| A Thought Sparked | They’re Indigenous—No Wonder They’re So Good at Drawing?!

It seems to be the same all over the world: Indigenous people are always assumed to be more artistically gifted, to havebetter singing voices, or perhaps greater physical ability?

So when we hear A-Mei’s crystal-clear voice and consider her ethnic identity, we say, “That’s because she’s Indigenous.”
When we see the superb skills and athletic builds of baseball players Chen Chin-feng and Yang Dai-kang, we say, “That’s because they’re Indigenous.”
And when Isaw the artwork of A-Bao, an Aboriginal Australian, I said the same thing: “Oh, Indigenous—no wonderthey’re so good at art.”

But we forget that the music world also has Jolin Tsai and Jody Chiang, while the sporting world has Chia-Chia, Chien-Ming Wang, and the Linsanity phenomenon that was Jeremy Lin. None of them are Indigenous, yet each has achieved extraordinary things in their own field.

Perhaps Indigenous people really are born with certain advantages. But could it also be becausethey focus more intently on developing their strengths, allowing their natural gifts to flourish even further? And perhapswe, too, may possess remarkable artistic talent, a beautiful voice, or exceptional physical ability—only to suppressthose gifts ourselves?

I used to be in the habit of putting people—and myself—into categories. When I met clever classmates, I assumedit was because their parents were high achievers too. When someone could afford to study abroad, I assumedtheir family was rich. When I saw a woman happily enjoying a fancy meal, I thought, “Surelyher rich boyfriend is paying.” Even when I noticed a flaw in myself, I would dig around online fora possible medical term to explain it. Somehow, that seemed to justify why these people were doingbetter than I was—and to justify my own behaviour as well.

But once everyone had been categorised, then what?
If my classmate’s parents are smart, does that mean I can’t work harder and study more? If someone else can afford togo abroad, does that mean I can’t? And was that fancy meal really paid for by the woman’s rich boyfriend?

It wasn’t until I set off with the small budget I had saved from working for six months after graduation, completed a workingholiday, and even fulfilled my dream of travelling around Europe that I tasted the rewards of self-actualisation. I broke through the belief that having no money meant Icouldn’t travel the world. From then on, I believed that if I worked hard and found my own way, I could stillachieve the goals I had set for myself.

If categorising people is merely an excuse to avoid the hard work of improving ourselves—and if we refuse to acknowledge the effortothers have made—then those categories are nothing more than boundaries we impose on ourselves!

《Thoughts After Watching Parts of the “26-Year-Old Girl’s GAP YEAR” Story》

► Photo taken at Queen Victoria Market in Melbourne, Australia

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