How to Read “Meeting is the beginning of parting”
Au wa wakare no hajime
Meaning of “Meeting is the beginning of parting”
“Meeting is the beginning of parting” means that from the moment you meet someone, you will eventually have to say goodbye. This is a basic truth of life.
This saying isn’t meant to be sad. Instead, it teaches us that meeting and parting are both natural parts of life. They form a complete circle.
Every relationship has an ending. This includes friends, romantic partners, and family. The ending might be moving away or death.
This proverb helps us face reality calmly. It reminds us to treasure the time we have with people right now.
Today, people still remember this saying during important life moments. It helps us realize how precious our time with loved ones really is.
Origin and Etymology
We don’t know exactly where this proverb came from. But it’s closely connected to a Buddhist teaching called “esha jōri.”
“Esha jōri” means “those who meet must part.” This is a key Buddhist idea about how nothing in this world lasts forever.
Japanese culture has long accepted that meeting and parting are unavoidable parts of life. Ancient Japanese poetry from the Heian period often expressed sadness about goodbyes.
Buddhist ideas about impermanence became part of everyday language in Japan. This is probably how “Meeting is the beginning of parting” was born.
This saying contains a deep understanding of time. It shows that parting is already present from the moment people meet.
The proverb expresses a life truth simply: joy and sadness go together. Every beginning has an ending.
Japanese culture has a concept called “mono no aware.” It means feeling deep emotion about things that change and fade away.
This proverb shows the same idea. It teaches us to accept change and understand our feelings about it.
Usage Examples
- While saying goodbye to my friend going abroad to study, I truly understood the saying “Meeting is the beginning of parting”
- At my grandfather’s funeral, relatives gathered together. I felt the deep meaning of “Meeting is the beginning of parting” once again
Universal Wisdom
People have passed down “Meeting is the beginning of parting” for generations. This is because it faces the deepest loneliness of human existence.
We all carry the same fate. We must someday part from the people we love.
Humans are social creatures. We feel joy when we meet others, form bonds, and spend time together.
But there’s a contradiction here. The deeper our bonds become, the more painful it is to say goodbye. This proverb teaches us to face and accept this contradiction.
What’s interesting is what this proverb doesn’t say. It doesn’t tell us to avoid meeting people because we fear parting.
Actually, it means the opposite. Because parting will come, our meetings right now shine brightly. Nothing lasts forever, so our limited time together becomes precious.
Our ancestors didn’t just complain about life’s impermanence. They found beauty in it.
Cherry blossoms are beautiful because they fall. In the same way, meetings with people become irreplaceable because they don’t last forever.
This deep understanding of human nature continues to touch our hearts across time.
When AI Hears This
All events in the universe follow a one-way flow. They move from order to disorder. This is the second law of thermodynamics.
For example, drop ink into a glass of water. The ink will always spread throughout the water over time. The spread ink will never naturally return to a single drop.
Human meetings also follow this law. Think about the probability of two specific people being in the same place at the same time.
There are 8 billion people on Earth. The chance of any two people meeting is incredibly low.
A meeting is a miracle. It’s a “low entropy state” that rarely happens among countless possibilities in the universe. It’s a highly ordered, rare condition.
But physical laws are merciless. From the moment two people meet, their relationship starts moving toward a more common state.
That common state is “being in separate places.” This is a high entropy state. People move around, environments change, and interests shift.
The possibility of parting grows exponentially over time.
What’s interesting is this: maintaining a relationship requires constant energy input. You must contact each other, make plans to meet, and repair problems.
These actions fight against the natural flow. They try to maintain order. An air conditioner uses electricity to keep a room cool.
Similarly, human relationships can’t survive without conscious effort. Parting is built into every beginning because of physical laws. It’s inevitable.
Lessons for Today
This proverb teaches modern people an important question. Every meeting has a time limit. How should we live in this moment?
Today, we can stay connected through social media. But we need to understand the difference between physical separation and emotional separation.
The important thing isn’t to avoid relationships because we fear parting. Instead, we should treasure our limited time with people.
If we know parting will come someday, we should say what needs to be said today. We should show kindness today. We need this active attitude.
We also need flexibility to accept parting as part of life. Parting is an ending, but it’s also a door to new meetings.
We shouldn’t fear too much when one relationship ends. We should thank each person we meet and keep moving forward.
This proverb quietly but powerfully supports this way of living.
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