Hello everyone. How are you all? I hope you are all well. I am also well. So, today I will share with you three Japanese concepts that will instantly transform your life.
In all honesty, I feel Japan is doing a better job of living than the rest of the world. Their mindfulness of life is off the charts.
In my quest to live better and teach others to do the same, I feel magnetically drawn to Japanese philosophy.
Here are 3 unique Japanese concepts that will instantly transform your life:
- Kintsugi: The Art of Golden Repair
Kintsugi is the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery by mending the damaged areas with lacquer dusted or mixed with powdered gold, silver, or platinum.
Speaking in philosophical terms, Kintsugi treats breakage as a part of the history of anything instead of something to disguise.
When we look at our own lives, each one of us has collected a wardrobe full of scars. And I use the word 'wardrobe' in the metaphor because we're not exactly keen on sharing the stories of our scars. We don't display them on the walls of our rooms. Instead, we keep them hidden in a locker in a wardrobe, and many of us have even thrown the keys to that locker in the Pacific Ocean.
- Ma: Negative Space
The Japanese concept of Ma refers to nothingness or silence. Their entire culture is filled with it in so many different ways. Their art has many empty spaces. Conversations have frequent silences. Even when they bow down, a deliberate pause is made at the end of the bow before coming back up as to make sure there is enough Ma in their bow for it to have meaning and look respectful.
In researching this concept, I found a beautiful poem that captures the meaning of Ma.
- Shinrin-Yoku: Forest Bathing
This concept refers to being spiritually connected to nature. It's not just about hiking or jogging in a park. It's to mindfully engage your senses to soak up nature like a sponge. The average American spends 93% of his or her life indoors. 87% of that is actually indoors, and 6% is in automobiles.
I don't know about you, but something feels off about that to me. We're nature yet we're so disconnected from nature. I fail to understand how we got here. I mean, I do understand, but I refuse to keep living like this. We need to move closer to nature. Forest bathing seems like a fun way to do that.
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