It is.....
(drumroll please)
the calculator.
No matter how many times you drop it on the ground, it will almost always - unless you smash it real bad - flash a black 0 at you when you check its lifeline.
I am no stranger to calculator-dropping. In fact, I drop many of my things in school regularly. Pens, pencils, erasers, correction tape caps and my water bottle were frequent "victims" of my hand-slips and carelessness. I spoilt my new mechanical pencil once when I dropped it on the floor one too many times. It cracked and though I tried my best to save it, nothing could be done.
That's why I like the calculator. It's durable, even after sustaining scars and slip discs. It never fails to amaze me how the calculator manages to bear the brunt of each and every fall and remain as alive as ever. Perhaps one day I should dissect my calculator and see if there's some extra special lining in it that boasts of anti-shock abilities.
If our hearts could be like calculators, then we would all be able to bounce back from disappointment and sorrow immediately, as if nothing had happened.
But imagine if that were really the case - then there would be no meaning to happiness, sorrow, anger; because regardless of the emotion, we would all be carrying on with our lives at the same pace. Life would become a schedule, not a surprise; indeed, there would not be any enemies, but at the same time, friendship and love loses its value.
So in a sense, I'm glad that my heart isn't a calculator. I want to be able to feel all sorts of emotions - be it good or bad. Emotions help us to grow into stronger and better people; by hiding from them we deprive ourselves of the opportunity to experience different feelings and to learn how to overcome these feelings.
Calculators may be shock-proof, but human hearts aren't. That's not necessarily a bad thing though. We have cushions - friends, family - to catch us when we fall, so treat your "cushions" well and no matter how many times we fall, there'll always be a puffy, soft landing mat for us in life.
That being said, let's be a little nicer to our calculators too.
