Once Broken...

A Fortis Performance Psychology Reflective Article

Preface:

Reminder... I am a sport psychologist (in training) and this is not about bowls.

Once Broken...

Kintsugi. A centuries old Japanese art form. I found out about it entirely by accident, but the symbolism and philosophy behind it gripped me deeply. Bare with me, and I hope it will grip you too…

The legend goes that during the reign of Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimasa, the chief military commander of Japan from 1449 to 1473, Shogun was said to have sent for a tea bowl to be repaired. Japanese tea ceremony bowls were considered cherished objects in this period. When it was returned, he was displeased with the messy effect left by the method used. So he consulted a craftsman to develop a new method.

The method in question employed the use of silver and gold powder, with missing fragments being replaced by different ceramics or materials which fit to make the bowl whole again. The beautiful effect this method of repair had on a once broken and unusable item, was found to be quite captivating and often resulted in the item being considered more precious than previously regarded…

When you get a chance, look for these once broken, now reborn bowls. Tell me there isn’t a level of character and beauty there which transcends beyond that which the item had prior to its fracturing. Something so simple and fragile which can often be taken for granted, shown so little care, and be simply discarded when broken. When it breaks, it will never be the same… and why should it? Once broken, the bowl irreversibly becomes a product of its experiences. A new creation born out of what has happened to it.

Is ‘broken’ even the correct word? Perhaps the bowl is simply only damaged until the decision has been made that it won’t be repaired. The bowl would appear to be at a crossroads. It doesn’t have many options, but it has options nonetheless: remain as it is, repair messy, or repair better. It’s journey from creation to end is not over until a decision is made based on these options. What’s more, the bowl is, in fact, never truly incapable of being repaired. It may be scratched, marked, chipped, or smashed to pieces, but whether the bowl becomes whole and reborn again is decided by how one chooses to accept the bowl. As it was… as it is… or as it could be...

Even if pieces go missing or are damaged beyond repair, Kintsugi takes an approach of acceptance of the present reality, along with resourcefulness and commitment towards preservation and rebirth. So yes, if pieces are missing or irreversibly damaged, new pieces are found and become part of the bowl in their place. If cracks are shown and chips are present, they are filled with silver and gold. If the one doesn't know how to repair the bowl, a craftsman is consulted who does. It is the imperfections in those gold and silver lines which give each piece its own character. Imperfect attempts, but attempts regardless, are what make the items what they are. The result is not a damaged, patched up, insignificant mess. No, the result is, at its core, the exact same bowl which was there from the start. Only with a new found elegance, resilience, and beauty, born out of adversity, acceptance, and commitment to a craft. By accepting its state at each stage of its journey, and taking committed action at each point, something lovely and full of character has been created. It all starts with acceptance… as it was… as it is… or as it could be...