Keychains
My grandfather always tells me, “Listen with the ear of your heart.” His words remind me to filter and contextualize the values I am taught. Society is full of ideals that I used to find normal and acceptable. However, recently I have found myself questioning many of these concepts. In doing so, I have found a surprising way of reminding myself to challenge my old beliefs: collecting keychains.
The holographic keychain of the Los Angeles skyline shimmers, reminding me of road trips spent scouring Southern California for the best hamburger and ice cream duo with my father. I find great satisfaction watching my father—a trained chef and extremely healthy eater—join me in devouring a burger with garlic fries and pistachio ice cream. In the past, I was constantly worried that if I ate unhealthy foods I would be letting myself down and giving in to temptation. I believed that in order to have the “perfect” body I had to have perfect eating habits. However, the satisfaction I receive from devouring a guilty pleasure meal along with my father has shown me the importance of releasing myself from the expectation of perfection. Now, instead of worrying about my eating habits, I am able to enjoy tasty food and a baseball game with my dad. My father and I still haven’t found the best burger, and probably never will… but finding the best food has never been the real mission.
My most original fob, an Acacia-carved elephant, reminds me of the stars glittering in the sky as I watched the Maasai tribe’s ceremonial goat slaughter while on a community service trip to Tanzania. As the goat seized its last breath, I struggled to understand the ambiguous line between life vs. death. Prior to this experience I hadn’t contemplated our privilege as humans, I was blind towards human dominance. The goat’s fate helped enlighten me to human beings’ unlicensed power. Why is it that we can decide the slaughtering of a goat is the circle of life, but the consumption of a dog is a sin? I have yet to understand how and why we deserve to be the apex predator. This event helped make me aware of where I focus my privilege. Through sustainability workshops, environmental science classes, and working in gardens I have begun to concentrate more on understanding how to benefit our environment, instead of destroying it with our power.
A tiny replica of the Taiwan 101 building sparks my memory of the hazy orange skyline view of the countless tea plantations. While receiving a demonstration of the tea operations, I questioned how people could wait so long to create such a small product; I desired to have instant success and gratification. Being an eager person, I questioned how people could wait so long to create such a small product. I have tried to embody this sense of patience, however it has sometimes been a struggle. In the past the ideals of “quick and easy” gratification cost me the experience of positive failing. Thinking that speed correlated to success, I avoided facing the main challenge head on and chose an easier and more simplistic escape code. I strive to continue to challenge the constantly advertised temptations of speed and ease: particularly in Mandarin. Instead of folding to the temptation of easy shortcuts, I want to continue to push myself to stay patient through challenges.
Today many narratives regarding perfection, human dominance, and instant gratification are taken without question. Human beings have created these narratives to make sense of the mysteries of existence. Yet, the more I hear the clanking sound of my keychains, the more I am reminded that I do not have to follow these ideals. There are endless possibilities, and it’s up to each of us to listen with the ears of our hearts to solve and understand these mysteries.