Kintsugi--Beauty in Brokenness

Kintsugi--Beauty in Brokenness

“Our lives do not go backward nor tarry with yesterday—for every wrinkled line is 
a road map of this journey—and every scar, a solemn decoration, 
. . . creating art despite the breaking—for that is when true beauty emerges.”   
Roxi St. Clair

Too often I have swept up pieces and fragments of a broken dish, only to throw them into the trash can.  Modern society suggests that once broken, the object’s purpose is finished or complete.

No wonder so many people hide their broken edges, their frailties, and their less-than-perfect experiences.  The judgmental words, the looks of displeasure, and the less-than-loving actions quickly tell “broken” people that it would have been best to keep that information to themselves.

All these words and hurtful actions lead to silence. 

To repression of our brokenness.

Ancient Japanese culture had a different outlook.  They believed that broken things could be repurposed.  Just because it was broken did not mean that it could not be used for something new.

Kintsugi, Japanese for “gold joinery,” is a technique for using gold and precious metals to join together pieces or fragments of ceramic.  According to this 400-year-old tradition, these repaired objects could become even more valuable because the all-too-visible cracks and breaks were a testament to the ENTIRE history of the objects.  These kintsugi objects became symbols of resilience, transformation, and the inevitability of change.

Instead of giving in to the history of the break, these kintsugi objects seemed to flaunt the broken history and stand strong, not ignoring the past, but recognizing there is still a present and a future.

Breakage is a part of the history----but it is not the end.  Breakage is not to be ignored.  It is to be used and manipulated into something of beauty.

I was faced with the decision of what to do with a broken life both thirteen years ago and again six months ago.  When life turns itself upside down, what is left often looks like shards and fragments. 

I know I am not the same as I started out 49 years ago.  My cracks are all too visible for anyone who knows me.  

One thing is for sure.  This new Kintsugi Kim listens more carefully and admires the handicraft of other broken vessels.  Those who have endured divorce, abuse, and alienation within their family unit all have my newfound admiration.  I see how they have gently and tenderly tried to mend the broken pieces, finding strength in their experiences and finding a newfound present and future.  Each of them is a unique piece of handiwork.

When brokenness is embraced and revealed, it heals not only the teller but the listener.  Regardless of my situation, I have found that by reading the stories of others’ difficult experiences or listening to friends who suddenly reveal their own hurts, our shared brokenness has helped heal my cracks.  It has made me realize I am not alone.

Just as Glennon Doyle Melton has changed the lives of thousands because she was honest in sharing her flawed past, I know that hiding our brokenness does not help anyone.  We are all broken.  The question we each must ask is:  Will we hide the chips and cracks or use them to create something of greater value and beauty?

I stand here as a kintsugi piece, visibly cracked, not ignoring the past, but also recognizing that there is a present and will be a future.  

Breakage is not the final chapter.

Breakage is merely a prelude to a beautiful, strong testament of history, transformation, and resilience.