Welcome to our newest edition of the smash hit game show, Wallet, Keys, or Phone! In this edition, you pick which item you can't do without and would least like to have taken from you/ lost on the train/ stolen. Let's ask our first contestant!
Most people nowadays, like myself, carry 3 essential things with them at all times: wallet, keys, phone. Obviously there's probably other things depending on the person like a briefcase or headphones or separate Blackberry, whatever, but those 3 are the "Core Items" in anyone's pocket at any time, I would say. And I can't imagine losing any one of them. In one corner, The Wallet is the key to your finances, with your identity, your credit cards, and cold hard cash. Next are The Keys are your ticket to getting anywhere, whether it be into your own home or transportation to and from other places (car keys, etc.) And finally, last but not least, the Cell Phone contains all of one's contacts, the ability to get in touch with everyone that you know, and almost more importantly nowadays, the INTERNET. Information. Connectivity. Knowing things. The ultimate product. It's a very, very difficult choice, I think.
I really just thought of it recently when I (for the umpteenth time) forgot my cell phone in my car and had to go back and get it, but I think the dichotomy between the Holy Trinity of personal items is fascinating. Surely nowadays one can recover any and all of their personal items pretty quickly by taking the necessary steps, and a replacement will be given quickly (and cash can always be replaced, depending on the amount), but which item one would LEAST want to lose reflects a lot about one's personality, I think, especially at a crossroads in life like I am. (Forget the nuances of how easy it is to recover one's wallet, or how much financial damage one would incur if one loses one item over another, this is a strictly philosophical discussion!)
Choosing the Wallet would reveal a preference towards one's financial security, to being able to purchase things readily and a preference for worldy possessions. For people in their late-20's like me (urgh am I in my late-20's now? That's frustrating), this would be starting a savings account, thinking about retirement already, and chasing the mighty dollar. Stable job, stable career, steady cash flow, maybe even a new house! Real life example: If you're without your wallet (or purse) you can't buy things, you don't have any method to pay for things. That's a very scary feeling for some.
Choosing the Keys, however, entails a sense of travel, to get out into the world and see things, to be on the move and have a means of transportation. It's not just being a tourist or vacations, however, it's the sense of always being on the move, still surprising oneself with where one might go on a day to day business, wanting to move to new locations all the time and have new experiences. Those are the keys. Real life parallel: If you lose your keys, there's no way of retracing your steps quickly, no way of getting around for awhile at least, you're stuck, immobile. Some people can't stand that.
Choosing the Cell Phone (and let's be honest, everyone has a smartphone now) entails a sense of belonging with others, having other people's information and being able to contact them at any time, to have friends, to be in touch with loved ones/ liked ones, to be socially connected to Facebook, group texts, whatever is the rage. Human beings are social animals, and for some they can't stand the feeling of not connecting with others. In a broader context, this could mean for a late-20 year old settling down and having the marriage talk, and/or building relationships with people, professional or social. Real life example: can't call your friend to pick you up, or don't have anyone to call.
I think I just came up with a new personality test! The Wallet-Keys-Phone Test! Move over Meyers-Briggs and Big 5 and whatever tests are out there now, this is the Next Big Thing! For the record, I think I would choose keys, because I hate not being able to have access to my car or my house (I sometimes live in my house too), but it's very very close and I haven't thought of a definitive answer or anything.
Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
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