Tradition has it that if you make a request of the deity Phra Phrom and your wish is granted, you must come and show your gratitude in whatever way you promised at the time of your request. There are many ways to show gratitude. Those with enough money can make offerings of gold or elephants, while ordinary folks can arrange for a dance of gratitude—it all depends on your budget.
With Taiwan’s impending transition to a super-aged society around 2025, whether you are an elderly person yourself or there are elderly people in your family, are we all well prepared? What mindset should we adopt in responding to this new situation? And from what perspectives can we best tackle the issues that arise?
Before Lee Chia-tung, professor emeritus at National Tsing Hua University, founded the rural educational organization Boyo Social Welfare Foundation, he taught at St. Teresa Children’s Center for many years. When asked why he didn’t just donate money instead of teaching at the center, he quotes Mother Teresa of Calcutta in saying, “We ourselves must sow the seeds of love, and we must do so one at a time.”
Every year, more than NT$3 billion in scholarships flows forth from private sources in Taiwan. This invisible force has supported social progress for many years, and though it’s rarely noticed, it’s always there.
“If you aren’t good at school, then go into farming!” This is what older rice farmers used to tell their offspring. But younger people, determined not to be farmers, studied hard and escaped from their rural hometowns.
Young and full of energy, college students are given to out-of-the-box thinking. Those years are a good time to found startups. Take the Yoyusunsun brand of dried squid products, launched by Weiwei Chou and a friend while they were at National Taiwan University of Science and Technology. At first, they lacked marketing savvy, and sales were tepid.
February 21 has been designated by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization as International Mother Language Day, in order to highlight the importance of preserving linguistic diversity. Dominant languages have been making inroads into less powerful vernaculars, and efforts are being made throughout the world to save mother tongues from extinction.
The high-school years are turbulent ones. In the fleeting moments spent away from classwork, young souls quietly grow into their own identities. School publications offer a space for outsiders to see distillations of these students’ imaginations and their hopes and expectations for the world.
Gaming can be addictive and can cause people to waste entire days playing, but it can also be a crucible for honing perseverance, willpower, and the drive to chase your dreams. With the quiet efforts of competitors, coaches, and members of the gaming industry, esports is gradually losing its old stigma as it turns a new page in its history.
Volunteering abroad can be like an in-depth tour of a new place. It requires you to free yourself from your initial preconceptions, and learn to look at the world through the eyes of local people and really understand what they need.
