PADLOCKS AND KEYS AND UNBREAKABLE BONDS

I never knew that padlocks and disappearing keys would tickle my fancy until four recent experiences that involved these necessary and yet mystical items.

Love locks are a symbol of commitment. Apparently, this custom originated in China where lovers put locks on bridges, fences,  gates or similar  public fixtures to symbolise unbreakable love. Others say it originated from Serbia. Some authorities see this as a public nuisance to the preservation of architectural heritage while others welcome it as a boost to tourism.

In Seoul, there is this place around the N Seoul tower where lovers write their names on padlocks and then throw the keys away. N Seoul Tower is a popular place for couples who go there to profess their undying love for each other and to lock their "padlock of love" onto the railing , hoping that their love will last forever. Across the world, there are about 40 attractions decorated with "padlocks of love." N Seoul Tower is just one of them. 

I was tempted to buy one, but the plastic looking locks looked cheap. Perhaps next time we would bring our own, solid looking, vintage lock that  would reflect our senior years better.

In Budapest, there is a Central Café which was a legend between 1887 and 1949.

When it was reopened in January 2000, the Mayor , the Minister for Culture and the President were present. 

As guests started to leave, there were some who went along with the proprietor to witness a hallowed tradition of throwing the key into the Danube, signifying that this coffee house would never close.

I think that is simply beautiful.

When I went there last month, I thought the  tiramisu was something to die for. The latte macchiato didn’t fail either. The lighting evoked an old time atmosphere. I’m glad they threw away the key, or I would never have got to taste that bit of heaven on earth.

In the musical Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Coat, when Joseph’s brothers went to Egypt to purchase grain because of the famine, Joseph falsely accused his brother Benjamin of stealing a royal cup. 

He says, ‘Benjamin, you nasty youth! Your crime has shocked me to the core ! Never in my whole career have I encountered this before. Guards, seize him! Lock him in a cell Throw the keys into the Nile as well…’

There’s something absolute about throwing the keys into the Nile. It’s akin to hammering the last nail into the coffin. Benjamin would be locked in the cell for all eternity.

Finally, in ‘The Song of the Sea’, an Irish animated fantasy film about a light house keeper and selkies. Selkies are mythical creatures in Irish folklore. Selkies are said to live as seals in the sea but shed their skin to become human on land.  There is a scene in the story where the lighthouse keeper was afraid of losing his little girl who was born to a selkie mother. So he put the white seal skin coat (that would make the child return to the sea forever) into a trunk and padlocked it.  Then he threw the key into the sea. 

there’s something very powerful in this act.

Locks and keys represent knowledge, mystery, initiation and curiosity.

What are the secrets in our locked chests or behind our locked doors? What are some of the painful and unpleasant memories or experiences that we have kept locked away?

Maybe it is time to find the key to unlock the stuff that we have kept hidden for so long. There is nothing to be ashamed of past mistakes. We do not need to carry that guilt with us to the grave.

Maybe it is time to release the greatness and potential that we have suppressed for so long.  

Find the key and be set free.

 This article was originally printed in the NEW STRAITS TIMES MALAYSIA 29 May 2016