The Hope and the Hurt
Kintsukuroi. I first came across this word several years ago and instantly fell in love with all that it stands for. I wrote it down, mulled it over and have come back to it a few times since.
It has been a while since Kintsukuroi last popped into my mind, but with the recent discovery of a new Japanese word, Kuchisabishii (I’ll leave that for you to discover yourselves), those thoughts were recently ignited. In the literal sense, it means “repair with gold” and is usually applied to the art of repairing pottery with gold or silver lacquer. The beauty of this form of art lies in the understanding that the piece is more beautiful for having been broken in the first place.
John Sean Doyle has a great description:
“When a ceramic pot or bowl would break, the artisan would put the pieces together again using gold or silver lacquer to create something stronger, more beautiful, than it was before. The breaking is not something to hide. It does not mean that the work of art is ruined or without value because it is different than what was planned. Kintsukuroi is a way of living that embraces every flaw and imperfection. Every crack is part of the history of the object and it becomes more beautiful, precisely because it had been broken.”
John goes on and says: “People are the same.”
I like to think that collectively, we are the same.
2020 revealed huge cracks in our environment, our societies, our political systems and our economies: with forest fires, threats of world war, civil unrest, Black lives shattered, in addition to the year-long, ever-growing global pandemic leading to thousands being out of a job, with no food on the table, bringing hospitals to maximum capacity, leaving politicians overwhelmed, scientists over-worked and citizens everywhere, undermined, undervalued and unprotected.
But, how do we begin to repair what has been broken? And in what direction do we take our first steps towards not only formulating, but implementing the best solutions?
There has been much discussion on the return to ‘normal’, to the ‘way it was before’. But with so much damage and clearly a very fragile original state, is going back to normal really what we want? There has been much discussion surrounding this question as well and it’s opened the space to imagine a ‘new normal’. So, what would that look like?
The idea of repairing with gold has been mulling around my mind for a few weeks and I’ve come to the conclusion that 2021 should, and must be the year of Kintsukuroi (and no, I’m not suggesting we all start taking pottery classes).
But rather than having to search for the silver lining, why don’t we begin to line with silver instead? Or gold, if you prefer. I’ve spoken before about the lack of manipulating for good and here is our chance to do exactly that. Let’s fill the cracks with good and let them shine.
“The hope and the hurt
Has lived inside of me
But there’s gold in the dirt
I never took the time to see.”
- Giants, Dermot Kennedy
The thing is, it’s not all that difficult. We do it all the time already, often without realising. Mostly because it’s a natural occurrence to begin with. We rupture the blood vessels in our muscles while exercising, only for the muscles to repair themselves and grow back bigger and stronger. In nature, the world’s most stunning and rugged mountain ranges are the gold that fill the cracks between the tectonic plates. We suffer through the occasional earthquake, because it is on the fault lines that we find incredible beauty. Some of the richest agricultural lands on earth can be found at the foot of volcanoes.
The tectonic plates of society, of cultures, of politics and of the economy have been volatile, to say the least. They’ve grated against each other, collided and moved apart. Yet whichever way the plate has moved, a crack has emerged. The question is, how will we fill it? What will be the glue that not only repairs, but makes it more beautiful for having been cracked?
Despite the hindrances and the setbacks, we are at a time where we know more than we ever have before. So why not use all that we have in our grasp and ultimately, in our power? Why should solutions moving forward not incorporate two- three- or even four-pronged approaches? Combine green solutions with economic, social and cultural solutions. Why would we ever not?
We learn the most from each other when we argue, when we scream and shout, when we crack. But let me argue this: it is not the silence that is golden when the argument is over. It’s the reconciliation. It’s the caring enough to still make amends. It’s the “I heard you and I take what you said on board”, the “thank you for telling me” and the “I will be better, kinder and more courteous.” What learning lessons will we take away with us to move forward on much more solid ground?
A mountain range stands mightier and stronger than one that stands alone. We are always stronger standing together than as individuals. The many rivers and mountain ranges that line the planet already offer a number of gold-lined cracks, but the broken pieces among us humans who inhabit this Earth still require a golden glue to keep it all together. The way I see it, our planet is just as fragile as a ceramic sphere.
So, looking back, what is it that we now know? In the last 12 months, there has been much suffering, but an awful amount of learning, too, about systemic racism, widening inequality, technology and privacy, scientific research and development. What will we do about it? How will we take it on board and embrace it? How will we fix it?
I’d like to think that last month’s Inauguration Ceremony is a good place to begin. The words of both President Joe Biden and national poet laureate Amanda Gorman offer golden ripples of healing. My hope is that it will bring together those who have been divided for too long. But will the gold solidify in policies and governmental structures that prevent the corruption and political exploitation of recent years? Will the example of the many female and ethnically underrepresented people on stage next to the elderly, white, male President lead to changes, opportunities and access to those whose groups they represent?
The many vaccines becoming available are a liquid gold that line our bodies with protection from death by COVID-19. But what will be the gold that lines our communities with protection from future coronaviruses? Will we heed the voices of scientists and their advice or will pharmaceuticals continue to develop according to increased revenue and what sells, rather than what is needed?
Singer Dolly Parton, Mark Zuckerberg and Bill Gates are just a few individuals who donated to the development of the Coronavirus vaccines. Manchester United footballer Marcus Rashford donated and led a charity movement in the UK to give schoolchildren vouchers for school meals. But that’s not their responsibility. It’s very kind of them to share their wealth and put it to good use, but why aren’t our governments creating systems that protect a child from going hungry in the first place, enforcing regulations on pharmaceuticals to prioritise medicines that prevent instead of simply solve or developing economic plans that don’t put the majority of the world’s money into the hands of a few.
Idealistic? Perhaps. But why shouldn’t that or can’t that be the reality? The cracks of the past year have surely done enough damage for us all to want better than what we had before. We’re familiar with all the key buzzwords from the startup world: optimise, grow, disrupt, impact, do more, make more, work more — all the lingo to prove you’re down for the cause. Let’s use the same vocabulary for all the starting up we are about to do and be down for this cause: to kintsugi our future.
Let’s not stick bandaids or spray windex on the wounds, let’s not just tick a box or fill a quota in our recruitment processes. We’ve had the mirror held up to us and it’s time we don’t shy away from it. Let’s address the problem head-on and work from the root, from the ground up. The scars of 2020 will stay with us for a long time to come, but if we fill them with all the good stuff this world has to offer, our knowledge, our awareness, our brainpower and ingenuity, then we begin to heal and we begin to shine. And we won’t be any less beautiful for having been through it.
