omphaloskepsis

/ˌɒmfələˈskɛpsɪs/

Etymology

From Ancient Greek ὀμφαλός (omphalós, “navel”) + σκέψις (sképsis, “perception, reflection”).

omphaloskepsis means The contemplation of or meditation upon one's navel; navel-gazing. Lexicurio rates it Distinctive — a strength score of 67 out of 100.

Why this word is great

OMPHALOSKEPSIS — [Noun] The contemplation of one's navel as a focus for spiritual meditation, extending to signify a state of profound, often circular self-absorption. From the Ancient Greek ὀμφαλός (omphalós, "navel") + σκέψις (sképsis, "perception, reflection"). Unlike introspection, a broad and neutral survey of the inner life, or solipsism, a formal philosophical stance on the primacy of the self, omphaloskepsis is the ritualized, anatomical act of spiraling inward, mistaking the self's center for the universe's. It is the yogi's fixed gaze upon that coiled scar, the monk tracing its whorl in the dim cell, and the poet staring into a teacup believing he sees the swirling galaxy—a quiet testament to the perilous hope that by staring long enough into the pit of oneself, one might see a star.

noun

The contemplation of or meditation upon one's navel; navel-gazing.
Ratiocination to the point of self-absorption.“Act we must; for we cannot sit rapt in educational omphaloscepsis while youngsters grow up and become the fathers and mothers of the next generation.”