This ancient technique, discovered in the fifteenth century in Japan, invites us to repair a broken object by enhancing its scars with real gold powder, instead of trying to hide them.
It is not only beautiful, it is also a strong metaphor for not throwing perfectly good things away and buying new just because they are cracked, chipped or you have grown bored with it.
If I relate this to relationships, many are too quick to let go, throw away and latch on to someone or some group that is newer and shiner instead of putting in some effort to repairing the cracks or chips that may have formed over time.
It seems easy to jump to outsource or to “new blood” as the solution to challenges in a professional environment or to swipe left (or is it right?), block or unfollow in a personal environment.
Not every item or relationship always can be Kintsugi or even salvaged. But much more than it seems these days. And it is always worth an effort to try.
