I always remember having to stand in front of my class in Grade One to give a presentation on what my father did for work. This experience is still indelible some fifty-five plus years later. My memory was seared by two poignant realizations, among others: firstly, speaking publically is an uncomfortable occurrence and has to be practiced and re-practiced to achieve even a semblance of skill and secondly, not everyone has a father. In our class, many, those who were mostly poor, didn’t. All-encompassing was a choking sense of shyness; as I began to talk, my throat constricted and I felt as if I was going to faint. What steadied me was the visceral terror that I had of failure and its concomitant punishments, both at school and at home. This was a time of “Spare the rod and spoil the child.” The relatively modern phenomena of public emotions (think weeping with fear) and of ADHD (1) hadn’t yet been invented.
I was moderately successful in my first attempt at extending myself into the world. It proved to me that I was responsible for my approach to life. “Who makes me shy?” I do. “Who makes me successful?” obviously the same answer. At six, however, you do not realize the extraordinary amount of luck, both good and bad, that layers and colors your life. In its truest sense, life rewards the good and hardworking and punishes the depraved and the indolent. Sadly, life is also fickle and fraught with just plain bad fortune: which leads me to Taiwan and “my” comfort zone.
My two sons went to a high school that had a large contingent of students from Singapore, Hong Kong and Taiwan. My oldest son’s roommate, for both junior and senior high, was from Taipei. Geoff decided to study Mandarin at university in Taiwan after graduating. I was free and came here for a short visit and stayed. After my long residency, I am now convinced that the Taiwanese are far more worldly and better travelers than Western people. Why do I think thus? Several reasons: right from the time Ferdinand Magellan (2) attempted to circumnavigate the world, we, from across the sea, have considered ourselves the most advanced and fortunate peoples on the planet. (3) In doing so, we insisted that the world come and visit us, not the other way round, though this is changing. (4) Additionally, due to the fact that English is currently the lingua franca of the planet, there is limited interest in learning another language, especially when it includes a difficult written script like Chinese characters. This leads to intense culture shock when one visits Asia and very few stay permanently. (5)
I bought a ticket to Taiwan not knowing what to expect. I have lived in Europe and North American and consider myself somewhat of a seasoned voyager. Nothing quite prepared me for Taoyuan International Airport, however. First there was the sign in the entrance hall: “Drug Smugglers are Subject to the Death Penalty,” or words to that effect. Forget your liberal view of narcotics! Next came the absolute graciousness of the border police, which made my mind reel given the dire warning of the previous announcement. Everything was so respectful and effortless — could I say inviting? The Canadian border police are also respectful, but a touch more arrogant and perfunctory, in my estimation. I had been introduced to the most important caveat of Taiwanese life. Foreigners are always welcome: just do not cross the line, criminally or socially – do so and the punishment will be harsh. I was soon safely ensconced in my soon-to-be adopted country, coming to terms with its heat and peripatetic nature: I felt welcomed. The wise sage Confucius (551-479 BC) leaves us with a thought: In a country well governed, poverty is something to be ashamed of. In a country badly governed, wealth is something to be ashamed of. (Parts of this article were published in February 2012)
A closing thought: One of the great difficulties of any type of knowledge, and this includes travel, is that it distances you from those who don’t make the trek; also your family and friends. They prefer to remain in their comfort zone and not explore other relationships, with nature or with people. There is nothing you can do about this. It is one of the truisms of life: you create the reality that you want. The journey to understanding is a solitary one. You can never change anyone unless they want to change. You can, at best, have some influence.
To sum up: This week we spoke about taking a chance on you. It is a lonely yet exciting journey. It is a necessary one for some to make.
A small joke: This actually happened to me at a school where I taught: I was teaching a group of four and five-year-olds. They had virtually never seen a foreigner before, especially an old foreigner. They were all staring at me with such intensity that I made a small joke. “All foreigners are born with a tail and horns and we have to cut them off when we first come to Taiwan.” I thought nothing more of it. But, for the next week or so a little boy came and touched my head each and every morning. “Why?” I asked my colleague. The teacher admonished me: “He is worried that your horns are going to grow back!”
Just for fun — The Sounds of Silence
This week, please reflect on your own journey of discovery.
Every day look for something magical and beautiful
Quote: From William F. O’Brien (to paraphrase), Far better to have tried and lost than to have never tried at all.
Footnotes:
1) Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
2) Ferdinand Magellan (1480 –1521) was a Portuguese explorer who commanded the Spanish expedition to the East Indies (lasting from1519 to 1522), resulting in the first circumnavigation of the Earth. Magellan did not complete the entire voyage: he was killed during the Battle of Mactan in the Philippines in 1521.
3) IMPERIALISM, CULTURAL (Western Colonialism)
4) Record Number Of Americans Now Hold Passports
5) Migration, Incorporation and Change in an Interconnected World by Syed Ali and Doug Hartmann (ISBN: 978-0-415-63739-8)