Mono no aware

Mono no aware or the pathos of things is probably one of the timeless concepts of the aesthetics that pervades most if not all the forms of art and literatures of every culture.

This should not be confused with our natural sense of joy or bliss amongst the nature. Mono no aware is deeply analytic. It is more of wisdom than a sensation and demands some amount of thinking in our part.

To nurture mono no aware, it is important to understand the transiency of things.

In Japanese culture, the necessary philosophical backbone for such an idea has been mostly supplied by the Buddhist idea of Impermanence. The simplest things— a cherry blossom, a cry of cicada, or mountain dew can be of a very different import, can put itself in a loftier place if seen through the lens of the mono no aware. That is very different from what we feel facing the nature at the first blush.