When I was in high school I bought a (well, THE since another one will never grace this planet) Postal Service CD when it first came out. I was in the mall, killing time before heading over to a friend’s house to pick him and his brother up to a major league lacrosse game. I remember standing in FYE and getting the itch to spend some money. That weird “I need to buy something urge” that makes your palms electric. As soon as I got a job working at Dairy Queen I developed an addiction to retail therapy. The world was my oyster at $5.25 an hour. I came across the album with all of the stickers that try to sell it like “Now featuring ______!”. I walked out of the store feeling like a new man, the thrill of buying music that I had never listened to was thrilling yet terrifying. I had put my money into the hands of the marketers that put stickers on the outside of the case and trusted the “new music thats gonna make it big” section. What if I had made a huge mistake? What if this turned out worse than that one time that I thought buying the WCW wrestling cd was a good call?
I remember putting it in my car cd player and being… confused. I loved the sounds coming out of my speakers as I waited for my friend to come out of his house but didn’t understand why. I had never listened to music like that before. This was actually what inspired me to listen to Death Cab For Cutie (not the other way around) since their lead singer was a part of this side project. I found Ben’s voice soothing and motivating to my little teenage heart. Fast forward plenty of years down the road and I see that Death Cab For Cutie will be playing at a local venue that I love. This could be the only time I ever get to see them as they hawk their newest album. While there, they of course play the classics that everyone wants to hear, including “What Sarah Said” which left not a dry eye in the house. Nothing rattles your bones more than the haunting echo of “who’s gonna be there when you die?” through the rafters of a classic auditorium with a question that many might not really want to ever be asked. Their newest album is titled “Kintsugi” and I just figured that it wasnt much behind the name, until I did some detective work (see: googling).
“…highlighting the cracks and repairs as simply an event in the life of an object rather than allowing its service to end at the time of its damage or breakage.”
Disclaimer: I am not well-versed in Japanese art and philosophy, I hate to break it to you. For me, though I am no expert in this matter, I feel completely inspired by the following.
Kinstugi or Kintsukuroi is a Japanese word embodying a philosophy that is loosely translated as “golden repair”. The overall process is summarized as instead of throwing away pottery that has been broken it is prudent to put it back together with some sort of lacquer or bonding agent. While many may not really think this is that big of a deal or might chalk this up to being frugal or borderline hoarder, the process has a deeper foundation. After repairing the pottery, it is then painted with gold (or silver or platinum- some sort of precious metal). The philosophy recognizes the whole value of the object and attests to the break in the pottery is not a sign of weakness or futility but something that is worth celebrating. I found this astounding and has really stuck out to me. Shawn Achor’s Happiness Advantage speaks to this regarding training yourself to alter your own viewpoints for times when things don’t go as planned or as well as you would hope. Looking for the best in a crappy situation allows for you to shift your focus to the opportunity found in the fall. The pleasure in the pain. The lesson doled out by destiny.
Let’s take it a step further. In the article linked at the bottom of this post, there is an excellent point made that I really want to highlight. This form of artwork and philosophy says to the piece of pottery, “It’s okay. Things break sometimes. Here, lets smother the bond with gold so that people know you have become stronger from this. That you arent perfect, and thats okay.” This break and repair is considered not only natural but is considered to have been needed in order for this pottery to be better. That “highlighting the cracks and repairs as simply an event in the life of an object rather than allowing its service to end at the time of its damage or breakage.” Is that it? Is it that simple? To take something that is viewed as devastating like a breakup? a job loss? a failed exam? as a simple event. A song of many to be sung in the chorus of life? I think this is utterly amazing, maybe its just the coffee talking, but it intrigues me how this can be applied to pottery but socially we arent inclined to do this with people. Our bodies are already repairing themselves each and every evening as we lay to rest but we never consider the breaks in our lives as opportunities that need to be painted gold. I wouldnt be who I am today if I hadnt had my heart broken.. If I hadnt had my Bruce Wayne and Alfred J. Pennyworth moments then I wouldnt have learned to pick myself back up.
To recognize that things will not be perfect all the time. The magic lies within how we choose to put the pieces back together, to view things as worthwhile, and honor that part of our story as a golden moment of our life.
I think the deeper meaning behind all of this is not just the repair being made but the view of which the person is making the repair. The pottery needs to be viewed as worthwhile. Worth the time, effort, energy, resources, to be found not complete and whole and to be made whole again. Herein lies the thought that echoes in my head, do we view things as worthwhile as much as we should? When a fall or break happens, are they viewed as worthwhile or as a hindrance? Is this break viewed as worthwhile or something worth gaining or are we too busy looking at the immediate moment of what is being taken away from us versus what is being given? The opportunity to repair something. To make it beautiful. To make it perfect.
I am always intrigued by where words or idioms originated from. The colloquialisms that are embedded into our everyday life seem to be passed over but with further examination can lead to a whole lot more. When looking at the latin translation of the word “perfect”, its derived from “perfectus”. This came from the word “perficio” which means “to bring to an end”. So when we strive for perfection, what end are we seeking? An end to feeling upset about our body weight? An end to feeling like we will never be satisfied with where our career has gone? Herein lies the issue with perfect or perfection, its unrealistic. We all know this. This is in all sorts of news feeds, youtube videos, popular books, and all around us yet the undying journey seeking perfection tends to haunt people continually. Why? What if we sought out ways to embrace our imperfections and paint them gold? What if all it took was to pause during times of stress, take a breath, and seek ways to paint things gold? To recognize that things will not be perfect all the time. The magic lies within how we choose to put the pieces back together, to view things as worthwhile, and honor that part of our story as a golden moment of our life.
Stay gold Ponyboy,
James
Check this out to read a paper on one persons exploration with Japanese Art. Here’s a Wiki, depending on if you are a judger about Wiki’s or not.
Darwinizms 