“Walked so far in life that the past has blurred, memories evanesced but feelings still so honest.”
We’ve all journeyed far in life, each step etching itself in our hearts with the sharpness of love, pain, separation, heartbreak, the deafening silence of loneliness, the hollow void of loss, fleeting moments of joy, and a rare sense of fulfilment. We are mosaics of all these experiences now. Since teenage life has been no less than Sturm und Drang. It has passed but I don’t know how!
Every phase brings its own turbulence: failed decisions, anxiety, pride, grief, and achievements. The relentless surge of hormones, ready to explode, drives a teenager’s curiosity to explore and an imprudent desire to know the wild world of adulthood. The raging power storming up inside. The happy hormones make you high but the excruciating pain makes you cry. Yet, amidst the chaos, we felt most alive. That’s the paradox of our existence—joy and pain, highs and lows, intertwined in a dance of life.
What a journey it is, isn’t it?
Every stranger you pass, every fleeting glance, hides a heart that has walked a similar path. We’re all bound by shared feelings—loneliness, love, pain—threads that weave us into the fabric of humanity.
I recently watched Chemical Hearts, a movie about teenage love and separation. The movie is sad, intense, and has lots of depressing moments. This post isn’t about the film. Instead, it’s about the flood of emotions it unleashed within me. As I watched, the love and pain felt so personal, so real, that it stirred a tempest in my heart. The emotions swelled until they choked me. Wide awake in the middle of the night, I had to write—to let my thoughts and tears flow together in a cathartic stream of words. And then it made me think about emotional scars.
We all carry scars in our hearts. And those scars? They’re beautiful. They embody imperfection and flaw, yet they also reveal the profound beauty of our wholeness.
The way we embrace our scars reminds me of Kintsugi.
Kintsugi, the Japanese art of golden repair, teaches us to embrace imperfection. It is based on the Japanese philosophy of wabi-sabi. The concept here is to see beauty in the incomplete.
The sap from an Indigenous Japanese tree is used to glue together the broken pieces of pottery and then left to dry for a few weeks. The pottery is then mended with gold, silver, or platinum dust, celebrating its cracks and treating them as a natural part of the object’s history.
Kintsugi teaches us a powerful lesson in humanity and sustainability in an age of mass production and quick disposal. This philosophy views damage not as the end, but as a chapter in the life of the object, making it even more beautiful.
We, too, are scarred yet beautiful. Our imperfections tell stories of resilience and transformation. A thought-provoking line from the movie resonated deeply:
“Adults are scarred kids who managed to pass the teenage limbo alive. Scars are not reminders of what’s been broken but rather of what’s been created.”
A vase without scars bears only broken edges, but one mended with care and artistry becomes a masterpiece. Our scars signify not just what we’ve endured but what we’ve become.
So here we stand, bearing our scars, our history, our beauty—living testaments to the art of survival and creation.
References:
- https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20210107-kintsugi-japans-ancient-art-of-embracing-imperfection
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kintsugi
PS: This blog post is part of ‘Blogaberry Dazzle’
hosted by Cindy D’Silva and Noor Anand Chawla.
Cerebration 
Your reflection on how our emotional scars contribute to our unique beauty is both insightful and comforting. The analogy to Kintsugi, the Japanese art of mending broken pottery with gold, beautifully illustrates how embracing our imperfections can lead to profound personal growth. Your words serve as a powerful reminder that our past experiences, both joyful and painful, shape who we are today. Thank you for sharing such a heartfelt perspective.
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I am glad you liked the post. Thank you for sharing your thoughts here!
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Lovely curated. We all are scared at some point. and yet live like its a blooming day
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Indeed! Thank you for reading and sharing your thoughts!
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The art certainly stops wastage and gives the imperfection that makes up our life. But emotional scars take a long time to turn gold. It’s work in progress.
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Absolutely, turning emotional scars into gold is a slow and deeply personal journey. But every small step forward is progress, and that in itself is worth celebrating. Thank you for sharing this thoughtful perspective.
