Wabi-sabi for a happy and fulfilled life

Wabi-sabi for a happy and fulfilled life

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I was reading the book Ikigai and came across this beautiful word “Wabi-Sabi”. I fell in love with the word the moment I read its meaning. According to the book, wabi-sabi is a Japanese concept that shows us the beauty of the fleeting, changeable, and imperfect nature of the world. Instead of searching for beauty in perfection, we should look for it in things that are flawed.

Only things that are imperfect, incomplete, and ephemeral can truly be beautiful, because only those things resemble the natural world.

Hector Garcia and Francesc Miralles (2017), Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life

Wabi-sabi is a Japanese concept which finds peace and beauty in the imperfect and impermanent. We all know that life is not always rainbows and sunshine. Perfect life is an illusion which only exists in the parallel universe. Every person has their own trials, and wabi-sabi is all about finding joy and happiness in imperfection.

Also, in art or anything that is expected to be perfect need not be flawless in order to be beautiful. For example, oxidized silver is not thrown away just because it lost its luster. While creating abstract art, artists do not use matching colors or shapes. Yet, it still represents deep meanings.

Street photographers, nowadays, target the discolored doors or abandoned buildings as sites for their photography.

Is perfection an illusion?

We all want perfection in every aspect of our lives. Everybody wants a perfect life with zero imperfections. We want only ups and no downs. Also, when it comes to our physical attributes, we want all the boxes to be checked under what a perfect body looks like. We want perfect relationships with partners who are perfect in everything. We want permanent pleasures in our lives. Everyone has constantly involved themselves in building a perfect life full of perfect “wealth”. And, whenever there is a crease, all the self-doubt, negativity comes creeping into our minds. So, in pursuit of a flawless life, we are missing out on so many wonderful moments taking place in the present.

First, our definition of perfection and permanency is completely unrealistic, which we are constantly trying to achieve. Nobody can ever meet the criteria of a “perfect” person. There is nobody who has a so called “perfect life” with a straight upward graph of happiness. Therefore, seeking a flawless life is a waste of time and energy and also hinders our relationship with happiness.

How Wabi-Sabi can be a road to happiness?

As mentioned earlier, wabi-sabi is accepting that life is imperfect, and that imperfection makes life worth living. When we look back at our lives and how far we have come, we consider the hurdles and challenges that we have faced that carved us into the person who we are today. The rollercoaster ride makes us take a deep breath of satisfaction that we made it to where we are supposed to be. There is joy in scribbling a portrait and beauty in the rusted antique vase. In pursuit happiness, we are scooting away from it because the beauty of life is not only in the highs but also in the lows.

Also read: 6 things that I am grateful for in life.