Wabi-Sabi: An Unfailing Panacea To Cure Depression

Depression is a lonely wearisome journey that sometimes seems never-ending to me. I have been battling with this silent and invisible enemy for almost a decade while hoping that a day would come when I would emerge as the winner. To win any battle, you need weapons and I have many. My invaluable friends and good reads are two of my biggest weapons. Recently, one of my friends recommended “Ikigai” after a lengthy argument with me about the connection between wealth and happiness and I instantly ordered it.

Never knew that such a short good read has unimaginable wisdom to pass on. Loved every single word of it. However, out of myriad pearls of wisdom, one word rather, a philosophy “Wabi-Sabi” captured my mind and heart like never before. Imagine the irony that this philosophy caught hold of the attention of an Image architect and Brand Strategist, who is attuned to perfection no matter how small the task is. 

My obsession towards perfection began taking a toll on my mental health off lately and the worst part of the story is I have no inkling when it began dominating my creativity. Nevertheless, there goes a timeless adage, “Opposite Attracts”. I found my perfect opposite in “Wabi-Sabi”: The Japanese Concept of a perfectly imperfect life. Since the day, I read this concept, I have been hearing a single voice coming from the core of my soul. Why did not I come across this philosophy earlier? What could have had happened in the context of relationships, career choices, life goals and more if I would have had stumbled upon this philosophy earlier? Yes, I do remember yet another adage, “When the student is ready, the teacher will appear“. To attract the right teacher, first you have to be ready. This is not just any other philosophy, it is indeed a Teacher. Centred around the principle of Imperfection, this philosophy is no less than a magic elixir to a tired mind full of complaints and a tired soul indulged in the sea of ceaseless desires to achieve everything in life.   

“Less is More” became a cliché as we failed to delve deeper into its philosophical insights. Call it rustic simplicity or an authentic way of leading your life, wabi-sabi will soon be a foolproof panacea to navigate through the complexity of the modern world. 

Already there has been written much about this wonderful Japanese Philosophy so I would not strive to create a lasting impression about my writing skills except specifying seven aesthetic principles to achieve wabi-sabi as per Zen philosophy:

• Kanso — simplicity
• Fukinsei — asymmetry or irregularity
• Shibumi — beauty in the understated
• Shizen — naturalness without pretence
• Yugen — subtle grace
• Datsuzoku — freeness
• Seijaku — tranquillity

If you are stuck up in a rat race and have tried a multitude of ways to free yourself from its vicious circle, wabi-sabi is all you need to embrace. The timeless crockery no longer allures my mind as it has embarked in the quest of cracked crockery stuffed inside some old drawer. I am aware that embedding wabi-sabi philosophy in life is no overnight task. Nevertheless, my stubbornness has found a few creative ways to integrate into my life no matter slowly and gradually. From tomorrow onwards, I would drink any liquid be it water or milk in a cracked glass to train my mind to perceive wabi-sabi in everything. Another dimension to understanding wabi-sabi is accepting yourself and appreciating whatever you have in life. Earlier, I would dream of a house decked up with swanky furniture but now it would be an epitome of harmony leaving some space of aged wood and a faded piece of fabric curtain to constantly remind me of the transient nature of life.

“Get rid of all that is unnecessary. Wabi-sabi means treading lightly on the planet and knowing how to appreciate whatever is encountered, no matter how trifling, whenever it is encountered. […] In other words, wabi-sabi tells us to stop our preoccupation with success–wealth, status, power, and luxury–and enjoy the unencumbered life. Obviously, leading the simple wabi-sabi life requires some effort and will and also some tough decisions. Wabi-sabi acknowledges that just as it is important to know when to make choices, it is also important to know when not to make choices: to let things be. Even at the most austere level of material existence, we still live in a world of things. Wabi-sabi is exactly about the delicate balance between the pleasure we get from things and the pleasure we get from freedom of things.”
― Leonard Koren

If you have already read this book, do share in comments in what all ways it did impact you.