Wabi-sabi: The Beauty Of The Imperfect
Wabi-sabi is a Zen concept that refers to the ability to see the beauty in imperfections. It is an Eastern philosophy that is a tool for personal development that can help people live happy and peaceful lives.
In fact, wabi-sabi is the art of experiencing harmony and well-being in imperfection. It is the ability to find beauty in the simple. Leonard Koren, author of Wabi-Sabi for Artists, Designers, Poets & Philosophers, claims that wabi-sabi is about traditional Japanese beauty, which pursues imperfect or incomplete things. In other words, wabi-sabi is acceptance of the unconventional.
However, it is also worth noting that wabi-sabi is not just about external factors. It is also about deeper concepts such as humility, simplicity, loneliness or even forgiveness. It is a way to live in peace with yourself and your surroundings.
The origin of wabi-sabi
Wabi-sabi is associated with the Buddhist concept tri laksana, or the three signs of existence, which states that everything that happens in nature is subject to three basic characteristics : transience, suffering and non-self.
Although you may think that wabi-sabi is an eastern aesthetic pattern that is compared to western beauty standards, it is not.
In fact, wabi means living with moderation and avoiding any kind of luxury. It is the exact opposite of extravagance and abundance. The word sabi, on the other hand, means peace and purity that comes with age or intellectual maturity.
Therefore, wabi-sabi emphasizes the beauty of imperfections and the grandeur of simple things, without ignoring the aspects of a world that decays, where sadness and destruction merge into absolute melancholy.
Kintsukuroi : Damage makes an object stronger and more beautiful
You can even associate wabi-sabi with the Japanese kintsukuroi technique , which consists of repairing broken objects by filling the cracks with gold. In this way, the object becomes more beautiful and stronger than it was before.
In addition, this concept can be applied to a broken soul, one who has suffered. However, Kintsukuroi and its philosophy teaches that difficult times can be a great opportunity to become a stronger and more beautiful person, with scars that remind you that you are able to rebuild yourself thanks to your resilience in tough times.
Wabi-sabi and psychology
From a psychological point of view, resilience, or psychological resilience, is the ability to face difficult times and get stronger out of them. A person with resilience discovers inner resources that help them recover from a traumatic experience.
For these people, a problem or a crisis is a challenge, a chance to grow and develop. They use pain as fuel to reach new goals, move on and achieve balance in life.
Finding your way out of life’s maze and being at peace with yourself and with others are very important aspects.
Wabi-sabi deletes all possible restrictions as long as you believe in yourself. It makes you achieve everything that seemed impossible through your own hard work. This ability is especially useful in tough times, as you will not be easily overwhelmed by your problems, and you will be able to set new goals that you truly believe in.
Learn to see the beauty of every little thing in order to enjoy life.
