It
is hard to put feelings or emotions into words. Using the two words above as
referents, both words indicate the profound emotions of Latino culture. Having spent nearly two years of my life in
Argentina and having been around Latinos all of my adult life, I appreciate
their deep feelings. I also spent 15
months in Japan, and have a profound appreciation for many of the aspects of
the culture of the Japanese people as well. In the article, there is a phrase in their
language that is seemingly “untranslatable” as well. The words pronounced in Japanese and written in
Romanized characters (romaji) is wabi-sabi. The English attempt to describe this feeling
or sentiment is:
“a way of living that focuses on finding
beauty within the imperfections of life and accepting peacefully the natural
cycle of growth and decay”
My wife and I had accidentally
put those two words together during and after our time living in Japan, not
knowing the actual meaning, to connote a distinctly Japanese/Asian feeling of
beauty and serenity one feels when walking in a beautiful Japanese garden. But I really like the actual meaning.
I
like the idea of “a way of living;” of appreciating beauty and peace in the imperfections
of ourselves and things around us that we encounter in life and accepting this
process as part and parcel of a “natural cycle.” My life is composed of growth and decay and
my challenge is to look for beauty and contentment in my imperfect journey.
Wabi-sabi is a feeling that I am attempting to incorporate
in this the transitional time of my life.
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