Life is complicated. Many times we get so caught up in the consumerist and materialist gains of life that we forget the true meaning of life. Recently I stumbled upon some great Japanese philosophies. They help you accept things for what they are and ultimately be happy.
Previously I talked about Wabi-sabi, a Japanese ideology that teaches you to embrace imperfection. In this article, I will speak about Shizen, which will help you to welcome wabi-sabi.
Pronunciation: Shi-zen
What is Shizen?
自然 (しぜん): meaning nature in Japanese
The meaning of Shizen is manyfold. However, all of them revolve around the teachings and adjustments of nature. Shizen incorporates the contribution and adjustment of nature in it.
A part of Shizen also teaches to shun the artificiality of life and embrace the naturalness of things.
Shizen is a complicated concept and even more complex to explain in words. However, it teaches you to coexist with nature. It teaches you to be like the nature around us – completely void of artificiality.
How to implement Shizen in our life?
You can try to implement it in your life by appreciating all the greenery and the greenery efforts around you. For instance, the trees you see while on your way to school or work try to understand their beauty.
Implementing Shizen also means to shun the pretense and accept transparency. When you are implementing naturalness in your life, you are also more accepting of the openness of others in life—earlier, which you might have found odd. 
Why do we need Shizen in our life?
Nature is beautiful, but it is also unfair at times. it will give you all the fruits, flowers, and oxygen to live one minute and destroy your home and everything the next. This incorporates human nature too. You learn to coexist with the fairness and unfairness of people around you. It’s just working together over a transparent bond.
Shizen is looking at life through nature. When you do that a lot of things fall in perspective. Your expectations reach a marginal pace and you find contentment and happiness more easily.
