Incorporating WABI 侘 - SABI 寂 into Training and Creativity
The Pen and Sword Journal - Vol 48
This article continues from "WABI 侘 - SABI 寂 - Don't Complicate Your Life and Challenges."
Hello, dear readers and friends. In the first part, we discussed that Wabi-Sabi is about enjoying the simplicity of things, detaching from the artificial hustle of city life, and reconnecting with the pulsation of nature. It’s also about embracing our imperfections, learning to live with them without anxiety or perfectionism, and more.
Anxiety, stress, tension... these are words we hear every day. Unfortunately, they're not just words but real conditions many of us experience, some more and some less. These feelings come from our hectic lives, problems, poor communication, not understanding ourselves, and conflicts between us.
Our consciousness is like a flashlight. A flashlight helps us see when there's not enough light around. It helps us see what's around us so we can move and do what we need to. Similarly, our inner light, or consciousness/awareness, can be directed to our inner world to identify and understand things that aren't as visible as the outside world but are just as real. These inner elements can greatly affect our behavior and the visible world. Without recognizing and engaging with these elements, we risk losing alignment with our center—our best selves.
In retrospect and also from my reflections lately, I am able to identify situations when I get pulled out of my center and how I recenter my self precisely by integrating Wabi-Sabi in my life. I will start by mentioning some common situations when people get pulled out of their center and what to do to recenter oneself.
In today's piece, I'll share my experiences on how I incorporate these principles while training or during the creative process.
Re-centering yourself
1- A Misconception of What It Means to Be Tough
Sometimes, pride and the fear of seeming weak push people to act tough, ironically making their vulnerability even more obvious. In these situations, people refuse help and think they can do everything alone.
For example, when I first started martial arts, I remember some students who had been training a few months longer offered to help me with some drills during free practice time. I said I was fine because I didn't want to show my weaknesses. By doing this, I made my insecurity clear to others and chose pride over learning and progress. If I had accepted their help, I would have improved faster.
Certainly, there are strategic times to shield our vulnerabilities and display resilience, but this was not one of those times. Here, ‘toughness’ was merely a mask for insecurity. A person dominated by this tendency tries to suppress emotions, becomes rigid, failing to express themselves authentically with all the inherent flaws we possess. They don't ask for help because they think only weak people do that and that they alone can do things right. This mindset is far from the truth.
When is true toughness called for? In competition, when confronting our fears and insecurities, or when protecting others. These are the moments for genuine fortitude. However, when we use toughness as a facade to “appear strong” at all costs, it hinders our growth.
What to do instead?
It’s better to be calm. This is the inner voice we must nurture:
Be calm. Showing some vulnerabilities doesn’t make you weak; it is a genuine sign of self-confidence. We can’t do everything by ourselves. Of course, we shouldn’t take advantage of others' generosity, but involving others in helping us doesn’t mean we are weak. It just means we don’t know how to do something, which is natural. The ability to create a climate of cooperation and mutual help is a valuable and powerful skill.
So, when we ask for help, we accept that we can’t do everything on our own, and there is nothing wrong with that.
2- Working to exhaustion is not true productivity
When people lose their sense of rhythm, they tend to work until exhaustion, thinking it will make them more productive. In this case, they feel self-sufficient, but their efforts often go to waste. This story illustrates what happens in such situations:
The Story of Two Woodcutters: Why You Should Sharpen Your Axe
Once upon a time, there were two woodcutters named Peter and John. They often argued about who could chop more wood. So, one day, they decided to hold a competition to determine the winner. The rules were simple—whoever chopped the most wood in a day would win.
The next morning, both of them started chopping at their fastest speed in the forest. After an hour, Peter suddenly stopped. When John realized there was no chopping sound from Peter’s side, he thought, “Aha, he must be tired already.” He continued chopping his trees even faster.
Fifteen minutes passed, and John heard Peter chopping again. Both of them carried on synchronously. John was starting to feel tired when Peter stopped once more. Feeling motivated and sensing victory, John continued with a smile.
This continued the whole day. Every hour, Peter would stop chopping for fifteen minutes while John kept going non-stop. When the competition ended, John was sure he had won.
