This article by Ray Spitzenberger first appeared in IMAGES for April 14, East Bernard Express, East Bernard, Texas.
No doubt the younger generation gets tired of hearing the older generation tell them how our attitude or philosophy in the past made life better than it is now. I have been “guilty” of that, especially in regard to one particular approach to life. Even before inflation hit us in the pocketbook.
It has to do with the teachings I was brought up on by my parents, — “Make do, or do without”; “A penny saved is a penny earned”; “Save it, it will come in handy”; and “Fix it, don’t buy a new one.” I was born when our country was near the end of the Great Depression, and folks saved pieces of string, paper bags, old newspapers, etc., and they straightened out bent nails to use again. They repaired their lawn mowers, cars, table lamps, furniture, etc., rather than buy new ones. They repaired the fixtures in the commode tank (unless you had an outhouse like we did) rather than get new ones.
We older people think of today’s generation as being the “throwaway society,” but it’s not totally their fault. I wanted to get my radio fixed and was told it was cheaper to buy a new one. Our lawn mower develops multiple problems, and we buy a new one because we don’t know how to fix the old one.
My parents knew how to fix anything, and they did. Unfortunately, I didn’t pay attention to their teachings, and affluence allowed me to throw away stuff rather than repair it, thus I stand accused with the younger generation.
The Japanese create a widely practiced art called kintsugi, the art of putting broken pieces of pottery back together, using gold as the binder. It is done with the belief that by cherishing the flaws and broken parts, you can create a stronger and more beautiful work of art. You want the gold to show between the mended pieces.
The art of kintsugi fits in with the overall Japanese philosophy of not only accepting but viewing the flaws and imperfectness of human life as beautiful. Rather than hiding or masking the brokenness, kintsugi emphasizes the gold-mended scars, which is like a metaphor or symbol of the beauty of human flaws (scars from life’s difficulties).
This goes along with the broader Japanese attitude of Wabi-sabi, which Wikipedia defines as “a world view that accepts the transience and imperfection of life.” The wabi part of the term means recognition that beauty is found in simplicity.
While such attitudes or philosophies may be “foreign” to us Americans, they seem to me to be worth thinking about. It could bring us peace of mind to accept and forgive our failures and imperfections rather than try to hide them. God understands our humanness that causes flaws, failures, and imperfections, and He loves us dearly in spite of them.
If out-of-control inflation continues, we may be forced to learn to fix things rather than buy new ones. It could even help the environment if we stop using landfills to dump our throw-always. Just as we consider it important to mend the brokenness of our lives, we should consider it important to mend the broken things in our possession
The concept of kintsugi includes trying to fix the brokenness of our lives, as well as fixing “things.” We do not hesitate to try to heal our wounded hearts in broken relationships. We are quick to assess the scars of being kicked in the face by our bad decisions and painful experiences in our life. We mend with the help of family and friends and God. So, too, should we do this with “things.”
We salvage and we mend, — that’s how we live with our brokenness.
-o-
Ray Spitzenberger is a retired Wharton County Junior College teacher, a retired Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod pastor, and author of three books, It Must Be the Noodles, Open Prairies, and Tanka Schoen.