Why we need to hear each Others Stories

i want to talk to everyone about stories

what is a story in loose terms it can be

defined as an account of imaginary or

real events

but let us really extrapolate on this

premise what

is the essence of stories is it the

emotion

the heart the way it is conveyed there’s

something distinctly humanizing about

stories

something connecting about all of them

we tell each other stories for many

reasons for

entertainment and to teach each other’s

lessons

stories are often the first way parents

connect with their children

being enamored by works such as those

from dr

seuss with fun illustrations and

compiling

rhyme schemes but also contains lessons

that are deeply symbolic

as we grow older we realize stories are

often

more than they appear that there are

layers that hold hidden meeting

waiting to be uncovered books can be

stories

stories can be verbally transmitted

orally passed down in history

or eagerly exchanged as sunday brunch

they can be heard through the emotions

and lyrics found in music

or observed through potent depictions in

movies and television

in this description it can safely be

said that stories are extremely

multifaceted

but ultimately they are pieces of

ourselves

we see ourselves in them and draw

inspiration connection

empathy and ambition but i rarely saw

pieces of myself

in the stories i heard read or saw

growing up

rarely saw individuals that look like me

and that is why

i stress the significance of

representation

i never saw people who look like me in

those coming-of-age american movies

that were so heartfelt that gets a pass

for being cheesy

i never saw people who look like me not

in mainstream music

where the musicians sing about football

bleachers and friday night

lights and yet i could never envision

myself

as the star athlete or the homecoming

king

i could not pinpoint those who look like

me

not from public figures to even my

public school teachers

the ones who taught me american history

and world history

but as i got older i gradually learned

that what the school system really meant

was european history and the byproducts

of it

when i did see me i saw what society

thought of me i saw 40 second clips of

doctors giving highly technical

prescriptions

providing mediocrity important

medications and then

never to be seen again 40 seconds

of a 40-minute episode of a four-season

show

about how many seasons it took for me to

see someone who looked like me

again i heard many peculiar accidents

some talented martial artists and

occasionally if i am lucky

a lovely decently attractive

one-dimensional

sidekick even when i saw people who look

like me

the ones whom people make assumptions

off of to characterize me

i realize even they are not that similar

to me

at all as i see these brief features of

asian american actors

that allow networks to proclaim their

woke nature

i’m frustrated at the incomplete stories

they tell

stories that hundreds of talented of

actors had to fight over

and are told to be grateful for that

allow them to slap on the word diversity

as if it is a term that implied a brief

trip

from point a to point b checking off a

box

rather than a continuous intentional and

thought-provoking journey

to amplify stories that have been

historically oppressed

so societally suffocated and never

to be considered important it is almost

like those stereotypes

momentary flickers torn off pages within

a library of stories

failed to capture the complex nuanced

and culturally diverse identities of an

entire ethnicity

for me i believe that individual lives

of people

exemplify a type of story selling in

itself

each person has a character within the

convoluted

and tingled history book of humanity for

me

i can cite a few examples of when

representation

engendered a feeling of purpose strength

and deliberation

throughout the time period of insanity

when an unknown and

undrafted harvard graduate suddenly

sprung onto the scene of the mba

and became forced to be reckoned with i

began having awakened feelings and

aspirations

every layup jumper and intercepted ball

that jeremy lin accomplished every point

he made was an incremental burst

of hope and confidence his talent his

charisma and his work ethic

emboldened me and made me realize that

success

even on the highest level even for an

asian american

was possible another example of a person

who impacted me enormously was andrew

young

when announcing his presidential

campaign it triggered many strong

yet conflicting emotions a persisting

sense of doubt

confusion and bafflement but also an

overwhelming optimism

that lingered for days i was confused

how could yang essentially a nobody

compared to the powerhouses

of the democratic party be eliciting

such strong emotions out of me

i finally realized that the perpetual

lack of representation

the marginalization of minorities and

specifically asian americans

and the confining nature of stereotypes

had made me subconsciously avoid things

that i was perfectly capable of pursuing

it wasn’t that i didn’t know an asian

man could run for president

but simply the fact that it was finally

being done

he was setting a precedent exemplifying

that we are more than what conventional

standards

media and society say that we are

i could accomplish anything i set my

mind to we

could accomplish anything that we set

our minds to

talented musicians prolific writers

empowering activists

were even running for the president of

the united states

these thoughts ran through my mind

roughly a year ago but as young gains

more and more momentum

i feel like he is influencing young

people to achieve their goals

every benchmark rally public speech and

debate

he does inspires me to reach for the