To John’s surprise, Peter had actually chopped more wood. “How could you have chopped down more trees than me? I heard you stop working every hour for fifteen minutes!” exclaimed John.
Peter replied, “It’s simple. Every time I stopped working, while you were still chopping down trees, I was sharpening my axe.”
This exhaustion can sometimes serve as an escape. Unlike the Wabi-Sabi concept, where we leave behind self-imposed illusions and embrace simple truths, here we escape from truths to embrace illusions.
What is the solution in this case?
The solution is to find the rhythm. Even nature has balanced periods of activity and rest. Musical notes also create beautiful music through their combination with pauses. Therefore, the key is not to exhaust ourselves. As the saying goes, it’s not worth running like crazy since we are all heading towards the same end, death. Buddha said that the moment we are born, the countdown begins for when we will die. However, it doesn't make sense to stay completely still either. We have to find our own rhythm, just like nature and music. The more we understand the importance of rhythm and move away from regular exhaustion, the more efficient we will be. Exhaustion has its appropriate moment as well, for example when we accomplish a life-changing feat, but it should not be a chronic part of our life.
For instance, when you’re facing the most pivotal competition of your life, a defining moment in your career, or a transformative milestone, it’s reasonable to forsake all comfort and surpass your boundaries. After all, you’ve diligently prepared for this day. On the other hand, when we train, if we spend 30 or 45 minutes trying to learn a new technique or improve an existing one, and then notice that our brain and body are not connecting as well as before, it’s time to rest or change activities. Continuing to push ourselves at that point is pointless and even risky, as we might learn the wrong technique and develop bad habits. We can come back to learning that technique as soon as we have rested properly.
Regarding the Creative Process
It's not wise to demand too much from your intelligence, your nervous system, and your ability to resist. Certainly, to work is a serious necessity. Yet, by “rest”, I don’t mean immobility, atrophy of thought, or physical and intellectual lethargy. The mind and body need occasional breaks, the length of which depends on the individual's endurance. Too much pressure and stress leads to fatigue; fatigue results in weariness, boredom, abhorrence, and eventually giving up. As the wise way, “If you get tired, learn to rest, not to quit.”
Another interesting story:
In an old Japanese town, a gentleman once went to visit a famous painter. He was aware that the painter had recently created an incredible artwork, and he wished to be among the first to admire it. He was truly amazed as he stood before the magnificent canvas, showcasing a dreamy sky with majestic birds soaring towards a forest of blossoming trees.
The painter, pleased by his deep and sincere admiration, then said to him, “I'm glad you appreciate my work, but I've done a better one. That's what I believe and hope...
"Can I see this new painting?" asked the admirer.
“After ten days,” the painter answered.
The admirer replied with curiosity, “Have you finished yet?”
“No, it’s finished,” continued the painter.
“I would be happy if I could look into it. Why not allow me this privilege?” the gentleman insisted.
"Because," the artist declares, "I don't even allow it to myself."
With a confused expression, the gentleman continued, “I don’t understand!”
The painter pointed to a large Kakemono (Japanese unframed painting made on paper or silk and displayed as a wall hanging), placed in a corner and covered with a dark veil.
“Here's the painting!” he said.
“Well?” the gentleman replied.
"Come back after ten days, and I'll give you the chance to see it. I won't reveal it until then," insisted the painter.
“But I still don’t understand why?” the other replied.
The painter gave a last answer, saying, "Because I need to forget myself a little, to release myself for a while from the stress that has been bothering my soul for many days and nights... Only after a while, I will be able to calmly examine my work and gather impressions. Today I am still very tired..." and after saying that, he accompanied the visitor to the gate.
To be continued in Part 3…
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Fantastic article as always. The story of the two woodcutters is a life lesson allright. Never heard of the story of the Japanese Painter before, though. Very interesting.
Thank you for the gentle reminder to breathe; your writing is always beautiful. References to music and nature are some of my favorites. As we go about our chaotic lives, it's easy to lose sight of all the references that remind us how fortunate we are to be here in this enormous universe.
This is so good: "It's not wise to demand too much from your intelligence, your nervous system, and your ability to resist. Certainly, to work is a serious necessity. Yet, by “rest”, I don’t mean immobility, atrophy of thought, or physical and intellectual lethargy."