A Note on Modesty

Originally written a year ago on my Tumblr: 

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Modesty is one my many inherited lessons.  Contrast to the American culture where traits of confidence, courage, and individualism stand strong in the gene pool; Chinese culture encourages silence in fortune for boasting invites bad luck. It opens the doors to fortune-seeking devils and spirits. All of which must be avoided.

What a farce. Modesty may gather some aspect of respect, but it is never truthful.

Bad luck from boasting comes from others back-stabbing jealousy and hate. Manipulating and creating bad luck for their successful counterparts, adults, infamous for their passive aggressive strategies, compete for the others wealth. Either matching it in its entirety or stealing it away.

During group activities, friends pave an gilded path of compliments for their beloved performer, hoping for entertainment but certainly not success. You never want to be known as the bar to beat, or the one to beat it. When showered with praise, you always downplay your talents.

Modesty is one of the reasons I sit around, waiting pathetically to be recognized without making the big steps. Modesty is how I walk, look, and act; with my hands in my pocket, bangs in my face, and prepared, I am a silent cry for attention, a child of American individualism and Chinese tradition.