What is Wabi-Sabi: A Japanese technique Elon Musk recently endorsed

Recently, a tweet by Elon Musk on X (formerly Twitter) went viral, especially among people who love Japanese culture and take great inspiration from it. The tweet just read ‘侘び寂び’ which translates in English to ‘Wabi-Sabi’. And now more people wish to read and know what the word means, and why would Musk tweet about it? (Image: ANI)

Wabi-Sabi is a philosophy, and a way of life that is rooted in Japanese aesthetics. The principles of Wabi-Sabi are all about embracing flaws, imperfections, appreciating the natural cycle of life, and finding beauty in the simple ways. The word Wabi loosely translates to simplicity and harmony with nature, and Sabi is the term for the beauty that comes with age and wear.
(Image: @elonmusk/X)

According to popular beliefs, at its core, Wabi Sabi is about 3 main things - Impermanence, Imperfection, and Incompleteness. It is a philosophy that says that it is important to accept the flaws, not just in ordinary things, but also in people, situations, and materials. It also says that incompleteness should not always be frowned upon. Instead, value the incomplete and the unfinished for it too is giving a means for change. And at last, nothing stays forever, and after a while everything ends to blossom into something better, or something more. Wabi-sabi is like the perfect counter to perfectionism and obsession that is strong in our time and era.

Well, a philosophy that tells people to accept and embrace the imperfect, the incomplete, and the fleeting nature of all things, surely helps people in their everyday lives. How? When we give up on perfectionism, on doing everything correctly, and becoming obsessed with perfect natures, we automatically reduce our stress levels. When there is no internal pressure of keeping everything intact and flawless, the natural creative juices flow. Then, when we realise that nothing is permanent, and change will forever be the only constant, we let go off things that don’t bring us joy anymore. Be it relationships or friendships, or even the broken vase that lies in the closet, letting go frees people. And at the end, when we live a simple life, embrace minimalism, and just stay happy with it, the world starts to be a better place.

The principles and philosophy of Wabi Sabi can literally be applied to most situations of life. For example, suppose there is an article you have been working on for the past few weeks, and no matter how many edits you make, you just don’t feel like it is perfect or enough, this eventually leads to burnout and stagnation. And when you think about Wabi Sabi, and embrace the little imperfections that there may be, you let go of the fear and the article might come back to you as perfect. For another example, suppose there was a cup that you bought with your own money years ago. In fact, it was the first cup you ever bought for yourself with your own money. Now one day the cup breaks, you are heartbroken, and there is too much emotional value attached to it to let it go. Well, in Wabi Sabi, you will finally have the courage to dispose it, for you will learn that impermanence is in all life forms.

​Well, the world has forever been fascinated with Japanese culture and philosophies. From Ikigai to Kaizen, and from Kintsugi to Wabi-Sabi, the world has got some real beauties in the form of Japanese teachings and learnings. And as for why Musk would tweet it, there could be ‘n’ number of answers. The most relevant one could be that Musk, as the visionary and innovative person that he is, could have constantly been obsessed with perfectionism in his daily life. From his works in Tesla and SpaceX, it is possible that his mind would wander to exploring Wabi Sabi, and looking at the imperfections, the incompleteness, and just appreciating the simple beauty of life.