Ultimately, care is also stewardship. The Japanese practice of kintsugi repairs broken ceramics with gold lacquer, making fractures part of the story rather than a flaw. Paired with the ethic of mottainai—regret over waste—this approach honors the life of things. In a Confucian frame, such stewardship extends ren (humaneness) outward: to tools, spaces, and communities. By cleaning, mending, and maintaining, we lengthen usefulness and deepen attachment. Thus care does not merely polish the ordinary; it preserves, restores, and re-enchants it, allowing splendor to emerge where others might see only wear. [...]
