Donald Richie; Scholar, Writer

Against Project Arcadia

“…Donald Richie describes mono no aware as “a kind of content resignation, an observance of the way things are and a willingness to go along with them. It advocates experiencing the basic nature of existence, savoring the comforts of being in harmony with the cycles of the universe, and acceptance of adversity, and an appreciation of the inevitable” (Richie 2003, 63). Ordinarily, the reference points for this particular feeling are things like the inevitable changes we, as humans, experience as part of our lives, not only from life into death, but also the vicissitudes of our relationships to others as we move from childhood into adulthood and on to old age.…”