stars he made me realize that through

relentless perseverance

the opportunities are truly limitless

upon reflection although i embrace the

success of these two prominent figures

i’m also deeply cognizant of their

trials and tribulations

and all the extra hard work it took for

them to get to this place

they were underdogs both proving

themselves

to a society that has historically never

made room for them

amidst the overwhelming joy and

excitement rampant skepticism and a

serious failure to take them seriously

made me earnestly question why there was

so much doubt

when then i recall glimpses of my past

my childhood accent

bring questions to my comprehension my

inability

to assemble a suit and tie properly

drawing skepticism

to my competency and every leadership

rule

i thought pursuing weighed down by the

lack of predecessors before me

lack of stories to prove that i can and

with these recollections

i dare say i made the connection that

the societal doubt and pressures placed

upon

yang and ling were not of their

abilities but their asian heritage

however regardless of the adversity and

obstacles lynn had to

hurtle past cross over or jump through

he still always ended up taking a shot

the perpetual

disrespect and attempted humiliation at

yang

with countless examples including an

incredibly famous

and cynical talk show host scoffing at

young’s genuine intention of winning the

presidency

credible news articles putting a picture

of a random asian man

on the internet as his face and call me

bold as i say that not every asian man

looks alike

and mainstream media calling him peter

yang and john yang

when peter and john are pretty far off

and yang

is not even right either jeremy lin

andrew yang prince wang lin

ling yang yang wang

wang growing up i struggled to recall

when i allowed myself to go by the alias

prince wayne

and allowed individuals to pronounce it

differently simply out of their

convenience

however i guess this addresses the core

of the issue

it is not individual instances of

ignorance but a societal

stubbornness to allow new stories to

come pouring in

growing up and often until we are old

and frail

the natural instinct is to adapt to

frequently told stories

blend into stories that are culturally

accepted but instead

we need to be bold with our stories

amplify them and change the narrative

behind them

this is so important because when you

begin to understand different stories

if you read parts of them incorrectly

then you will not fully understand the

essence of them

similarly if we are perpetually known

through our aliases of

prince wang andrew yang and jeremy lin

will our stories be fully authentic

when the titles of them cannot even be

correctly pronounced

as ling and yang continue to raise their

head up high

my growing respect is owed to the

propensity

to ignore cheap shots and rather focus

on their goals

missions and values their perseverance

and humility

passion and love consistently pierce

through

i share the same fiery and competitive

energy as ling

and a similar passion of helping others

as young and like both of them

i also want to change the world i am

studying international relations

i’ve long wanted to learn more about how

the world worked

and how i can hopefully make it work a

little better

for those whom the world currently is

not working that well for

many of my friends have described me as

overly idealistic

to the point of being unrealistic but i

disagree

because how are you willing to change

the world when you’re not even willing

to think about changing the world and

anyways

even when the cold chill of reality hits

me in the face from time to time

the lessons and wisdom i learn creates

the sunshine

that enriches my storytelling aside from

these monumental aspirations

i love to rap run and relax i may be

horrible at all these aforementioned

activities

but that is hardly a damper for my

passion for these hobbies

that in a convoluted but hopefully

somewhat meaningful way

is part of my story the story of me now

and forever is the time for you to tell

the story of you

write your story jump into your story

and seize it

empower others with your story so that

they too

will understand that their story is

precious

and beautiful and powerful

live your story and dance it discover

your story for what it is

as a beautiful whole not limited by the

societal pressures

that threaten to stifle it claim your

narrative

and rewrite the story that was taken

from you

your words your experiences and your

truth

that is the important part if we can

share each other’s stories from the

heart

we can begin to dismantle the stories

what should i say stereotypes

society has already written for us we

can

shatter untested and unwritten

perceptions thrust upon us by a society

that does not have the capacity for

storytelling

no space for the imaginative worlds of

harry potter were percy jackson

no room for the lorax but plenty for the

once-ler

that cuts down the truffula trees that

each uniquely symbolizes our beautiful

dreams

our stories and ourselves to be

fashioned into the oppressive

homogeneity

that steals us from our truffula trees

but also

our truth through this perpetual process

let’s continue to build more and more

bridges of empathy

for the longest time i have felt that

society has known me better than i have

known myself

a part of that being because i was

scared of going outside of what society

has deemed acceptable for me

a part of me did not even realize i

could become someone different

but now with every stroke of my pen

every triumphant success

every defiant word or sentence or ted

talk

i’m beginning to write my own story and

i absolutely cannot wait to hear yours

thank you