We went to a newly open Japanese fast-food restaurant in Gurgaon. Because of the huge amount of competition among the restaurants in this part of India most restaurants try to be perfect. But this one was not just unique because it was the first Japanese fast-food restaurant in Gurgaon, but it was also rusty in its appearance.
Imperfection has its own charm. It made the restaurant stand out. I had the opportunity to talk to the owner over the tasty perfectly imperfect rice burgers. He was a Bengali married to a Japanese woman. We had a long discussion about the difference in culture in both countries and how from their childhood kids are taught about discipline, hygiene and cleanliness. When I asked him about the rusty look of his restaurant he said Wabi Sabi. At first I did not understand him.
I have seen a lot of people busy with work the entire day and hardly have time for their family or themselves. Do you think you are one of them? Do you consider yourself a perfectionist? If you do, let me make one thing clear to you. You are paid to get the results that brings profit to the organisation. You are not paid for being busy. Busyness is not good business. One of our directors used to say that if you are busy working the whole year then you are either stupid or not good at your job. Either way, you have only yourself to blame.
Ancient Japanese had perfect solution to this problem – Wabi Sabi. The meaning of the word “Wabi” evolved from “worry” and “poverty” to “rustic simplicity”. “Sabi” is an interesting concept. It is the beauty that comes with age through years of wear and tear. It is an admiration of the beauty of imperfection.
The concept of Wabi Sabi goes against the very idea of striving for perfection. It is indeed a contradiction because Japan tend to represent perfect people. The world remembers the Japanese fans cleaning their rows and seats in the stadium after winning the match against Columbia in the FIFA World Cup. One of my friends reminded me that “all their art forms , be it Nerikomi Pottery to Hakone Marquetry, to their cooking techniques- sushi- sashimi platters to their desserts which are edible pieces of art, to their bonsai, ikebana, origami…. everything is example of perfection of ultimate level…which takes entire lifetime to master, and people devote their lifetime to hone their skills and produce exquisite pieces…”. Japan is also a country with high suicide rates. That is probably the reason why Wabi Sabi was conceived there.
The famous Japanese art of Kintsugi is an example of Wabi Sabi. It is the process of repairing broken pottery with lacquer dusted or mixed with powdered gold, silver, or platinum. This enhances the beauty of the broken pottery. So the saying goes: Old is Gold.
The philosophy of Wabi Sabi started over a tea ceremony. Earlier century tea ceremony, imported from China, was about luxury and lavishness. In 1488 a monk named Murata Juko wrote ‘Kokoro no fumi’ based on the concept of Wabi Sabi. Tea ceremony was supposed to be simple, and meant for all. Sen no Rikyu, the great “master of tea”, popularised the concept in 16th century. That’s when Wabi Sabi became part of Japanese culture.
To me even the rice burger I was eating was an example of Wabi Sabi. It it not a perfect burger, the rice buns were not really buns, but it was simple and amazingly tasty. That’s my Wabi Sabi burger!
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Nothing lasts forever, and the EXCEL OF LIFE is a good way to appreciate that we are not going to last long too. Keeping oneself busy in order to achieve perfection makes no sense when you can relish imperfection. Wabi Sabi teaches us to not just accept our imperfection, but celebrate it. It teaches us to be humble in life, minimise the unnecessary clutter and focus just on things that are really important. Wabi Sabi reminds me of Leonard Cohen’s Anthem:
‘Ring the bells that still can ringForget your perfect offering There’s a crack in everythingThat’s how the light gets in.’
Also Check Out: 5 Questions of the Inquisitive Apes
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