Wabi Sabi

The Japanese have a term called "wabi sabi", which is part of their world view. The term has been tossed around a lot lately in art or creative circles, kind of like feng shui, which has become Americanized. So what is wabi sabi all about? Essentially, it's a concept about beauty, the beauty that we see not only in nature but in the manmade things around us. Wabi sabi appreciates imperfection: the crack in the vase, the rug with the slightly tattered edge. It reveres beauty that is simple, not gaudy; making doing with less, not more; and it recognizes that the objects we create should weather gently over time, just as trees and rocks become weathered by the elements. The idea of wabi sabi ties in with the Asian concepts of acceptance and emptiness, the topics of the last two weeks' broadcasts. It's very different from our consumer-driven scoiety in which we always need the newest and the latest, and toss things away as soon as we consider them to be obsolete. Tune in to learn more!