The Japanese custom of Kintsugi consists of repairing broken pottery with a varnish that has been mixed with silver, gold or platinum powder. It teaches that with each newly made repair, the pottery has an additional dimension to its history, lending it depth rather than decreased value. People can be very similar in this regard, and so can their societies.
We in Utah have been the beneficiaries of a diverse heritage forged over the years by Native Americans, Pacific Islanders, African Americans, Greeks, Asians, Hispanics, Scandinavians and others. Whether they emanated from Latter-day Saint, Catholic, Muslim, Jewish, Buddhist or Christian foundations, they brought much to the table. From all such heritages have come both lofty accomplishment and unfortunate error. We as a state still struggle to learn from our past so as to create a peaceful and just present.
I am concerned that, with each minor break and chip that occurs among us, we no longer have any desire for repair, particularly when it comes to civic affairs. The pressing issues of today are controversial primarily because they involve many considerations and complexities. It’s always been that way. Why then are we breaking even further apart?
Looking to our elected representatives as models, I am disheartened by the examples they have set in their positions of high profile. Whether the subject is on the environment, the proliferation of deadly weapons, care for the poor or education, there is a decided absence of any middle ground with those of differing opinions.
One would be hard-pressed to find a more hyper-partisan group in any state in this country. I have been appalled by our representatives’ open disdain for those with alternative views, their careful avoidance of any real public scrutiny, and their servility to moneyed interests. Their contempt for the poor, their reverence for wealth and their hatred of the federal government (whenever it impedes their private ambitions) has been repeatedly established by their words and deeds. I can no longer trust or believe anything they say, unfortunately, and I don’t like feeling that way.
Please understand that I am not looking for a mere exchange of control between the political parties. As but one among the represented, I can attest that there are wonderful people all across the spectrum in this state. What I do speak of is the toxic polarization that divides us over countless lines and is inflamed whenever a law is to be passed or repealed, and whenever election time rolls around.
The genius of the rhetorician is in being able to convince themselves and others of any proposition as long as the money is right. If they cover themselves with a pious, irreproachable image and employ enough honeyed words, they can present hell itself as a veritable paradise. We have far too much of this sort making major decisions and guiding public opinion.
If we truly wish, we can make this a new era of civil discourse and practice. Our relations to one another (in and out of the public square) can indeed act upon the benevolent and utopian ideals of our ancestors. Rather than fostering a spirit of exploitation, personal advantage and derision, we can establish true affection for our fellow citizens, the development of the mind and the preservation of the beautiful land upon which we live as the hallmarks of Utah values.
The cracks of these troubled years can indeed be lacquered together with the gold and platinum of renewed human relations and, if we choose to do this, then our history will be one of profound experience and worth rather than splintered worthlessness.
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Wesley Long is a student working on his bachelor’s degree in history at the University of Utah. The middle child of six, he has been fortunate enough to live in states like Michigan and Montana before returning to his birthplace of Utah.