JAWing On – Life on Okinawa

Last week I was reading an article in one of the online English language Japanese newspapers on the philosophy of “bi” (pronounced bee). The article discussed the obsession with outer beauty and the numerous possible methods used in the quest to achieve perfect external beauty. This obsession with perfection in beauty seems to be one not only of Japan but of the world. I had heard somewhere that two years ago the number two graduating present for female high school seniors was plastic surgery. Personally, I prefer the Japanese philosophy of “wabi sabi”. This is not the green horseradish used on sushi (wasabi), but the philosophy of finding the beauty in imperfection. In Western terms the difference between the two philosophies could be described in does one see the glass half empty or half full. As I see it, proponents of “bi” are seeing the glass as half empty and are forever on a quest to improve on an imperfection. On the other hand, the proponents of “wabi sabi” are viewing the glass as half full and are replenished by exploring the character of what is already there including the imperfection.