The Japanese have a way of making a few words into a deep philosophy of simplicity, expressing the thoughts and feelings we have inside that have no words in English.
Sure we have words like sadness and melancholy but they are generalized, almost cliche that lose the essence of their meaning without defining what makes you sad or melancholy. Perhaps it is because English is a collection of words from many different languages mashed together, a youthful language that has not acquired the philosophy that comes with aging. I dunno.
Mono No Aware is a Japanese phrase that expresses joy and sadness at the same time at the beauty of impermanence. I was listening earlier today to an example of mono no aware that was sad and yet so beautiful.
In the Spring there are cherry blossoms. If you have ever lived in or visited Victoria you will know the blossom lined streets of Oak Bay, beautiful for just a few days or weeks with overhanging glory of white and pink. And then they are gone and the street sweepers push the last into the storm drains to be washed away into the Straits of Juan de Fuca.
In Japan people sit under the cherry trees, eating, playing, enjoying the beauty over their head knowing full well in a few weeks the blossoms will be gone. There for a few weeks we have the joy and the sadness of the impermanence all wrapped in a simple package.
And it is beautiful.
(Original image by LoggaWiggler at Pixabay.com)