Why Wabi-Sabi Is the Best Philosophy of Life |
The Japanese philosophy of wabi-sabi is about noticing and appreciating imperfection, impermanence, and the understated beauty in everyday life. Embracing the principles of wabi-sabi might be the radical act of rebellion you need to break free from the clutches of our hyperproductive, individualistic, and perfection-obsessed world.
Incorporating a practice of wabi-sabi into one’s life entails, through repeated reinforcement, treating cracks, wear-and-tear, and the passage of time not as flaws, but as the core of what makes life beautiful and meaningful.
For example, replacing a broken drawer knob with a personally crafted crochet pull isn’t just fixing a problem; it’s an act of giving your furniture a beautifully asymmetric touch, adding character and a special one-of-a-kind feeling to it. Similarly, the freckles on your face aren’t blemishes that need to be concealed with makeup; they are their own kind of embellishment for you to wear proudly.
A classic 2004 study found that maladaptive perfectionism — unrealistic self-standards and harsh self-criticism — is strongly associated with a fear of intimacy. This finding was echoed in multiple research efforts. The link, reinforced many times, also seems to reflect the same core reason: