12/31/2023
Death or Kintsugi
I’ve always been a stickler for words.
And since today is New Year’s Eve, I’m reflecting on two words often used interchangeably:
Strength and Resilience.
I don’t think they’re the same.
Strength is about how hard it is to break you.
Resilience is about getting back up after you’ve been broken.
Looking back on this year, I think strength is important, but resiliency is better.
Why?
Because no matter how strong you might be—how top-of-the-food-chain you may feel—life is harsh. And, the universe, is undefeated.
Earnest Hemingway captured this, writing:
“The world breaks everyone; afterward, many are strong in the broken places. But those that will not break, it kills.”
I think he’s talking about resiliency.
It’s guaranteed that you’re going to mess up. Blow an opportunity. Lose your temper. Say the wrong thing. Make a costly mistake. Or otherwise, stagger under the weight of your circumstances.
(For me, this is most days.)
But the question is: will that be the end of you?
Will you have the courage to admit when you’re wounded or need help and the nerve to get back up?
There’s an ancient Japanese art form called Kintsugi, whereby an artist applies a special lacquer to a broken piece of pottery—plates, cups, bowls, and those sort of things.
But instead of returning the object to its original state, it’s made better.
The breaks are reinforced and accentuated by gold or silver that’s mixed with the varnish.
The scars become the strongest parts—beautiful imperfections to be admired, rather than something to be hidden or disguised.
Doesn’t that sound familiar?
Our scars and bruises become armor.
Our struggles become experiences—they make us stronger.
They make us better—better than we were before.
They steel us for the future—for whatever comes next.
So, I ask you: will you find a way to become stronger in the broken places this year?
Or will you cling to your old ways and allow yourself to be shattered?