Sometimes, you coincidentally run into things – and you instantly have a flash of insight that profoundly deepens your understanding of a specific facet of human life. This so happened when one of my fellow Mappsters, Hayley Goldenthal, shared a link in our MAPP 9 Facebook group. It´s a collection of 50 pictures displaying quotes and aphorisms on “the good life”. Here, I´m going to share with you No. 9 of that collection:
It´s about the ancient Japanese art of Kintsukuroi (or Kintsugi) which basically is “fixing broken pottery with lacquer resin dusted or mixed with powdered gold, silver, or platinum.” And I thought to myself: This is probably the best metaphor that I´ve ever come across for the process of Post-Traumatic Growth (PTG), a research area that – although it might seem non-positive at first look – lies at the heart of Positive Psychology.
Nietzsche used to say “What doesn´t kill me makes me stronger!”. While I totally agree with him, Kintsukuroi can tell us that our suffering, struggles, and hardships can also render us more profound, unique, and beautiful…
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