OVER THE YEARS, many nail clippers have died in my hands and I have duly dispatched them to their graves (landfills). One could easily guess where they were made. Having made a resolution recently to put some efforts in weaning myself out of Chinese products – as much out of care for the environment, local workers, and craftmanship as it is to take a stand against ethnic genocide by the Chinese government – I found myself in the market to find a nail clipper that is “not” made-in-China. I wanted one that is preferably US made, or at least not made in China, and be of reasonable quality. Quality equates to higher price, and therefore quality products have become harder and harder to find as manufacturers find themselves in uphill battle against cheap Chinese products.
This is a sequel to my previous post: Faces from the Uyghur detention camps
I knew my search would not be easy, and it was not. I spent hours over two weeks just to find a nail clipper. When I almost gave up, I found this brand from a product review in a well-read magazine: SEKI Edge. Their clippers are made in Japan and of high quality craftsmanship. You will find their line of products at https://www.jatai.net (some of these would make an excellent gift, and the one I ended up purchasing is the image in this post).
At the end, I had spent 2-3 times more for a nail clipper over a $5 clipper at Amazon, and the process to find it had taken hours of my time. Yet, I am on the net gain, for obtaining a quality product and doing the right thing is meant to cost time and effort and that is not equated with monetary value.
“Obtaining a quality product and doing the right thing is meant to cost time and effort and that is not equated with monetary value.”
So, what’s in a nail clipper? There’s actually a lot even in an otherwise mundane or insignificant object that you purchase in a modern world. It may tell a story of your baby steps towards many things: that you support local workers, that you care for the environment, that you value quality over price, that you stand for justice and fairness, that you promote art, beauty, and craftsmanship over consumption and gratification, that you are willing to spend efforts in doing what is right, that you value and respect your product (you have personal touch with it for years to come), that you care for the plants, insects, birds, and animals and feel a burden on your shoulders to protect them against massive commercial onslaught to wipe them off the planet for profit, that you are a man or woman of empathy who cares, and perhaps many more things. Most importantly, it may tell a story that you, as one endowed with the God-given gift of intellect and moral consciousness, recognize that you have a responsibility to use that gift in promoting what is good and advising against what is wrong.
If these resonate with you, then here are a few suggestions about what you can do when you decide to buy something:
- Consider the quality, not just the price.
- Look forward to keeping it for years to come, one with which you might develop a personal bond. Even better, a product that you can hand down to your children. They might remember you, while they use it, even after you are gone.
- Purchase local made products if possible, and that includes food. Ideally, it is made or produced in your local community or area, and then your country. If you must buy foreign made products, avoid countries that have oppressive track records (such as China or Israel) or have little or no regulations on environmental/health impacts of its manufacturing/production practices.
- Buy what you really need, not what you desire. The more we purchase, the more will be produced at the cost of the environment and all the species on earth.
- If you are blessed with a flexible purse, then show your gratitude by supporting small businesses and their craftsmanship. It might be a handmade cutting board. Or perhaps it is a bookbinder who can put together your precious book that is falling apart. Or may be a man who can fix your old leather shoes.
You can do any one or more of these and all that will make a positive difference, however small and humble.