The Wise Black Sofa

Sees the joy like bright sparks in the room ... sees the passion flowing like rivers east and west ... sees a connection forming everyday ... sees the door as it opens, it closes ... sees the looks direct and otherwise ... feels the slow motions of solitude ... senses the fresh beginnings after the ends ... thinks wisely about the right and wrong ... clears its vision when returns in time ... senses the bond getting stronger ... hears the sound of laughter from where eyes don't see ... contemplates at the green next to it ... hides its worries behind the happiness witnessed ... feels their weights as light as angels ... empathizes with the one left alone ... realizes the glances quick and warm ... mourns alone for long periods ... celebrates the events quietly ... feels the love ... remembers the past while one does in the smokes ... laughs quietly at the jokes ... worries about the future ... forgets all that can go wrong and watches the footsteps ... closes the eyes and embraces the music ... stays in the same location for ever and always... watches those come and go ... longs for their dance of life and delight ... hears the hearts as they beat faster ... feels the heat when it snows outside ... thinks and thinks and thinks ... lets go and enjoys the creation of time ... wonders what stories it will tell ... 

The Pathos of Things

Mono No Aware, a hard to translate Japanese term which literally means the pathos of things is about the awareness of impermanence. Being aware that everything will change and nothing is permanent. While the concept seems really simple, it is one of the toughest things for the conscious mind to consider on a usual basis.

A sadness and melancholy that persists in you when you know that things will not last forever. A sadness that can also bring out the beauty in the current moment and make life more meaningful. Extreme beauty that can only be sensed on top of a deeply sad foundation. The best symbolic representation for the pathos of things is Sakura, cherry blossoms, that are very precious and beautiful while they last, and they last for a very short time.

I have been thinking about this concept a lot lately, very much looking into including it in our latest project, Tale of Ronin, as we have been researching Zen concepts very much and mono no aware has deep roots in Zen concepts and is about the human side of the Samurai which the game is all about.

My current plans are to study various literature and media related to this very important feeling. This is very much intuitive for me since I feel myself very much in a mono no aware state lately. A strange feeling that opens your eyes to the aesthetics of things you know will not be there soon.

I might be consciously thinking about it lately but I think the concept has been dancing around in my subconscious for quite some time. This post called Finally Alive from 2008, which is probably my most favorite post here, was exactly all about mono no aware!