Sunday, October 22, 2023

Wabi phooey

I have a friend who looks down on the Japanese aesthetic wabi sabi. It's the admiration of things that are old and used.  At least, I thought it was.  When I looked it up just now, the article in Wikipedia said that it was the acceptance of aging. I much prefer "the honoring and admiration of the appearance of usage, including scars, scratches, scrapes and wrinkles".  I may have a tough time getting knowledgeable Japanese and philosophers of aesthetics to accept my definition. I admit I don't plan to work very hard at spreading my better word.  I further admit that I was moved to write about this by my intelligent wife's clinging to the idea that scratches and wrinkles detract, and do not beautify.

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