There's probably no escaping me talking about literature since it's such a huge part of my life. It's what I study and it's what connects Everything to Everything. So here's another post about it.
One of my favorite books is The Tale of Genji. I'm not quite sure why, but I've been thinking it through recently. I think a part of that book for me is feeling like I can relate to certain aspects of that world. At least I find some of it appealing. In a strange way, it feels like nostalgia, though I know I wasn't around during the Heian period.
I feel a longing for that kind of world where all that exists strives to be beautiful, and that beauty exists not only topically, but on a spiritual level. Being beautiful is being godly. But since nothing on this plane of existence is truly godly, everything will pass, will fade away, will lose it's shine, will be reduced to nothing. That is あわれ, the inherit sadness of all things beautiful. It's a type of pleasant sadness that is very appealing and universal. Nothing can escape the flow of time; that is what destroys everything. As each moment passes, it will no longer exist. It is lost forever. Memories are a sort of pleasant torture. There's happiness at having felt/experienced whatever emotion, but sadness at knowing that it will never again be. It is nothing that can be combated against; all there is is to accept it and try to appreciate every passing moment. No matter what, life is sad.
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