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It is true that the scars make us what we are. But, we should remember the scars as a learning experience and not let them mar our future. Kintsugi is a lovely art appreciated worldwide but in India, once glass cracks, we are asked to discard it. As a young widow, I was treated the same.
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Kintsugi teaches us to embrace our scars as part of our unique story, and I hope more people can adopt this perspective. I hope your words inspire others to see the beauty in healing and growth, even in the face of societal expectations. Thank you for sharing a part of your journey .
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This is a beautifully reflective piece, weaving pain and resilience into a poetic narrative. The Kintsugi metaphor is especially powerful, celebrating scars as marks of survival rather than brokenness. Your words resonate deeply, offering solace and strength through their raw honesty.
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Thank you for reading and sharing your thoughts!
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This beautifully captures the rawness of emotions we all carry. Scars tell stories, not of brokenness, but of resilience and growth. Loved the Kintsugi analogy, such a powerful reminder that imperfections make us whole.
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Thank you!
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Such a beautifully introspective and heartfelt piece. I loved the Kintsugi analogy because I resonated deeply with it and and was so true, our scars are not just remnants of pain but proof of survival and growth. Your words are a reminder that embracing imperfections makes us stronger. Onwards and upwards, Pinki 💪🙌🏻
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Thank you so much Manali!
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Beautiful things I learnt today.
“Kintsugi teaches us a powerful lesson in humanity and sustainability in an age of mass production and quick disposal.”
I am not aware about it. But yes it is beautiful that nature has ability to heal.
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Thank you!
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It’s crazy how life’s ups and downs shape us, but at the same time, make us stronger and more whole. I totally get the feeling you mentioned after watching Chemical Hearts—sometimes those movies just hit in a way that brings up everything. Thanks for sharing this, I really needed to hear it today.
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Life truly has a way of shaping us, doesn’t it? I’m glad my words resonated with you—sending strength your way. ❤️
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True, what a journey it has been! We all carry unseen scars within us and that shapes us into who we truly are. That’s what life is all about, isn’t it?
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Absolutely, it’s those unseen scars that shape our strength and character. Life is indeed a journey of embracing them and growing through it all.
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I have always loved the concept of Kintsugi – how we can celebrate something that broke and it comes out even better after healing. And you have applied the concept beautifully to emotional scars and healing.
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Thank you so much!
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Your article reminds of me of another saying, “Cracks are what allows the light to come in.” Embracing and celebrating “cracks” is key to happiness, and you have so emotionally articulated this beautiful sentiment. Kintsugi to you too!
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This is a great read, especially with your reference of Kintsugi, your write up is artfully curated 🙂
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Thank you!
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I love my scars now although they did bother me when I didn’t have the maturity to understand that they’re life’s lessons and reminders of how far I’ve come. I love the concept of Kintsugi. Wish youngsters nowadays applied it to their relationships and worked on them instead of just snapping them.
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Yes very well-said!
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Indeed those scars on our heart are beautiful and I loved the way you compared it with Kintsugi.
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I love how this post beautifully captures the essence of emotional scars and their power in shaping us. The Kintsugi analogy is so profound, reminding us that our imperfections make us whole. The reflections here are truly inspiring!
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I read somewhere that these scars consistently take away some health from us. This belief in it adding strength is only to make us feel better when we face hardships !
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What I believe is that there is no such thing living or non living which are perfect in this world. We need to have the acceptance quality in us then whatever we look at will look beautiful and perfect.
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I totally believe in Kintsugi, especially for real life. I am an extremely emotional and attached person, when something breaks, I pour my entire heart to mend that thing, be it a vase or a relationship.
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That’s such a beautiful way to live—pouring your heart into mending what matters. It’s a testament to your strength and love, much like Kintsugi itself, turning brokenness into something even more meaningful. ❤️
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everyone of us has scared memories and to embrace them showing your acceptance is so beautiful. I truly love the concept
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The sentiments expressed in this post really resonate with me. Beautiful.
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