When my father moved to the US, he noticed a stark cultural difference: broken electronic devices and household items were rarely repaired, unlike in India, where repair is often the first option. Instead, parts are immediately replaced, contributing to unnecessary waste.
If we apply Kintsugi and its philosophy of embracing imperfections, we could inspire a shift in how we treat physical objects and how we approach life. By valuing repair over replacement, we can reduce waste, learn from our mistakes, and embrace the flaws in ourselves and others as opportunities for growth. Kintsugi reminds us that brokenness is not the end—it’s a chance to create something even more meaningful.
That's a good point too. I take the repair route with my equipment more often than not. In fact, I often go through a local neighborhood on their bulk garbage days and find tons of gems, like one lady was throwing out a high-quality and perfect condition cutting board table. The stupid thing sells new for $800... I resold it on craigslist for $400... but why were they throwing it away like that? Donate it if you don't need it but this was set out for trash.
Was it always gold used in the tradition of repairing? And if other, cheaper substances were used to repair, I wonder if they too have deeper meanings as the bond that holds the vessel together. Gold has a rich meaning, but seems not all would afford that means of repairing broken items. A deeper question arises then. Is it more difficult for those in poverty to repair broken bonds? 🤔 That’s an interesting topic too.
Interesting thread you pull there. Gold was likely used for two reasons: ductility and non-toxicity. It was able to be formed and 'glued' whereas materials like iron wouldn't. It's a good question since not everyone can afford gold in that sense. However, we also want to invest the best in our relationship. Good food for thought.
Wikipedia says: Kintsugi (Japanese: 金継ぎ, lit. 'golden joinery'), also known as kintsukuroi (金繕い, "golden repair"),[1] is the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery by mending the areas of breakage with urushi lacquer dusted or mixed with powdered gold, silver, or platinum.
Even in the past, not many people could afford gold dust for this purpose so that gold may have been more symbolic than practical, depending on a person's means. Ultimately, kintsugi is less about the material and more about the act of repair. Its philosophy is embracing flaws and imperfections in objects or relationships.
Good reminder to steelman in order to understand the other person's perspective. I've started doing this more or less automatically, and it has made life much easier.
When my father moved to the US, he noticed a stark cultural difference: broken electronic devices and household items were rarely repaired, unlike in India, where repair is often the first option. Instead, parts are immediately replaced, contributing to unnecessary waste.
If we apply Kintsugi and its philosophy of embracing imperfections, we could inspire a shift in how we treat physical objects and how we approach life. By valuing repair over replacement, we can reduce waste, learn from our mistakes, and embrace the flaws in ourselves and others as opportunities for growth. Kintsugi reminds us that brokenness is not the end—it’s a chance to create something even more meaningful.
That's a good point too. I take the repair route with my equipment more often than not. In fact, I often go through a local neighborhood on their bulk garbage days and find tons of gems, like one lady was throwing out a high-quality and perfect condition cutting board table. The stupid thing sells new for $800... I resold it on craigslist for $400... but why were they throwing it away like that? Donate it if you don't need it but this was set out for trash.
Was it always gold used in the tradition of repairing? And if other, cheaper substances were used to repair, I wonder if they too have deeper meanings as the bond that holds the vessel together. Gold has a rich meaning, but seems not all would afford that means of repairing broken items. A deeper question arises then. Is it more difficult for those in poverty to repair broken bonds? 🤔 That’s an interesting topic too.
Interesting thread you pull there. Gold was likely used for two reasons: ductility and non-toxicity. It was able to be formed and 'glued' whereas materials like iron wouldn't. It's a good question since not everyone can afford gold in that sense. However, we also want to invest the best in our relationship. Good food for thought.
My two cents:
Wikipedia says: Kintsugi (Japanese: 金継ぎ, lit. 'golden joinery'), also known as kintsukuroi (金繕い, "golden repair"),[1] is the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery by mending the areas of breakage with urushi lacquer dusted or mixed with powdered gold, silver, or platinum.
Even in the past, not many people could afford gold dust for this purpose so that gold may have been more symbolic than practical, depending on a person's means. Ultimately, kintsugi is less about the material and more about the act of repair. Its philosophy is embracing flaws and imperfections in objects or relationships.
Great addition!
Good reminder to steelman in order to understand the other person's perspective. I've started doing this more or less automatically, and it has made life much easier.
Exactly. Maybe we should call it "goldmanning" as a precursor to Kintsugi.
GoldSmithing, IMO