New Worlds of Body, Mind & Spirit Since 1901
| We tend to love perfection, perhaps too much. We love the new, the flawless, the ideal. But much of life is imperfect, and anyway, perfection is hard to maintain. We keep the coffee mug with a chip, because our best friend gave it to us; we wear the sweater with a small stain because it was knit by an aunt, just for us.
We need to learn the value of imperfections. The Japanese call these wabi sabi, and value these items, because they show the transitory nature of the physical world. Characteristics of the wabi sabi aesthetic include asymmetry, simplicity, modesty, intimacy, and the suggestion of natural processes. Nature is imperfect, so why should humans, who are part of nautre, try to be other than what we are? Cherish limitations, for as the frame defines the picture, so our limits define our lives. |
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