profile

Gunnar Branson

kintsugi lessons

Published 12 days ago • 1 min read

broken?

"Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;"

The third line in W.B. Yeats' The Second Coming is playing on repeat in my head.

That makes some sense, given the times we live in today are not unlike 1919 when he wrote the poem. Russia was in turmoil, technology was shifting rapidly, political and economic systems were out of control. Eventually, things did fall apart.

And then like Japanese Kintsugi pottery, people mended the cracks in the world, sometimes with gold, sometimes with concrete and contracts. Civilization soared to new heights as the dust cleared.

Of course, it's not just countries and economies that cannot hold the center indefinitely. People break, but they can be repaired. Instead of gold, people can heal with connections, relationships, and wisdom gained from past failures.

Falling apart may even be necessary, part of a constant cycle of growth, learning, and renewal. And when we return to the center with cracks repaired, maybe we can be better than before.

Keep chasing lights.

Gunnar

More information on Chasing Lights book readings, videos, as well as reposting of e-mail insights can be found at www.gunnarbranson.com​

chasinglights@gunnarbranson.com
​Unsubscribe · Preferences​

Gunnar Branson

Author of Chasing Lights

If you are chasing lights in your life and want to see where they lead. If you agree that none of us are important and yet all of us are important. If you care about our environment and our place in it - SUBSCRIBE - Chasing Lights may be a book you will want to read.

Read more from Gunnar Branson

what is the sound of reflection? Droplets drumming ripstop nylon? Hard shoes and suitcases hitting cobblestones? Gentle voices from down the way? I can't hear the meaning, but feel the intent. Introspection has a soundtrack. It's not quite music. It's close enough, but simultaneously far. It is isolated details, still part the whole, insisting one pays attention. It is an aural invitation to reflect. A gentle rain suspends the noise if I let it. Keep chasing lights. Gunnar More information on...

5 days ago • 1 min read

funny? Falling flat, losing your balance, possibly suffering injury or at least a bruised ego. How could that be funny? Years ago I tried to lighten up a professional trade conference. I pulled out a t-shirt cannon and watched the fabric missiles sail over the audience's heads and to the back row. It was a terrible idea. Not because anyone was hurt, but because the joke didn't land. The room was silent. What on earth was I thinking? I moved on and hoped that it might be forgotten. But then,...

14 days ago • 1 min read

what are you writing now? Would you like to read a preview? If you haven't had the time yet to read "Chasing Lights", don't worry, this is not part of a sequel so there won't be any crucial plot points to miss. I've been tinkering with a new book and if you are looking for a little summer escapist reading, the chapter below might be a fun diversion. Keep chasing lights. Gunnar Pre-Check “Logan is dead.” A voice without emotion on the phone—a news report from an airport terminal. Amy could...

21 days ago • 7 min read