Brokenness and renewal

Lately I’ve been interested in the idea of brokenness and what it means for something to be fixed.

Does it mean to return to a previous state? Sometimes that is not possible. Or is it to have a purpose, to be viable again? What if in that process something new is created, rather than returning to its previous state?

Some art forms, like kintsugi and boro, celebrate the “ugliness” of imperfection. Visible mending techniques emphasize the patch and the stitch instead of burying them in the fabric.

These art forms are only possible when something becomes broken or worn out. From brokenness, something unique and beautiful is created. The object is not merely fixed, it is renewed and given a new life.

It is much easier to dispose and use up rather than to recreate and rebuild. Renewal takes patience and vision. You have to decide that what you have now, in hand, has value and is worth the effort.

This is how I want to relate to the world.