November 6, 2011
Translated by Lydia Ma

As we marveled at Japanese people's resilience and efficiency in the days leading up to the 6th month anniversary of the March 11 earthquake, we couldn't help but contrast the Japanese government's performance in the past few months with our own government's performance.

For many in Taiwan, this has been a dismal year in government performance. To mark the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Republic of China, the Ma administration planned many celebrations and supported a few select corporations with taxpayers' money when they hosted events to draw attention to this special 100th year milestone. In the hoopla surrounding the 100th anniversary, issues such as poverty, public security, and corruption were put in the backburner.

Perhaps many Taiwanese may feel saddened that they can't seem to find God's image in their people anymore. But in the midst of a dismal year, two achievements captured our attention and gave us comfort – Yani Tseng won the LPGA Championship and Taiwan won 26 gold, 45 silver, and 12 bronze medals at the Nuremberg International Invention Exhibition. It is comforting to know that though God endowed Japanese people with resilience, he bestowed creativity and energy to Taiwanese people.

When Tseng was interviewed about her success, she said that she just tried to focus – one putt at a time. She also said she never stopped learning, especially from her mistakes, and this helped her not to make the same mistake again if she could help it.

Asked about the journey to his gold medal win, Professor Chang Hong-jung said he was the son of a fisherman who often helped his father and elder brother get rid of fish scales when he was young. As result of this hard work, he would oftentimes wind up with a dirty and smelly face and several cuts on his fingers. These experiences inspired him to invent an equipment that would get rid of fish scales and ease his family's and many other fishermen's burdens. It was this invention that earned him a gold medal at the Nuremberg Exhibition.

A popular Taiwanese proverb says there are two sides to everything when it comes to people and events. For example, Japanese people are faithful, orderly, and determined. The flip side of such noble characters is that they sometimes tend to be too rigid as well. To Japanese people's credit, knowing their weaknesses has propelled them to make the most use of their strengths.

In contrast to Japan, Taiwanese people are much more multicultural and competitive, but we need to learn not to repeat the same old mistakes again. This is what we must do to succeed and to be recognized in the international arena.

When God created the universe, every creature was equally valuable and the same goes for every human God ever placed on earth. The difference is whether humans will endeavor to find God's image and whether they are willing to take on challenges that will raise them to a higher level.

Taiwan Church News