Dear Friends;
Since March, we have been living in Kent, CT surrounded by beautiful countryside; however, on the first Sunday in August a big storm hit the northeast. Many areas in CT lost power we were without power for a week, but thanks to a small generator we didn't experience food spoilage. We were without electricity and the Internet, so I found it difficult to exist without power and the Internet. When the power returned I was able to get back to work, but my computer screen went black. Sometimes bad things happen one after another and I had to replace my computer.
I like to use what I love as long as possible, so I was very disappointed. If I could fix it, I wanted to fix it and use it longer. I shouldn't emotionally attach to my old computer because electronic appliances are designed just not to last so long, but I don't like that idea.
This series of events reminded me of an ancient Japanese technique called "kintsugi" which is the opposite of "built-in obsolescence".
Kintsugi is to repair broken ceramics using urushi lacquer dusted with powdered gold. As a philosophy, this method does not disguise the damages but makes it more attractive. The repair becomes part of the history of the object and it's now considered more beautiful. The gold repair shows that the object was treasured by someone. When my teacup was chipped I asked the kintsugi specialist (https://www.urushi.info/ ) to repair it; consequently, the teacup became special to me and I became even more attached to it.
Today I'm very happy to be using my new computer. I wish I could ask Steve Jobs, who is into Zen culture, what he thinks of kintsugi. Probably he may be interested in this ancient Japanese technique.
Love,
Kumiko
Edited by Janice Ensminger