"When the Japanese mend broken objects, they aggrandize the damage by filling the cracks with gold.
They believe that when something's suffered damage and has a history it becomes more beautiful."
Barbara Bloom
When I read this quote, I was immediately taken with the idea. I thought how wonderful it would be if this could be applied to people...broken, suffering, damaged people who have survived pain, heartache, loss. Survived and lived on as witness to their history, as a testament to the spirit of man, as a beacon to the rest of us.
What if all those who have been buffeted by life were filled with gold dust so that all those hurt places shown and glittered in the light? It would be like going to India and seeing the Holy Men in the streets, luminescent with their journey, aglow with the experience of living. I can visualize all the lines and crevices, all the wounds and scars being filled with precious metal. What a blinding light there would be!
Then think how wonderful it would be if those among us with the most mended parts were honored and revered for the wisdom gained, because of the beauty the struggle had created.
Hi Claudia, Your blog posts have always intrigued me. I love the way you think. Although you should have a million hits, you'll only get a few because the leading edge of thought is a small group. There is no "what if" for me in your thoughts. It is a definitive. When life takes your health, your tomorrow, your hope, your hair and your breath, there is nothing left to fill those spaces except gold. You get to pick the perspective which at the end of the day is the amazing gift of suffering. You get to recognize past thoughts, beliefs and lifestyle habits and compare it to the suffering. For me it was a match. It wasn't cancer moving through me, it was my lack of believing in myself swirling around to look like cancer. Suffering is nothing more than an opportunity to expand your consciousness. It's an elevator ride to the top of compassion and empathy for yourself and others. The understanding that the diversity of life is here for each of us to choose in order to sift and sort through the difference so we know what we don't want, teaches us theres nothing to tell others what to do or not to do. We either live to be right or live to be love and nothing, in my opinion, nothing brings that home more than an experience of intense suffering. It brings you into your life and for me, into truly valuing myself for the first time in my life. I always dreamed as a child my suffering would have purpose. Now I see I should have dreamed of being a plumber. The initiation process is painful. Everyone I have met who has experienced cancer burns with a bright light. They don't tell you how to live or what you should eat. They tell you to live and be happy. They are peaceful and loving and they listen when you have fear. You are the lucky one Claudia because you can already see the light - in yourself and in others. I wouldn't worry about the others and it takes someone who's been broken to benefit from the struggles of others. You have to have the light within you before you can see it anywhere else. Thanks for the opportunity to share in your thoughts. I really enjoyed this post and admire the way you can see things with such objectivity.
ReplyDelete