In between office parties, family gatherings and other end-of-the-year festivities that pack the holiday season, I try to devote a certain amount of time to reflection. This year, I have been thinking about two worldviews that come from different cultures: the Japanese concept of wabi-sabi and the Jewish concept of tikkun olam. Thinking through these concepts—both of which focus on the imperfections of the world—seems to be a particularly appropriate exercise for an attorney. As the law is itself an attempt to address and structure an imperfect world, wabi-sabi and tikkun olam therefore have great relevance to our profession.
I came across wabi-sabi only recently. The author of an essay I read described it as “finding the perfect in the imperfect.” Reading further, I learned that wabi-sabi represents a worldview focused on the acceptance of transience and imperfection. Arising from the ideals and beliefs of Zen Buddhism, wabi-sabi is best known to Westerners today as an artistic aesthetic, in which minimalism, authenticity and “flawed beauty” are prized.
