The Art of Letting Things Happen | A Japanese Philosophy That Will Change How You Think

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In this video, we explore the powerful Japanese concept known as wabi-sabi, looking into it's history, how its philosophy frames existence in a uniquely different way compared to most Western attitudes, and how it can be incredibly useful to integrate into our lives.
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[@PursuitofWonder]

As always, thank you for watching. A great way to learn more about certain Eastern philosophies is with this video's sponsor, Blinkist. Get 1 free week and 25% off a premium membership to Blinkist using: www.blinkist.com/pursuitofwonder.

[@stevem7137]

Thank you for sharing this i truly needed it 🙏🏼

[@hustlershustlers4ever541]

“The distance between good and perfect is infinite” Well said

[@EffySalcedo]

So basically we need something infinite to bridge the gap.

[@joshuagonzales6207]

Also stuck with me, very true!

[@alicequayle4625]

'The perfect is the enemy of the good'.

[@teejay08]

"dont fear perfection, youll never reach it" - dali "art is never finished, only abandoned" - da vinci

[@ilv839]

why we still not understand it well

[@brianh9358]

I lived in Japan for 3 years and learned about this philosophy early in my time there. Almost in every city in Japan people go to parks where cherry trees grow. Cherry trees blossom quickly and are beautiful for a short time. However it is the falling blossoms that the Japanese have the most emotional attachment to - for in the moment of their falling they are both beautiful and simultaneously ending their purpose. There is a haiku poem that translated means "without regret, they fall and scatter…cherry blossoms".

[@peacefuldaizy5717]

That is beautiful. Thank you for sharing.

[@bobshaft1587]

do you know what the haiku is in japanese?

[@brianh9358]

@@bobshaft1587 Do you want the Japanese characters or pronunciation? Anyway, the pronunciation would be - miren naku chiru mo sakura wa sakura kana.

[@EarnestApostate]

As a recovering perfectionist, this brought tears to my eyes.

[@winnersmakenoexcuses2360]

how did you conquer that stubborn beast?

[@EarnestApostate]

@@winnersmakenoexcuses2360 I had kids and lost so many battles with chaos that it got beaten into a bit of submission. I don't know if it is gone or just dormant.

[@icingcake]

Good video for perfectionists

[@viov9566]

Crying tears at 3am in the morning. I try to continuously pressure myself but why not just let it be? I am beautiful as I am; my life is beautiful as is and the people I’ve met and meet are beautiful as they are. It’s a life of beauty. I wish that’s what we all saw together

[@Sheng01427]

"Everything we try will fail in some way. Everything we finish will be some amount incomplete. Everything we know, everything we cherish, everything that works right now, will decay, fall apart, and disappear into nothingness."

[@Owen-hr6yq]

Maybe nothing ever even happened

[@Stargaze79]

"It’s ordinary to love the beautiful, but it’s beautiful to love the ordinary. “

[@OneStepToDeath420]

My current main motto in life is "good enough".

[@brandonmccain2297]

My motto at work with everything I do is "well it's better than what it was" 😁

[@msrawynn]

I like that 👍🏾

[@ilv839]

​@@brandonmccain2297good bro

[@ilv839]

its hard to accept

[@Thinkscape]

This philosophy strikes a chord in our perfection-obsessed society, offering a refreshing perspective on what success and beauty truly mean. Wabi-sabi encourages us to shift our focus from the end result to the process, highlighting the beauty in every stage of life or creation, despite - or because of - its imperfections and inevitable decline. It seems to me that this philosophy can lead to a much more grounded, realistic, and content way of living. In a world where we often strive for unattainable perfection, the idea that nothing is finished, nothing lasts, and nothing is perfect might be exactly what we need to remember. Embracing wabi-sabi could potentially foster resilience, patience, and a deeper appreciation for life in its every form and stage. It's an invitation to shift our gaze from the flaws we perceive to the unique beauty that lies within them.

[@hollawar1391]

well said

[@hollawar1391]

:)

[@atzhanel]

Beautifully said

[@zeropoint546]

There's a sub set of car culture that embraces "patina". This is where someone will fix a car that has been abandoned or neglected for a long time, up to the point that it runs and drives again, but will not fix the degraded paint and body damage all that much. The story of the car is considered to be an important element in it's attractiveness. This reminds me of Wabi-sabi, if not being a perfect fit.

[@itsarali]

Is this chatgpt?

[@PDogB]

You can see this in action if you love someone and watch them grow old, still loving them as much or more than ever.

[@CAM-fq8lv]

You watch them slowly disappearing. Then they are gone. And you know thé meaning of forever.

[@LearnGermanwithMarzipanfrau]

That is beautiful. We are all made to love and be loved. Nobody is perfect.

