A Theory of Wabi-Sabi

I discovered the Japanese aesthetic concept of “Wabi-Sabi” when I read a book on the subject in the mid 90s. Since then, I have been exploring Wabi-Sabi art, photography and poetry. The notion of finding perfection in imperfection has tremendous appeal to me. Perhaps it is because the notion is so paradoxical. Wabi-Sabi is not easy to define, especially since it is so foreign to Western aesthetic concepts. I have been formulating my own theory of the beauty of Wabi-Sabi. I also founded a Facebook group to showcase and discuss Wabi-Sabi art and philosophy. Recently, I got some new inspirations when I found an old textbook on botany in my local middle school. It is a book published in 1960. I asked the classroom teacher if I can have it for nostalgic sake — the Sixties and the Seventies are more like my era. He said “Yes.”

Why would I find such an old book attractive? A brand new Botany in perfect condition book would not have the same appeal to me. This book is in relatively good condition. Still, it is weather-worn. There are some tears around the edges. But it is precisely these flaws that make the book endearing to me. The flaws “humanize” the object. They give the book a sense of authenticity, history, character, and “soul.” A new book would be “perfect.” But such “perfection” would be superficial. It is a “perfection” that is more an indication that it has not experienced the world. And it has not…