let the light shine in

From The Middle East to Capitol Hill to Mama Earth – it only takes a little late-night doomscrolling to feel like we are breaking apart. It makes you yearn for the relative tranquility of the early ’90s when Leonard Cohen released “Anthem.” It’s famous for this verse:

Ring the bells that still can ring

Forget your perfect offering

There is a crack, a crack in everything

That’s how the light gets in.

His words connect to the ancient Japanese art of kintsugi, which embraces breaks and imperfections rather than hiding them. Kintsugi, or ‘the golden repair,’ is the centuries-old art of fixing broken pottery with a lacquer mixed with powdered gold, silver, or platinum called urushi.

The philosophy behind kintsugi is akin to an embrace of the imperfect and transient nature of life. It’s about recognizing beauty in the flawed or imperfect, valuing marks of wear and tear, and celebrating the stories they tell. Kintsugi elevates the damaged and broken to art, highlighting the scars as part of the pottery’s history, not something to disguise but to honor.

Imagine if we applied the principles of kintsugi to our lives, our communities, and the planet. Instead of being overwhelmed by what seems broken, we can ‘ring the bells that still can ring’ and mend things with care, recognizing the potential for a rebirth into something whole.

As Cohen’s lyrics echo the sentiment of embracing our flaws, kintsugi reminds us to find the beauty in brokenness. It’s a testament to the enduring humanity, resilient and imperfect. So, in this moment of feeling fractured, let’s not shy away from the pain. Instead, let the light shine through our cracks and invite it to create our kintsugi.

This week, I’m bringing my Kintsugi Podcast back after a two-year pause with a new format. It’s a show about resilient stories and connection and celebrates our ability to come back together. It’s the podcast we need right now to help us move forward together.

Leaving a kind review and subscribing is an action that says you value what we are trying to ripple into the world. It also helps others find the show. I have a goal this week of getting 100 5-star reviews on Apple, Google, and Spotify, and I hope you can help.

Until next week, have fun storming the castle.

Michael

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