Wabi Sabi - Beth Kempton - Book Review

 Wabi Sabi by Beth Kempton is a book that inspires you to love yourself, as you are, for every imperfection you have. The book follows Beth Kempton through Japan, where she learns about Japanese culture and seamlessly translates it to the Western mindset. 

    The cover of the book is what initially drew me in. It showcases kintsugi art in shimmering gold. I didn't know it at the time, but kintsugi is the art of cracked pottery, where the artist incorporates the cracks into the final finished piece of art, adding dimension and beauty to the overall piece. This is what wabi sabi is all about; seeing the beauty in aging and imperfection, lovingly showcasing how each mark tells a story and should be celebrated rather than hidden. 

        Coming from the West, I was born into the mindset that aging is something we want to fight against, something to be ashamed of; teaching me that there is an expiration date on beauty and that it should be slowed down in every possible way with expensive skin care products and botox. This book is a response to that mindset, using Japanese culture as a fresh perspective and giving us the freedom to love life more as we become older and wiser, instead of fearing the future and the decline of our physical appearance. "Wabi sabi is the acceptance of the impermanent, imperfect, and incomplete nature of everything" (Kempton, p.5)

    In this book, Beth struggles to define the allusive word wabi sabi. She highlights that it is not something that can be easily defined in words, but rather something that is instinctively known to all Japanese people, as a sort of cultural heritage from growing up in Japanese society. It is a word with many meanings that flow into all areas of Japanese life.  

    It is a slow and simple way of living that allows you to experience life through the feeling heart, rather than the logical mind (p.6). It emphasises the power of living slowly and the potency of natural beauty. In the West, we live fast paced lives with little knowledge of the importance of slowing down and enjoying the moment we are in. We are constantly striving for 5 o'clock or for Friday night; we neglect the present moment in anticipation of the future or in conversation with the past. Wabi sabi pushes us to accept the moment for what it is, to embrace what and who we are, and to love ourselves fiercely in our most natural state

    The cosmetic industry is succeeding in convincing us that we are not good enough the way we are; if only we would buy what they sell us, we would become everything and more. It convinces us that our lips are too small, our under eyes are too dark or our hair is too thin. Our battle against these things and many others is actually more detrimental than any of those things alone. Everyone in our society today struggles with accepting their physical appearance in one way or another, so in this struggle, you are not alone. 

    Image has become more important than substance. With the help of social media, superficiality is rife, our values and our personalities are becoming accessories to our look and our 'vibe'. We are losing touch with what really counts, the thing inside us that does not fade as we age. Wabi sabi encourages us to realise that beauty is not skin deep and that true beauty is something that cannot be seen by the naked eye, but that is felt in the heart. "Beauty is in the heart of the beholder" (p.39). 

    This book is a vital reminder to embrace our unique strengths and weaknesses which complete us as human beings, allowing us to become whole again, by fully accepting ourselves as we are, with no conditions attached.