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As we observe Mental Health Awareness Month, I’d like to introduce the beautiful Japanese art of Kintsugi (kin-su-gi) as a powerful metaphor for understanding and addressing mental health. Kintsugi, which translates to "golden joinery," involves mending broken pottery with lacquer mixed with powdered gold, silver, or platinum. This not only restores the object but also highlights its fractures as part of its history, rather than disguising them.
This philosophy can be profoundly mirrored in our approach to mental health. Often, the scars and breaks we experience, whether emotional or psychological, are viewed as blemishes to conceal. However, like Kintsugi teaches us, these marks are not merely signs of fragility but are testaments to our resilience and capacity to heal. They make our stories unique and our identities richer. Embracing the Kintsugi mindset encourages us to acknowledge and respect our past traumas and challenges as integral parts of us that make us stronger and more beautiful.
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