Wabi-Sabi — the Japanese Philosophy of Embracing Imperfection and Coexisting With Nature

Wabi-sabi: the Japanese aesthetic that focuses on the acceptance of imperfection, particularly within nature. Nature has so many quirks that the Western world often deems as flaws. However, with a wabi-sabi mindset, these “mistakes’’ become a part of nature’s artistic masterpiece. In Western culture, fallen leaves are a nuisance and people are paid to rake and get rid of them. The leaves are only a beauty as part of the tree, but the minute they fall, they no longer serve a purpose. However, in Japan, the fallen leaves of a cherry blossom tree are a cause for celebration. They are able to see the beauty of the leaves on the ground separate from their initial purpose as part of the tree. The wabi-sabi mindset shows us that nature does not exist as a pleasing aesthetic to fit human ideals. Nature exists on its own and its purpose is entirely separate from human pleasure. Understanding this is an important step in sustainability, and can help humans as a species to better coexist with nature. Our current relationship with nature can be described as either environmental possibilism or determinism — humans can either overcome or are constrained by natural obstacles. Nature is either the villain suffocating growth (determinism), or that humans are more powerful and can defeat the obstacles of nature (possibilism). Either way, it is a battle between humans and nature, and either human ability or nature must prevail. This is a fundamentally flawed concept, because humans and nature should never clash. Rather, we should be able to live together in harmony, which cannot happen until we begin to see ourselves as a part of nature and accept that, imperfections and all. Architect Frank Lloyd Wright demonstrates such a relationship with nature. All of his buildings are designed to fit in with its surroundings and are as unobtrusive as possible, which he calls “organic architecture.” The buildings he designs in nature don’t fit typical architectural standards, but they are beautiful nonetheless. And since he designs the buildings around nature, they embrace all the imperfections found in the surroundings — a clear example of wabi-sabi. Instead of seeing our relationship with nature as a contest against it, we should all embrace the concept of wabi-sabi and accept nature the way it is.