sorchawench: (Mouse)
[personal profile] sorchawench
The seven elements of shibusa are Simplicity, Implicity, Modesty, Silence, Naturalness, Everydayness, and Imperfection.

Living with depression is learning to live while paddling around an ocean filled with sharks while holding raw steak. Now imagine that depressed person trying to learn the meaning of Shibusa too.

We strive for simplicity. But rarely find it. Our lives are broken by rocky roads of stress and strife.

We long to have the ability to live with implicity. To see the carving inside the stone. To see the beauty within the ugly. But we can't seem to ever get past the raw materials to build something beautiful.

Modesty would be nice. To live a life within our means. To be happy with what we're given and to make the best of a situation. Unfortunately we often face ourselves at moments of panic or breakdown, when our emotions are not modest and controlled.

Silence. Oh, how we long for blessed silence in our minds.

What is natural for the non-depression sufferer often feels like the worst awkwardness for those with depression. Like dancing on marbles. Painful and awkward.

Everydayness. The ability to live in the moment. To take joy in every day that has been granted to you. That is one thing we just cannot have. We are constantly waiting for the other shoe to drop.

And Imperfection. Oh, yes....we know this one all too well we think. But do we? Do we really know what imperfection is, or do we allow our selfish disease to make us think we're familiar with it?

The concept of Imperfection in Shibusa is not to find the imperfections and fix them or despise them. It instead teaches us that we should explore them, when we do find them, and allow them to become part of the bigger picture of fullness and beauty.

The depressed person sees imperfection as a flaw in character, a negative thing, to be despised, to be covered with make up, manipulated with surgeries, or twisted out of it's natural shape into something pleasing. The depressed person has a very difficult time seeing imperfection as anything but evil and to be removed.

The person with eyes of Shibusa sees imperfection as an element of the whole, necessary and even wanted. For without imperfections, without ugliness, how would we know true beauty when we see it?

I wasn't born with eyes of Shibusa. Mine are pale, blue, and occasionally filled with useless tears of self rage. But I have moments of clarity, when the blue of my eyes can see in other ways.
Eye

on 2014-10-21 12:27 pm (UTC)
Posted by [identity profile] theun4givables.livejournal.com
Depression is really the worst. It just robs you of everything, even seeing the beauty in the simple, imperfect things. :)

Hopefully you'll manage to find a way to see all the beauty that you can. <3

on 2014-10-21 02:02 pm (UTC)
Posted by [identity profile] sorchawench.livejournal.com
I am closer to that goal than I was yesterday or the day before that. Every day brings me closer to it. Thanks for reading!

on 2014-10-21 01:58 pm (UTC)
Posted by [identity profile] bleodswean.livejournal.com
I really liked the way you took the prompt and elaborated on it with this theme of depression. It put me in mind of the body as vessel, filled with emotion.

on 2014-10-21 02:04 pm (UTC)
Posted by [identity profile] sorchawench.livejournal.com
Thank you so much! I like that image you've described. The body as vessel....sometimes overflowing with emotion. ;-)

on 2014-10-22 05:57 am (UTC)
Posted by [identity profile] halfshellvenus.livejournal.com
The detailing of each of these aspects of Shibusa-- a simple, almost serendipitous beauty-- with how difficult each is to master or accept when dealing with depression worked really well.

To accept and to be at peace is a type of serenity that depression makes difficult, and yet trying to get closer to that can only help.

on 2014-10-23 04:44 pm (UTC)
Posted by [identity profile] sorchawench.livejournal.com
Thank you!

on 2014-10-22 03:25 pm (UTC)
Posted by [identity profile] suesniffsglue.livejournal.com
This was a really interesting and beautiful take on the prompt, for sure. Well done

on 2014-10-23 04:45 pm (UTC)
Posted by [identity profile] sorchawench.livejournal.com
Thank you very much!

on 2014-10-23 10:53 am (UTC)
Posted by [identity profile] crisp-sobriety.livejournal.com
Ouch, yeah. Depression does not allow for clarity or simplicity in life --or if it is simple, then it's 'lacking.' The same way imperfection becomes inherently a flaw.

I hope things improve for you soon!

on 2014-10-23 04:45 pm (UTC)
Posted by [identity profile] sorchawench.livejournal.com
Things are mostly well, most days. Thank you for reading!

on 2014-10-23 10:46 pm (UTC)
Posted by [identity profile] roina-arwen.livejournal.com
I loved the visual of this line: Living with depression is learning to live while paddling around an ocean filled with sharks while holding raw steak.

Profile

sorchawench: (Default)
sorchawench

September 2025

S M T W T F S
 123456
7891011 1213
14151617181920
21222324252627
282930    

Most Popular Tags

Style Credit

Expand Cut Tags

No cut tags
Page generated Apr. 13th, 2026 08:41 am
Powered by Dreamwidth Studios