Kintsukuroi is
the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with gold resin—idea being to
honour the damage done to the pottery by filling the cracks with gold, and in
the process elevate them to works of art.
For traditional Japanese philosophy holds that when something has suffered damage and has a history, it becomes
more beautiful.
Imperfection is
not so honoured in the West, but still there have been those making a case for
its necessity. In the words of the prominent Victorian social thinker John
Ruskin:
“Imperfection is in some way sort of
essential to all that we know of life. It is the sign of life in a mortal body,
that is to say, of a state of progress and change. Nothing that lives is, or
can be, rigidly perfect; part of it is decaying, part nascent… And in all
things that live there are certain irregularities and deficiencies which are
not only signs of life, but sources of beauty… To banish imperfection is to
destroy expression, to check exertion, to paralyze vitality. All things are
literally better, lovelier, and more beloved for the imperfections which have
been divinely appointed, that the law of human life may be effort, and the law
of human judgment, mercy.”
Despite the worn
out nature of the metaphor, I still think it useful to think of human flaws and
weaknesses in this regard—to be merciful and generous in seeing them not only
as signs of life, but sources of beauty as well.
Because it
really doesn’t serve us (humanity as a whole) to bastardize the flaws and
failings of one another. That only leaves mental and emotional damage in its
wake from all the consequent flogging.
And who are we
to judge the life of another or even ourselves when so little is seen, known or
understood about any of it?
Better to be curious—study
the flaws more intelligently and carefully, see where that takes us in terms of
broader understanding, and then utilize creative approaches to reparation and
healing with the insight garnered.
For me that is
the beauty of Kintsukuroi.
It inspires an
intelligent, heart-informed approach to well-being, by using whatever comes our
way, as means by which to augment greater depth and richness of
soul—transforming us from merely broken vessels to objets d’art .
