Blossom and Impermanence - Mono no aware (物の哀れ))

Socrates Cafe philosophy is back!!

Lets meet to philosophise on and hopefully still enjoy the last of the sakura for the year....

Assuming the weather is good, we will sit in the park and enjoy a philosophical discussion on the topic of ' Mono no aware'.

The passages below are all shamelessly copied from the following article - that seems to be a very relevant one to ponder on at this time of the year!

https://philosophybreak.com/articles/mono-no-aware-beauty-and-impermanence-in-japanese-philosophy/

"For a few short weeks each year, cherry blossoms bloom in Japan.
But then, as quickly as they arrive, the blossoms begin to fall.

Cherry blossoms tend to fall within a week of appearing. Accordingly, they perfectly encapsulate the Japanese idiom mono no aware, which typically translates as ‘the pathos of things’, expressing the power objects have in evoking feelings of impermanence and the passing of time.

In other words: mono no aware denotes an emotional connection to the world, as well as the ephemeral nature of everything in it.

As the 18th-century Japanese philosopher Motoori Norinaga puts it:
To know mono no aware is to discern the power and essence, not just of the moon and the cherry blossoms, but of every single thing existing in this world, and to be stirred by each of them.
Feeling rueful when the cherry blossoms fall is just the beginning: it evidences our basic emotional connection to the world.
Evolving from there means truly comprehending the flowers’ fate – a sudden arrival, a radiant glow, a disappearance – as the beautiful fate of us all.

Questions for discussion:

• Do you think beauty is magnified by impermanence? What examples do you see in art, culture, and nature?
• If the basic condition of existence is change, does that mean happiness requires us to internalize and embrace impermanence?
• Or can we live good lives even while railing against the transience of all we hold dear?"