[@1tlb0k]

Totally what I was thinking.

[@davedismantled]

Life contains suffering. Most suffering is self inflicted due to attachments. I guess I'm like the teacup - reparing my cracks with bits of knowledge and understanding, creating a different and more beautiful existence.

[@renaultklio2401]

You know its true when you start crying, thanks for writing that - from someone who relates

[@phinksspanks8199]

I love your analogy ❤

[@peacelovejoy8786]

David, Thank you very much for saying this. Yes suffering is most definitely self inflicted. Part of the ego's playbook! " Nothing real can be threatened. Nothing unreal exists. Herein lies the Peace of God." ~A Course in Miracles ♥️

[@immrssnow]

I liked your Teacup analogy ☕ Dave 🌸 thanks for sharing this

[@amberheera9365]

this is so beautiful wow

[@FormsInSpace]

acceptance and gratitude are the keys to life

[@historylover3018]

When you believe it's perfect, it's perfect.. And when you believe it's not, it's not. The truth depends on what you believe, not on an ultimate concept.

[@ilv839]

anything that is repeated at brain becomes truth thats scary

[@Maetaaaaaa]

This !

[@realnothingasitseems]

Acceptance of oneself is the first step toward genuine growth and personal transformation.

[@veiledmelancholia]

"We all try to control our little worlds. We all come up with plans for our future, and we try to stay on track with those plans. But life just happens, and it can blow everything we thought our life would be out of the water in a blink. Nothing is ever really in its right place. Yet, we never stop trying to put things 'right.' We pick up pieces of our old, broken plans and we try to build new ones, over and over, totally at the mercy of our own chaotic little worlds."

[@jayatejgowda]

Bravo😊

[@Benni777]

My whole life is basically a “wabi-sabi” type of life. Bc I was born with a genetic disorder where a part of my dna is missing, automatically making my body and life, philosophically speaking, “wabi-sabi.” I’ve never looked at my life this way, in a philosophical type of why, even though I do love learning about philosophy, i don’t really apply it to my everyday life, bc some concepts aren’t applicable. But this philosophy definitely is.

[@felzebub1762]

😢 same feeling. I have lupus and life seems to be fleeting. Every moment counts

[@Kranti27]

Wabi-sabi is a Japanese aesthetic philosophy that appreciates the beauty of imperfection, transience, and the natural cycle of growth and decay. It values simplicity, asymmetry, and the unique characteristics that come with age and wear. Wabi-sabi encourages finding beauty in the imperfect, incomplete, and modest, embracing the inherent flaws and subtleties in objects, nature, and life itself.

[@julietdrozdz7016]

Beautiful Wabi-sabi. ❤. Today I'm 51.... what a wonderful way to start my day!

[@Maetaaaaaa]

Happy belated birthday !!!! 🦋

[@livyintheskywithdragons]

Japanese culture is so deep and philosophical, videos like these make me happy thanks 😻😻😻😻

[@panaderofilms]

This short video, like so many others of yours has changed my life...thank you.

[@captainyossarian388]

3:39 Beautiful. There was a scene in the series The Man In The High Castle that focused on this kind of repair of a broken porcelain cup. Thank you for shedding more light on that moment.

[@E.a.Z.S.e.n.T]

Make it look like a lil Jon crunk cup

[@amandarockenbach]

Wow, this video is short but so impactful. Thank you or these beautiful reminders.

[@captainyossarian388]

The universe is defined by its imperfection. If it was perfect, the matter and antimatter would have mutually canceled each other out, and there would just be void. Instead we have a universe of diversity, of stars, of planets, of people, of thought, of feeling. Flowers, Marie Curie, Elvis Presley, pizza, chess. All because the universe wasn't perfect to begin with. That fact has always been comforting to me.

[@elenabrusturan]

Wow I never tought about it in this way. What you said about there being nothing if the univers would have been perfect to begin with makes me realize that ww should appreciate what we have right now even if it is imperfect because that's the only way it could have ever existed

[@Yosetime]

They made a whole video about your comment on this channel. Don't recall it's title but it's there. Worth a watch

[@ujjwalbhatt1460]

@@Yosetime Can you share the link please?

[@mizztblaq]

Diversity allows for abundance, entertainment, variety, and existence.

[@zerotwo7319]

We strife for so much order that is not obvious we would ignore disorder's order.

[@BryanGrier]

The practice of kinsuki as you describe in the video is almost a self contained philosophy in its own right. The idea of a subject becoming more valuable due to having imperfections that were corrected with valuable bonds is what stood out to me.

[@CitroChannel]

_Whatever happens, happens._

[@Qazxsw59]

❤

[@earnyourimmortality]

If perfection is ever attained, there's literally nothing left to do or to improve upon. I pray perfection is never reached. It'll be all over.

