Flaws shine through

 Kintsugi, the art of repairing pots by blatantly showing their cracks in a different color, is representative of how we should all live our lives.

Whenever I perform a task, thoughts of how I could’ve done that task better only flood my brain once I’m done with it. For example, I went to a Model UN conference a few weeks ago, but even now, every speech, negotiation, and decision replays in my mind. I kept thinking of ways I could’ve given better speeches or been more persuasive. Even though everyone’s brain works like this to an extent, the difference between me and others is that I can’t get it out of my head. It always bothers me, even after several weeks pass, if I did something as little as getting a question wrong on a test. 

That’s why this year my goal is to embrace the mistakes I make, just the way Kintsugi demonstrates it. In many cases, the repaired pots have the cracks highlighted in gold, as if imperfections are worthy of celebration. Just like the pots, I don’t want to be fixated on my mistakes and just accept them for what they are and understand that nothing can be done now. The metaphor of the river is repeated in Siddhartha, and that is how I should strive to be. Rivers keep flowing regardless of what obstruct their path and they don’t have any regrets to look back on. Instead of being let down by my mistakes, I should move forward with the confidence that they are part of my story.



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