#08: On kintsugi (金継ぎ), and the words that shaped my friend's life
things that make a good story
Welcome to Nuclear Wisdom, a weekly newsletter of fresh ideas and mental models for your self-expansion and improved well-being.
Today at a Glance:
Idea: Lessons from kintsugi
Quote: A principle to live by
Read time: 3 minutes
“We’re stronger in the places that we’ve been broken.”
These are not my words. It’s something Ernest Hemingway once said.
That means there must be some juice to it.
And that’s precisely what the Japanese art of Kintsugi 金継ぎ (golden joinery) is about.
I’m sure you’ve seen it before, whether real or on screen. Now you’ve heard the name too.
Kintsugi is repairing broken pottery with precious metals like gold, joining the shattered pieces into one.
In life, things break.
But in kintsugi, brokenness is celebrated.
To the Japanese, kintsugi is more than just a technique for repairing pottery.
It’s a philosophy.
When something breaks and must be repaired, it becomes part of the history of that particular object—a quality to appreciate rather than to disguise.
If a ceramic object breaks, skilled artisans piece it together with a Japanese lacquer called urushi, traditionally infused with powdered gold.
Something previously perfect and mistake-free now has scars and veins running through its entire being, defining its unique character.
The result is a masterpiece that tells a story. The very essence of kintsugi.
One that holds powerful lessons for the curious:
Embracing Imperfections
With kintsugi, broken pottery finds new life through gold-infused joins.
Imperfections become a canvas for art and beauty. Just as the cracks are jazzed up with gold, your scars and setbacks can make life more lively and exciting.
Flawless perfection lacks taste.
It’s boring. Like a meal without seasoning.
Taste comes in when you look for the extraordinary within these flaws.
Looking at kintsugi, you discover that broken can be more stunning than untouched.
Resilience and Transformation
Life’s most recent chapter had me exercise my resilience muscle a lot. It’s been a hectic up and down in essentially every area of my life.
Navigating through these currents and learning to steer my ship has helped me build resilience over the years.
As British Journalist Chris Cleave has pointed out once, “A scar does not form on the dying. A scar means, ‘I survived.”
Just as kintsugi artisans restore beauty with grace, resilience can help you heal and emerge stronger and more beautiful following adversity.
Think of the last time when you faced hardship. Maybe that last time is right now.
That’s your own golden thread of transformation.
The Value of Experience
Items that have undergone kintsugi magic are not just repaired;
they’ve become treasures.
In 2014, a kintsugi-repaired tea bowl by 17th-century Japanese artist Hon’ami Kōetsu was sold at auction for over $200,000 USD.
While this is due to his work’s historical relevance and rarity, it highlights the point.
Your past is a source of wisdom and strength.
And every experience that makes your past makes you precious.
As you admire a kintsugi masterpiece, remember it’s not a repaired object.
It’s a symbol of resilience, transformation, and beauty built from life’s fractures.
A metaphor for the masterpiece that you can find within yourself.
A principle to live by
I recently went out for a pizza with my buddy Kurt.
An hour into the conversation, he shared a story about his uncle from the UK and how his words shaped his passionate curiosity growing up.
It’s a short quote that holds a lesson profound enough to paint the picture of a vibrant life.
If I recall correctly, it was something along the lines of
“In all your endeavors, be engaged, and when around people, be engaging.”
I appreciate how it encourages you to aspire to a higher standard in your interactions and pursuits.
A simple guiding light to follow for a more intentional and in-depth life.
Living abroad for the past four years has taught me a ton about being more intentional, giving my full attention to the matter at hand, and engaging with the people around me to the highest degree possible.
Looking back, the moments I did are the ones I learned the most or remember as some of the happiest.
Intentional interaction.
That’s the only message I wish to leave here for this week.
That said, be engaged and engaging, and see what life has to offer.
Thanks a bunch & until next time,
Mete
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