My mom and I at graduation again, you can see my red string bracelet on my left wrist. However, it seems that in its daily wear and tear, the US Government has forgotten about its promise to its people as we experience daily violations of these promises. These promises are explicitly laid out in the preamble to the Constitution: to “establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity.” More specifically, each amendment lays out a specific promise from the government to the people about certain rights and privileges. If we anthropomorphize the American government, we can imagine the slew of red string bracelets it hands out to its citizens, each representing a different promise. Some of the most important promises are made by leaders and institutions. Our society’s foundation is based on promises: promises to value community, act with integrity, abide by the law, show up to work or school, put our shopping carts away, etc. bands become stained, and Apple Watches become simply a way to check text messages. However, much like a bracelet worn every day, it’s often easy to forget the various commitments in daily life. As long as a bracelet is worn, its wearer swears to keep their promise. It remains visible as I ride the C1 to my Economics lecture, code an APT, or throw a ceramic piece on the wheel. My bracelet sits perfectly positioned against the pulsing heartbeat in my wrist’s veins, pumping its promise into my veins to accompany the red blood cells to every part of my body. To protect one another and leave this world better than how we found it. I believe that each one of us wears a metaphorical bracelet symbolizing our promises to society. And not just to my parents, but to the rest of the world, as well. I’m extremely lucky to attend a university like Duke, and I plan to use every opportunity possible to someday give my parents even half of what they’ve given me throughout my childhood. Now, it’s my turn to uphold my end of the promise. Just like each knot must be precisely made, so must each part of a promise. This is because just like a red string bracelet, a promise is made with intentionality. And yet, promises are expected to be kept universally, regardless of scope, culture, or time period. It’s also not for fear of consequence simply breaking a promise does not inflict physical or emotional damage on you, but rather the consequence is the act itself. The obligation isn’t inherent there’s no biological or evolutionary reason to keep a promise. Notice the left wrist □Ī promise is a unique moral obligation. My mom and I at Blue Devils Day, when I committed to Duke. Throughout the past 18 years of my life, my parents have taken care of me: they cooked me dinner at 9 pm after school board meetings, drove me 4 hours to debate tournaments at 4 a.m., cut endless bowls of fruit for late night study sessions, and of course, are paying my college tuition. Similarly, my parents’ promise is what has landed me here. The bracelet my mom made 6 years ago sat on my wrist the entire flight from PDX to RDU. My name is Emily Zou and I’m a freshman from a suburb outside of Portland, Oregon. The bracelet serves as a mutual agreement between my family and me: to protect and look after one another. When I wear it, I remember my family’s unconditional love for me and the history of my Chinese heritage. I was given my red string bracelet by my mom in 2016 (the Year of the Monkey). Even an Apple Watch is a promise to live healthily. A 4Ocean beaded bracelet is a promise to care for the Earth’s aquatic life. band serves as a promise of faith and to live like Christ. But any string on your wrist represents a promise. Most obviously, a friendship bracelet shows a promise to love and trust your matching bracelet wearer. Close relatives also gift a red string bracelet to women and girls on their 本命年 (Year of Birth), in order to protect them from the negative energy they will face that year.Ī bracelet serves as a physical representation of a promise. Similarly, red string bracelets are gifted to newlywed couples to commemorate their true love and wish them well in a new stage of their lives. In ancient China, the emperor would give his first, therefore most important, wife a red string bracelet. My senior photo, red string bracelet on my left wrist.Ĭhinese red string bracelets are a symbol of luck, prosperity, health, protection, and courage. I watched, entranced, as my mom’s fingers nimbly wove together the pieces of red thread into the bracelet I would wear every day for the rest of my life. My mind caught every subtle movement, attempting to decipher the pattern. My eyes peered at my mom’s hand, rarely blinking.
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