Wabi-Sabi — Beauty in imperfection
We all have that one cloth we can’t seem to do away with. It’s faded, raggedy, has a patch, loose threads, or simply indescribable. We just love it. We wear it and still feel very confident. However, those close to us might never fail to remind us to gift it or worse, let it find its way into the trash can.
Wabi-Sabi is a Japanese term that simply refers to beauty in imperfection. Wabi originally described the loneliness of living in nature, far from society; sabi meant lean or withered, a flower past its bloom. Positively, Wabi now talks about the serenity that comes from detaching yourself from fast paced life and the endless striving for wealth and status. Sabi lets you appreciate wisdom, and all the beauty that comes with age.
The wisdom of Wabi-Sabi helps you to open your heart and accept life as beautiful, and everything in it — Glory, gore, joy, pain, birth, death, etcetera.
You might be wondering, how can one find solace in death (how morbid 🤢), or in dukkha (suffering)? Some people may find it simply insane or unimaginable to be encouraged, rather than demoralized, by them.
Accepting the impermanence of life or its associated suffering/pleasures can be incredibly liberating. Nothing lasts forever. It’s just what life is.
“Life has no opposite. The opposite of death is birth. Life is eternal” — Eckhart Tolle
Remember when you were a fetus? Okay no you can’t. Yet if you could, by the time you were going to be born, it would seem like death to let go of the umbilical cord. Rightly so, especially since it was your lifeline.
La vita è bella
Life is beautiful when you approach it with an open mind. You relinquish control and expectations and be in the moment (or present) with whatever happens in your life, and the experience you get.
Life is beautiful not because it is perfect and eternal, but because it is imperfect and fleeting. We see this in our friends and family too. Those we love not for perfection, but because they are broken and imperfect. Just as we are.
The Japanese philosophy of Wabi-Sabi focuses on seeing beauty in imperfections and in the ordinary. It also means accepting these imperfections, finding joy in the simple things around us and the realization that everything in life is impermanent.
This article aims to simply introduce you to the concept of wabi-sabi. In-depth understanding can be achieved through research and reflection.
Remember, show gratitude for everything in your life.
“Gratitude will shift you to a higher frequency, and you will attract much better things.” — Rhonda Byrne
As usual, I’d love to read your thoughts.
