Tuesday, July 28, 2015

Wabi-Sabi, The Japanese Pursuit of Imperfection

BOLD RIDE

Copyright © 2015 Bold Ride LLC.
 
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New cars are perfect. The paint shines. There are no dents or scratches. The interior has not a single spilled drop of coffee or muddy footprint on the floor. The car only looks like that for about 10 seconds, but it’s a beautiful 10 seconds. Those who embrace the Japanese concept of wabi-sabi are far less heartbroken when their perfect car becomes imperfect.

Wabi-sabi is the idea that things are changeable and imperfect by their very nature. A thing doesn’t need to be perfect to be beautiful, particularly not a car. This goes contrary to the legions of enthusiasts and professionals who work tirelessly to take older, worn-out vehicles and return them to how they were when they were new.

1947-chevrolet-rat-rod-1

The two ideals can exist side by side, despite being polar opposites. The creativity and dedication required to restore a vehicle or even to repair a newer one is something to be admired. It’s a skill not everyone is able to master.

According to CarsYeah, wabi-sabi suggests that we simple take a different approach to things that have been used and changed by the world. A dent, some rust, a scraped fender, all show the imperfect and changeable nature of life. Rather than fighting those changes, choose a wabi-sabi approach and embrace them as a part of the process.


1947 Chevrolet 3100 Rat Rod

 

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