Are We Broken, or Are We Becoming Whole?

Author: Avital O’Glasser, MD

I can’t remember when I first learned about the Japanese practice of kintsugi. More than a singular act (repairing broken pottery with lacquer and gold, silver, or platinum dust), it is also a philosophical concept–that something broken can be repaired and may become stronger, more beautiful, and more valuable by bringing the broken pieces together in this new way.

The more I reflect on my memories, I think I first learned about it when I was shopping for a condolence card years ago.

It’s a beautiful concept–it’s a deeply resonant, meaningful, curiosity inspiring concept–and I am drawn to it with everything else I read about it.  Kintsugi is similar to the concept of wabi-sabi, the practice of embracing and indeed CELEBRATING the flawed and the imperfect–and channeling that into growth-mindset.  Even the genius writers of Ted Lasso introduced this as a plot element in this past week’s episode: “The idea is that we embrace the flaws and the imperfections, and in doing so create something much stronger and more beautiful”.

“In just one piece of pottery, kintsugi teaches us about accepting fragility, building strength and resilience…things can and do fall apart.”  I find the concept empowering because it is not a gaslighting attempt to bandaid our imperfections-it is NOT a “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger” attitude. We are not told to mask it or cover it up or suck it up: “As a philosophy, it treats breakage and repair as part of the history of an object, rather than something to disguise.” The philosophy respectfully, holistically, and humanistically teaches us that we CAN show our wounds and embrace the lessons learned from them and the strength gained from our scars: “Sometimes in the process of repairing things that have broken, we actually create something more unique, beautiful and resilient.”  It is respectful of the energy intensive, transformative process of change and rebuilding.  It is real self-care, not faux self-care.

I am human. I am broken. I am whole.  

The more I have my eyes open, the more I see the concepts–and others embracing them.  I finished the book Beaverland by Leila Philip last weekend. The book blends science, natural history, environmentalism, and conservation as it focuses on its title critter.  The final chapter is called Kintsugi, and it uses the analogy of the goal-repaired bowl in a discussion about the critical importance of addressing climate change–and how any work of repair is constant and continuous: “these brooks and streams and creeks, shifted and lengthened and bulged, like the one before me, were our seams of gold; they were beavers at work, repairing our broken landscape”.

The more I reflect on kintsugi, the more I realize how much the concept overlaps with advocacy.  The first step in becoming an advocate is to recognize that something is flawed or broken or in need of change–and then we attempt to fix or heal that rift.  Advocates bring together the broken pieces of our world–now that sounds like the very definition of tikkun olam.

The Judaic concept of Tikkun Olam literally means “repairing the world”.  It is a concept that dates back millennia and that has taken on expanded meaning, especially more philosophical and metaphorical, as the centuries have progressed.  In modern interpretations (beginning in the 1950s), it is closely associated with social action and social justice–and it deeply fuels my own advocacy work. In mystical Judaism (the Lurianic Kabbalah), a tale is told of how at the time of creation, Divine light was stored in vessels, which broke “and all the holy sparks were scattered like sand, like seeds, like stars.”  Far from fatalistic, tikkun olam “stems from the understanding that the world is a fractured place and it is the mission of every individual to both fix and elevate it in his or her own unique way.”  The charge for humankind is then to repair the world, to be entrusted to gather these broken shards and fuse them back together–and to know that even the smallest crumb of shard is coated with the Divine spark.  

Kintsugi and tikkun olam–they feel like sisters in our self-care and advocacy work to heal the world.  In my research, I found very little that tied the two together or explored the connection between the two philosophies.  One artist shared his work was inspired and informed by the two: “We heal the world not because the cracks are bad, they are the very essence of humanity; we heal the world because it is our job”  I’m curious if the connection between the two concepts resonates with the reader, too.

As we navigate our place in the stressors and beauty of life in the 21st century, if either ancient concept inspire you, I hope that they also empower you and impart hope.  And even if neither concept speaks to you, know that someone out there says, “I SEE you—I see you feeling broken, I see you doing the hard work of self-care”. That there is someone who says, “I SEE you feeling the weight of the world’s breaks and cracks, and I see you doing the work of recognition and repair–thank you.”  I hope that you feel whole despite any brokenness—I hope you feel whole BECAUSE of any brokenness.

About the author: Avital O’Glasser, MD, is a hospitalist at Oregon Health & Science University and the editor of the WIMS blog (Twitter: @aoglasser).