Opia: The Ambiguous Intensity of Eye Contact

opia - n. the ambiguous intensity of looking someone in the eye, which can feel simultaneously invasive and vulnerable--their pupils glittering, bottomless and opaque--as if you were peering through a hole in the door of a house, able to tell that there’s someone standing there, but unable to tell if you’re looking in or looking out. ETYMOLOGY From Ancient Greek opia, plural of “opium“ opia, “of the eyes.“ Thus, eye contact is the opiates of the eyes. Sure it’s quite a trip, but what does it really revea