Art & Culture: the Ethos of Impermanence in Japan

Eventually all forms of biological life come to an end, including us. As do the myriad forms that the natural world may assume. And the various physical & cultural constructions of our societies. What do we do with this unavoidable fact of the human condition?

Awareness of impermanence/transience/ephemerality has been present in all cultures of course, but probably most prominent in the East. And perhaps nowhere has this ethos been as pervasive as in Japan and especially its religious influences such as Buddhism, Taoism, and Shinto. Whereas people in the modern West tend to hide from it. Let’s consider this very un-Western perspective on art & living:

Nothing lasts. How do we face it?
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/22/t-magazine/japan-impermanence-mono-no-aware.html

You can access the New York Times (free) via ‘online resources’ at any of the local library websites (just follow the prompts).

~Michael