don't really apply here) Also note that "new" is not referring to his change in career but to his "sense of being real and alive" (which probably led to his career change) https://www.thesaurus.com/browse/new.

haribert

ASKER

thanks Yvonne for your contribution,

14:47 Jan 4, 2019

actually I'm still thinking over this aspect... I think Zachary's life has been radically transformed by the experience of the Wheel: he has even changed career...so, it might be also a "different", a "newborn" sense of vitality and authenticity. On the other hand, he knew that something was missing from his life, so in a way, this practice helped him uncover what was already there...
Thanks again for your valuable hints!

Yvonne Gallagher

Ireland

10:59 Jan 4, 2019

@ Haribert
BTW, I think "new" means "fresh" or "revived" here i.e. His feeling of being alive is reinvigorated by the experience. He is (re)energised. I think "different" is over-translation.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/reinvigorated

Answers

6 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): -1

a new sense of being real and alive a new understanding of being real or alive

Explanation:
Before this meditation thing, he did feel real and alive like most of the ordinary people, but now he and his understanding of being real and alive has changed through this practices, and he wants others to know about it too.

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Note added at 8 mins (2019-01-03 17:21:12 GMT)
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accordingly, it's the "sense" that's "new" to him, not being alive or real.

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Note added at 20 mins (2019-01-03 17:33:35 GMT)
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You're most welcome, Haribert. Yes, I agree with you.

Sajad Mousavi
Iran
Local time: 15:41
Native speaker of:

Persian (Farsi)

Notes to answerer

Asker: Thank you very much, Sajad, for your explanation and to Ms Finch for her remark: so, maybe, Zachary has come to feel real and alive in a new way...

20 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +2

a new sense of being real and alive a feeling and experience of ... that is different and more intense than any previous experience

Explanation:
I don't think this is really amenable to much picking apart. I'd reject your option (1) because, if he didn't feel "real and alive" before, that wouldn't be much of a recommendation for this experience he wants to transmit to others. Option (2) is more appropriate, i.e. that he "feels real and alive in a new way". However, it is implicit that the new way is different, better and more intense than any previous sense he had of being "real and alive".

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Note added at 21 mins (2019-01-03 17:34:39 GMT)
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Call me a disbelieving cynic, but I hope he doesn't become a mental health practitioner.

B D Finch
France
Local time: 14:11
Works in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 8

Notes to answerer

Asker: Thank you so much, Ms Finch, for your help! Maybe I can say "as never before", which hopefully conveys difference both in kind and intensity... No, I won't call you a disbelieving cynic!! This is only a part of the story, so it may be difficult to have an exhaustive overview...

8 hrs confidence:

a new sense of being real and alive new (and different)

Explanation:
that's the idea

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Note added at 8 hrs (2019-01-04 02:00:42 GMT)
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it seems tautological but not really

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Note added at 8 hrs (2019-01-04 02:02:08 GMT)
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the main idea is that it's a new feeling for him

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Note added at 8 hrs (2019-01-04 02:05:34 GMT)
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and I would also say "existing" instead of "being"

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Note added at 9 hrs (2019-01-04 02:25:54 GMT)
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I wouldn't look for anything more esoteric

David Hollywood
Local time: 09:11
Native speaker of: English

Notes to answerer

Asker: Thank you David for your contribution, also in your remark about Sajad's answer! Happy new Year to you, too!

7 hrs confidence:

a new sense of being real and alive

a new realisation/consciousness of meaning, purpose, and connection (in his life)

Yvonne Gallagher
Ireland
Local time: 13:11
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in category: 65

Grading comment

A sincere thanks to all of you for your valuable hints and a special thanks to Yvonne for her help!
As I say in the Discussion, it is always difficult to choose only one answer...

Notes to answerer

Asker: Hi, Yvonne! Thank you so much for your contribution, especially for explaining the meaning of "real", which actually was a bit obscure to me: probably, it hints at "authenticity"...

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A new sense of being real and alive

English translation: a new realisation/consciousness of meaning, purpose, and connection (in his life)

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