[@Ryansacrobat]

It’s hard to separate your writing from the philosophical text but regardless, I’m immersed in each story’s meaning

[@markwilliams2952]

The most important information I have been given in a long time. Wabi Sabi and Kikugai resonate with my soul. Thank you so much.

[@sofiacurto]

what a beautiful video, with such a powerful message, with such amazing quotes! this is a very interesting and inspiring concept, thank you for sharing it with us

[@peaguas629]

This channel always does me good, thank you so very much

[@user-xy8qk9gz7g]

Thank you for uploading 🙏🏻

[@maaaaaaaaaa247]

this channel is so good it's unbeliveable

[@ashleylanda4747]

notification of this video popped up right when i needed it. thank you

[@BS-zf4mb]

wow! this was lovely, thank you!

[@jeffxanders3990]

Balance in the self is key to all things.

[@TrevTheGinger]

in college i wrote an essay about Japanese tea ceremony and this was dope to watch. I focussed on the potery and had to do a bunch of research so this was really satisfying to be able to refresh on the topic through a new lense

[@sumonbines-karki4818]

That was insanely eye opening thank you

[@victorleyvaramirez4291]

Really needed your chanel man, thank you!

[@thisisme3238]

This Japanese Concept is extremely interesting. I have seen the pottery with gold, but never knew the "gold" was actually repairs to the cracks in the pottery. Wabisabi is very interesting indeed, thanks for sharing this information with us.

[@kaelwannabe]

Literally the ending statements are amazing.

[@hohoucgguztizi4655]

Awesome lovely video, Robert never disappoints.

[@Clementinedaphane111]

Beautiful video . thankyou so much dude❤

[@ERICinCOLOUR]

This was a seriously excellent video, thank you.

[@buddharuci2701]

Well done, well said!

[@TheRealTomWendel]

This philosophy and aesthetic has been formalized by the Japanese concept of wabi sabi, but once you’ve taken it in, it’s everywhere. The Stoics, for example, emphasized the importance of knowing how the universe operates (physics) in setting proper expectations. Impermanence is embraced by indigenous animistic culture everywhere. Embracing oneness involves not only acceptance of, but appreciation for, all in its constantly varying but inevitable stages. “The imperfect is our paradise. Note that, in this bitterness, delight, Since the imperfect is so hot in us, Lies in flawed words and stubborn sounds.” ‘The Poems of Our Climate’ Wallace Stevens, 1942

[@breakfastclosed]

videos like yours and the podcast Secular Buddhism have really helped me shift perspective through severe chronic illness and given me a lighter more graceful outlook on life.

[@lykayeban9590]

I needed this. For so long!

[@traviswadezinn]

Beautiful insights, thank you

[@khaichern]

Ironically, the more we pursue the style of wabi Sabi, the further away we are from its philosophy

[@deadmau1250]

Thank you for this great video bro :)

[@ErikGarcia07]

This is why i stopped trying to produce music perfectly. Perfectly following a scale, perfectly timing everything, perfectly processing everything; until I realized that imperfect human touch is what makes a song “perfect.”

[@lolaispure4296]

Indeed.

[@nickiemcnichols5397]

I teach music to kids. I decided last night that my classes don’t have to be perfect. Making it fun for them is just as important as making sure they can play their instrument, the ukulele.

[@nickiemcnichols5397]

The motto that the kids made up is “Perfect Enough”.

[@ErikGarcia07]

@@nickiemcnichols5397 lol thats interesting. Maybe they can develop a motto that’s like “if you’re having fun, you’re doing it right” idk lol

[@dwalker6868]

Thank you for the information

[@nias3202]

Ring the bells that still can ring Forget your perfect offering There is a crack, a crack in everything That's how the light gets in - Leonard Cohen (Anthem)

[@Zelig_G]

Excellent. Brilliant. Thank you 🙏🏼

[@jacquelineward6201]

Thank you for this. It is reminding me to relax into reality.

[@alivanz]

love this....Thank you!

[@keaganvaldez24]

"If your soul burns with passion and desire then it is your duty to be reduced to ashes by it."

[@larrymaxwell8565]

I like this kind of art because you're not exposed to the fumes of the paint that drives some artist crazy.

[@livn4luvn]

Such a relevant useful message/reminder/philosophy for the times we find ourselves in.

[@mrbo4576]

This is absolutely fantastic

[@robertshannon4547]

Thank you I enjoyed that!

[@dorothykelly8924]

Love kintsugi. Have repaired a bowl that broke. Glued it the covered broken parts in gold paint. It is lovely.

