Oud vs Kintsugi

I have always been fascinated by the Japanese art form and indeed outlook on life known as Kintsugi.

We have often seen broken Oriental bowls that were mended with gold.

The resulting piece with lightning bolts of gold streaking through it is more beautiful than the unbroken bowl.

Scars, that are seen, not as disfiguring but as adornment.

We are, each of us made of the layers of scars that our lives have inflicted on us.

The world has recently come to appreciate Oud.

The black wood is highly prized by the perfumers of the world for its unique earthy scent.

Oud has played a key role in the religions of the East.
Many mosques and churches to this day burn incense that is based on Oud.

Most of us would be surprised to discover where Oud comes from.
The aquilaria tree gets infected by mould that results in the formation of layers of oud. This usually follows injury and scarification. Modern cultivated Oud grows in trees that have been intentionally injured by driving a spike into the heart of the trees.

Scars, being the best part of us.


At this point what comes to mind is pearls.

A grain of sand irritates the inside of an oyster and it secretes a substance to coat the foreign body. The sand grain once coated grows bigger and the resulting irritation gets worse and the oyster does what it was programmed to do. It secretes snot, that magical liquid, and the cycle repeats until either the pearl is ejected or the creature dies.

In the example of Kintsugi we saw the glorification of scars that make the bowl more beautiful and add character. The unbroken bowl is seen as a blank page, missing in the experiences and heartbreak that form our character.

If we look into ourselves we will find that we are marked by every hurt we ever felt. Little cracks that weave into the fabric that is who we are.
We are the pattern that is formed by those cracks.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXQEaQGF0is&ab_channel=LeAnnRimesVEVO

May 2022
𝓜 𝓟𝓪𝓻𝓪𝓴