The Art of Strategy

Kintsugi is an ancient Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with gold, silver, or other precious metal.   As a philosophy, it treats breakage and repair as part of the history of an object, rather than something to disguise.   In the West, we often try to hide our imperfections. We are afraid of being seen as broken or damaged. But in Japan, kintsugi is an art form that celebrates the cracks and imperfections in an object. It is a way of seeing beauty in something that has been broken.   Kintsugi can be seen as a metaphor for the human condition. It’s not the brokenness, but it is how we deal with our brokenness that defines us.    The Japanese believe that in order to truly appreciate the beauty of something, you must first appreciate its flaws.    The art of kintsugi dates back centuries, and it is said to have originated with a Japanese shogun who ordered his broken teacup to be repaired with gold. The result was a stunningly beautiful cup that was more valuable than it had been