The Amazing Concept that celebrates impermanence and imperfection

The drive for perfection in our society is stronger than ever before. With the rapidly forceful presence of social media overtaking normal advertising, people feel as though they need to project the “best” versions of themselves at all times, as unrealistic as it may be. And in turn they get rewarded through instant validation and superficial acknowledgement for their subjective value on a wider scale more than ever before, and yet  are unhappier than ever. Although some are aware of the dangers of self image obsession  and the troubles of an isolated conceited society few seem to know how to manage the pressure and negativity, and the consequences that stem from a false sense of self.  However a resurgence of Eastern philosophies has recently occurred in popular culture and media.  Many Youtube channels and blogs are dedicated to the concept of mindfulness and meditation and teachings by great Eastern masters such as Confucius and Lao Tzu are emerging  everywhere. One concept that keeps springing up is Wabi-Sabi, the concept of impermanence and imperfection.  Heres how this concept can help improve you life.

1. Acceptance of Imperfection

Imperfection is rarely seen as a positive thing, too fat, too thin, too smart, too out there, too laid back, too much, all the time and it’s never enough. So there it is. But what is perfection anyway?, all we can be is imperfect, as authenticity is what truly matters to the human experience, the faker you are the less happy you are, studies show this time and time again, yet the superficial is easier to process and faster to  please the  senses, authenticity takes time and effort and like anything of real  value in life,  is hard to come by.  Once learn to accept that everything is imperfect and always will be, there  is no turning back as it helps you reach the ultimate feeling of contentment. So accepting the inevitable is possibly the one thing that can set you free from all of life’s ills, because you will just never get there as no one really knows what THERE truly means. Which only means there really is no need to be a slave to a machine that doesn’t t really exist. All you need to do is appreciate and work on things you can control and enjoy the process rather than anticipate the outcome constantly.

2. Appreciation of Imperfection

The beauty of acceptance of imperfection  is that it leads you to gratitude, a sense of appreciation that there is nothing really worth  striving  for except for what truly matters to your overall wellbeing and happiness. Thus the acceptance of  the imperfect frees you from the chains that keep you a prisoner of the world and most importantly of  societies expectations. This does not mean you cannot strive to  achieve  things in your career, relationships health and talents, on the contrary it means you can focus even more on your true priorities rather than live for the  validation and acceptance of others who don’t really have your best interests at heart. Its a pure state of flow, that helps you be content with the now while working towards your goals without a negative drive.

3. Awareness  of Impermanence

Death is certain as the saying goes, and death is perhaps the most staunch reminder about the importance that all that is will be no more at some point in  time.  As this life ends so will all that you have, and all you believed was important.  Your dreams, memories, trauma, insecurities, all just cease to exist. Realizing all this helps set you free, as well as you realize that nothing really matters in the end so you might as well appreciate what you can control positively and learn from all that you have done, be it a positive or negative outcome. This also gets rid of ego and narcissistic  tendencies, no one REALLY  cares about the amount of likes and followers you have when you’re dead. The fact that you wasted your time worrying about it is the only tragedy. Death is a gift as is everything else in the human experience, impermanence is what there is in all realities and this awareness can help live your life in the now. With this comes Peace, joy and fulfillment.

 

Author: Clinical Psychologist Shanelle De Almeida