a short history of wabi-sabi

I loved this short video on the history of 'wabi-sabi' and it's application to now.  

At the heart of Japanese philosophy and wisdom lies a concept called ‘wabi-sabi’; a term which denotes a commitment to the everyday, the melancholic, the somewhat broken and the imperfect. It’s a term we need a lot more of in our lives.

I think it fits here in 'art' and 'meaningless drivel' but if it's a problem because of the mention of Buddhism and zen then I suppose it could get moved to 'religion and spirituality'.

...an interesting thought, seems similar to a mindset expressed here often....

“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, Wabi-Sabi: For Artists, Designers, Poets & Philosophers

more quotes here wabi-sabi at 'good reads'

This is brilliant. I especially lie the part of the video where he talks about the moon and how much more interesting it is when partly in shadow.

My favourite phase is a waxing gibbous (more than half full). It reminds me that the goal in life is good enough.   Not perfection. But we can still chace the sun and try to get closer go perfection if we want.

Thank you Judith for the video and r ranson for 'bumping it' to my attention. I hadn't appreciated the melancholy aspect of wabi sabi. I think perhaps that is a bit more philosophical that I'm used to thinking, but appreciating the mundane and less than perfect definitely rings a chord here. I thought it was just a sort of shabby-chic, but there is much more to wabi sabi than that.