[@magm3467]

Watching ur video always give me a sense of peace

[@YOSFP]

finally I know a word for the "mode" I am in sometimes. I would call days on where I could see beauty in everything "days of wonderment". It's a state of constant bliss, entranced in co-existence with what is and how it came to be.

[@tomwave5129]

Great topic 👍

[@eleanorbertuch135]

Excellent presentation 👏👏

[@romikim4548]

Thank you for good contents.

[@khan_rukayya]

Loved the video ❤

[@mr.bnatural3700]

The perfection of imperfection.

[@AlwaysBeingAlwaysBecoming]

This is an excellent video. Cheers.

[@rootvalue]

One of my favorite philosophies in furniture making, an extension of a taoist mindset

[@prema_ranga]

Thank you for this enlightening video on the philosophy of wabi-sabi. It's a refreshing perspective that encourages us to embrace the imperfections and transience of life, rather than constantly striving for unattainable perfection. This concept is a gentle reminder that beauty can be found in the most unexpected places, even in the cracks, stains, and wrinkles that we often overlook or deem undesirable. It's a philosophy that can truly change the way we perceive our lives and the world around us. Keep up the great work!

[@mamastired7033]

Love this ❤ thank you

[@catia1022]

I love your videos, keep up with the nice work ❤❤❤

[@Appleloucious]

One Love! Always forward, never ever backward!! ☀☀☀ 💚💛❤ 🙏🏿🙏🙏🏼

[@Blake-sg8xg]

Imagination is the only true weapon in the war against reality.

[@djangotriump8025]

I love all your videos, i've watched them all and trust me you have completely changed the way i think. Thank you so much even if you do see this comment just thank you

[@farfallakiki7281]

Thank u for this great vedio❤

[@marishkagrayson]

I needed this wisdom today, somehow!

[@gordoncamacho8649]

This video inspired me. I have tons of cracked or repaired stuff that looks like crap because I can't throw it away- it's time to embrace the art of kintsugi. It'll be the most beautiful Hoarders episode ever 👍

[@rivkasherman3906]

MY GOD! TOTALLY!!!! THANK YOU FORCLARIFYING!

[@jangoodwin4196]

Thank you so much.

[@williamkazak469]

This is also a reason why some of the most beautiful people may also have a characteristic that is charming. Not always fitting into the pre-concieved notions or standards, essence may be enjoyed. By the way, I am a stckler for symmetry in a room. It is my ability to notice whenever a placement of an object or a measurement is even slightly off! I can be annoying in that regard. Thank you for your video. We learned about this wabi-sabi years ago in art school but to be honest, we need to bring this subject up again in the current world that we live in.

[@auggiemarsh8682]

Most excellent! Please do a video on Gaman. A great many folks can benefit from practicing Gaman as well as Wabi Sabi

[@redtree732]

Beautiful video

[@fernandoorozco5968]

Thank you

[@mrbo4576]

Thank you Very much Sir.

[@TennisTD]

Love this philosophy. Never heard this before. Thanks.

[@tamamiyamaguchi41]

Japanese Tea Ceremony contains the whole philosophy of Wabi-Sabi. In autumn season we put the broken flower vase on the Tokonoma in the Chashitsu room.

[@matthewgarner8728]

I love this chanel. Thank you.

[@sprtnp19]

Beautiful video. I’m really going to try seeing the beauty of imperfection in life in all of its’ forms. Maybe starting with myself as a perfectly imperfect being. I am a work in progress. And that is enough.

[@kajalyadav1020]

Just what I needed..I was staring in blank space and this video came up..

[@E.a.Z.S.e.n.T]

My most happiest bliss days are when im high and buzzed enough and just listen to awesome music that feels magical and takes you on an experience for acouple hours with great headphones just dancing with the music and great beats of dance electronica and hip hop and piano take me there. By myself of course

[@timmortimer6267]

Love this

[@user-ds5wh5uc9q]

In my college ceramics class we used Wabi Sabi when making imperfect projects. We were encouraged to use odd shapes and used Raku. We cooled the projects outside and dropped it in a box of wood chips, newspaper, ECT. It created some randomly vibrant or completely unexpected looks based entirely on chemistry and chance.

[@HarvestStore]

Great video.

[@somethingyousaid5059]

Will I be harmed after my death? That's the most important question that I could ever ask, having anything to do with me. So important to me is it, that it overrides the importance of everything else, including what you were just speaking about in your video.

[@basma_alhareth8]

I loved it ❤

[@mvrao29]

Blinkit is serving a lot in inculcating intellectual and human values in peoples. The videos are prepared by subject experts and well curated. Thanks to the Blinkit Team.

[@mvrao29]

Sorry for the spelling mistake. It's Blinkist

[@vishalrana9836]

Want a perfection like you..... Pure focus on your work.