At our dojo we recently had one of two promotions we hold every year. As an instructor I think I am more nervous than the students going for their next rank. I know what its like to be a student and test for a promotion: the nerves, the anxiety, the sick feeling in your stomach as the realization hits you-today is THE day. This is balanced by the exhilaration, the sense of accomplishment of techniques properly executed under stress and the deep feeling of support from your classmates and seniors. This promotion was, in many respects like many of the ones before it. Every group promoting exhibited a strong spirit, incredible amounts of fortitude, grace , and poise.
However I did notice one trend that ran through every group and every rank. Invariably every group had one or more person who felt they weren’t ready. To the point that in many cases they considered not attending the promotion. The week prior to the actual testing was spent having conversations with children and adults alike. There are several schools of thought regarding this behavior. I belong to the group that believes this is normal, you never “feel” ready for a promotion, no matter how long you have trained. The flip side of this is that a trust must exist between the student and the instructor. in many cases when we are told to prepare for a test we must trust that the instructor can see something we can’t.
Prior to this general promotion we had our annual senior rank promotion. This occurs once a year and only when a senior rank student is ready. On average it takes place once every two to three years. This past year(2014) we were honored to have two students reach shodan ( first degree black). This promotion is a grueling six hour long ordeal that is a test of physical and mental fortitude. The strength required to make it through this promotion always exceeds the student’s expectations. You must execute techniques at the height of exhaustion. You will perform way below par, things will be forgotten and errors will be made.
This brings me to Kintsugi.
Kintsugi is a Japanese art of fixing broken pottery with lacquer dusted or mixed with powdered gold ,silver, or platinum. The philosophy behind this is that the breaks and the repairs that have occurred are part of the history of the object. Moments that are to be remembered and embraced rather than disguised.
In our lives we suffer setbacks,bad breaks, reversals and failures. We get knocked down and circumstances can make us feel broken inside. Instead of trying to hide those breaks and flaws, we can adopt an attitude of Kintsugi to our lives. We are a product of our collected experiences, the good and the bad. When we embrace our flaws, accepting that they have a direct influence over who we are-we then can tap into a greater source of inner strength.
The greater lesson is to embrace the flaws in others. Instead of seeing just the flaws take a moment to see the flaws in relation to the whole person. Are they made up entirely of flaws? I doubt it. Take moment to really look. Sprinkle in some gold, silver or platinum and then look again. Look at their positive aspects and let those highlight the person.
On some level we all are flawed. We all have something we would like to improve or adjust or fix. Some of us have had very difficult pasts and have a hard time being in the present. Kintsugi allows you to be truly present. When you accept all of who you are you can exist in the here and now. You wont be stuck thinking about what happened and how you need to “fix” things.
Kintsugi is one of the attitudes I adopt in every promotion of my students. We always strive for perfection with the understanding that it is not attainable. We are always travelling to reach the summit of a mountain without one to reach. The philosophy of Kintsugi allows me to see and accept each person in my life, flaws and all without trying to fix them.
What are your thoughts? I would like to hear them. Leave me a comment below and share with me.
