A Japanese Art of Repairing Broken Pottery Teaches The Importance of Embracing Flaws
Kintsugi or Kintsukuroi is a Japanese practice of fixing broken pottery. Instead of hiding the cracks, the broken pieces are mended back together and enhanced with powdered gold. The restored item then becomes a unique piece of artwork that displays its history and embraces its imperfections. It becomes a symbol of strength and beauty.
We can learn an important lesson from this ancient Japanese practice about the importance of embracing our scars and imperfections.
Brokenness
We all experience times in our lives when we feel broken. Whether a traumatic experience or flaws that we perspective about ourselves, we all are victims of it.
When we are met with troubling times, it is often that we feel hopeless and useless. It feels as if those experiences or perspectives define our entire lives and distort our value, but rarely do we ever consider that it adds to who we are. With this perspective, we become Victors.
Brokenness is viewed as destructive, but with a positive mindset, it can be used as leverage to learn and enhance one’s uniqueness.
Just like in the Japanese culture, we can pick up our broken pieces and mend them together to make something priceless of ourselves.
Restored
Picking up those broken pieces of ourselves can be difficult. They’re shattered and damaged. It seems impossible to recollect and fix ourselves into who we were. It’s not about who you were though, but rather who you will become.
After finding and picking up those broken pieces, it is time to mend yourself. Mending one’s self requires introspection and acceptance. Realize how that brokenness has affected you and those around you and decide to make something constructive out of it.
Yes, it hurts.
Yes, it leaves scars, but there’s always an opportunity in the midst of tragedy.
Choose to make that opportunity a positive one. Learn from it and mend yourself with gold.
Proudly embrace your flaws and boldly accept all that you are.
Useful
Like a restored vessel, you are still useful.
Despite once being broken, you are restored and even more valuable than you once were because you have a story of restoration.
You chose to make something out of yourself and to learn from your tragedies and imperfections.
They no longer control you, but rather are a tool and a stroke of gold that enhances the scars left behind.
Takeaway
The ancient Japanese practice referred to as Kintsugi teaches us about loving and embracing who we are in spite of our brokenness.
Brokeness is temporary. We can be restored and add value to ourselves by accepting who we are and transforming ourselves.
Just like broken pottery, we too can mend our broken pieces and exemplify strength and beauty as we embrace our imperfections.
