Mono no aware

 

Today while browsing the internet, somebody mentioned an essay by Marilynne Robinson. I was only able to access a few paragraphs as most of it was behind a paywall. I did see the phrase lacrimae rerum. Tears of things, tears in things. Our world and lives touched by sadness, tragedy.

When I searched for the Latin phrase to find its meaning, I became aware of a Japanese concept: mono no aware. Thing or things of sadness. Things of beauty that touch us not only because of beauty but because of the impermanence of that beauty. The example given was the blossoming of cherry trees. 

Some comments pointed out that life is permeated with sadness because of change and loss. Geese flying overhead in autumn or pristine snow might be other examples. They might make us melancholy.

I certainly feel that way about the flowers I put in vases in my house. I love to gaze at them, but they quickly fade and droop. I try not to think of their impermanence but to pause often and drink in their loveliness while they are fresh and vibrant.