Kintsugi - Japanese art of putting broken things back together
The word Kintsugi comes from the Japanese Kin (gold) and Tsugi (join), and therefore literally means: golden joinery. The art of Kintsugi is called Kintsukuroi, meaning “mending with gold”.
Kintsugi as a Metaphor for Life
Kintsugi is a strong metaphor for life. We all experience difficulties and traumatic events in our lives.
Applying Kintsugi to our lives means being bold, rather than hiding the cracks and imperfections, we can investigate them, possibly accept them and find new perspectives in these live events.
https://www.richroll.com/podcast/michael-obrien-824/
The latest Rich Roll podcast (week of 4/8/24) Rich has guest Michael O’Brien—a successful businessman and father of two whose existence consisted of 65-hour work weeks consumed by the demands of corporate leadership. Until one day, he was in a devastating cycling accident where an SUV hit him head-on. Against all odds, he averted death, and his perspective on life was forever changed. He was reborn—not as a victim—but as an intentional architect of his life.
At the scene of the accident, Michael desperately pleaded with the powers that be for a second chance at life. He vowed to live better, stop chasing happiness, and do better.
That day was July 11, 2001. It was what Michael calls “My Last Bad Day,” marking a turning point in his life.
There was (still is) a lot for me to unpack with this episode, but I will try to stay with one thread. I have gained a lot of insight, perspective, introduction to new ideas, etc. from the Rich Roll podcast over the years but Michael is different. Different in the sense that he is for all accounts an average guy. I find him very relatable. What Michael goes through and subsequently his response to this event is anything but average.
How does this relate to Longevity in anyway (you maybe asking)? I go back to Longevity is experienced and supported in the moments (being present/mindful). One big takeaway from Michael’s story is the transformation to a more mindful practice towards his life and each day.
From the event that Michael experienced and coming to terms with the event he coined his term “my last bad day”. Further a mentor of his had earlier in his life provide the say “All events in life are neutral until we label them”. As Michael speaks about, our lives are filled with a series of moments (really life is a continuum of moments) and you are going to feel many different feelings and have many experiences, but you have a choice to not label those moments in a binary sense (good versus bad). Related to this thought is a quote from Albert Einstein, “The greatest choice we ever get to make is whether we believe we live in a friendly or a hostile universe”. The point I bring up here is that we as individuals have the power, choice to determine what moments mean to us and what they represent in the series/continuum. As I have already stated, longevity is in the moments, so we have the ability or choice to make longevity relevant to what is important to us.
So, what about Kintsugi? If we look at the repaired sculpture with its golden scars, we may interpret imperfections as a source of strength and beauty. This reminds us of our uniqueness, our inner strengths, and resilience. We are able to discover meaning in the most challenging life events. My reminder to myself, DO NOT wait until a most challenging event to work on your internal connection. I cannot imagine enduring an accident like Michael did.
Live your Longevity!
-Coach Oly