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Updated Wednesday, October 21, 2009 9:27 am TWN, The China Post news staff

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Time for societal evolution in Taiwan

While poverty exists, the majority in Taiwan have access to food, shelter and basic safety. Taiwan should also now be quite confident in the self-esteem department. This tiny island is known worldwide as a manufacturer and innovator of high-tech goods such as notebook PCs, computer chips and more. The “Made in Taiwan” label today comes with quite a bit of prestige. If we are to assume that the lower level needs have been basically met, then it's time for the next step. Despite so much progress on so many fronts, there remains a deficit in Taiwan's self-actualization.

The popular American television show “Mad Men” — available for rent at major local video stores — depicts a segment of American society in the early 1960s. The first jarring image one encounters when watching the show is the constant chain-smoking of virtually every character. Men and women — even pregnant women — puff away like chimneys, regardless of whether children or the infirm are affected. Watching the show is shocking, but the reason it is shocking is that American society has evolved so far in the last 40 years that the very idea of simply smoking in an indoor area comes across as completely incongruous.

Taiwan, however, may not have moved all that far from the days of “Mad Men.” A recent report shows that 50 percent — that figure is worth repeating: 50% — of Taiwan's pregnant women are exposed to second hand smoke, primarily at home! Most of these tobacco users are not at the bottom of Maslow's hierarchy.

They have enough food to eat, a roof over their heads, a family, a job and are receiving a decent level of respect from society. But, they haven't made the leap to deeper thought about how their actions affect others. The same goes for those who disrespect traffic laws and pollute the environment either through littering, taking over sidewalks with goods for sale or driving polluting vehicles.

Some observers have noted that, as Taiwan is one of the world's most populated countries, much of the chaos we experience is due to this overcrowding. Doubtless population is a factor, but one only has to look to the example of Japan, also a small country with a large population, to see that order is possible when people make morality and harmony an important past of living. It's wonderful that Taiwan has come so far, but without more “self-actualization,” we will remain an immature society.

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Comments

October 22, 2009 eddie@

Taiwanese society is so far away in terms of self-actualization from Japanese society that comparing the two is pretty much pointless.

October 22, 2009 in.sanxia@

eddie is absolutely correct. Until we respect our neighbors, we will be a Banana Republic, where it is dangerous to cross the street and breath the air. What happened to the morality teaching we use to have in school before the DPP came to power? Almost everyone thinks of only their own comfort and convenience.

We should be ashamed of ourselves.....

October 22, 2009 elumpen@

One sign that Taiwan is still an immature society is that articles like this tend to conclude with 'look at Japan/Switzerland/USA', as if these societies represent models that can be aspired to and (should be) emulated. Yes, there are elements of other societies that are admirable, but they're usually bound up in some complex way with other elements of their culture. Until Taiwanese can thoughtfully and objectively assess their own culture and generate their own ideas, not much will change. Perhaps the first thing to fix would be education, which discourages (punishes, in some cases) freewheeling thought.

October 27, 2009 jensdamm@

""What happened to the morality teaching we use to have in school before the DPP came to power?" What a nonsense! Crossing a street was a nightmare 20 years ago despite KMT morality teaching. It is better (not good) today, but anyway: younger people offering seats to elder and handicapped (unknown in the good old times of KMT rule), cities are cleaner, Taipei and Kaohsiung changed only when they had DPP mayors (but the successors from the KMT in Taipei followed that course with urban planning, MRT and bicycle paths) .. who made illegal mainlander settlements in Taipei to Parks? Who introduced a national health insurance? Who fought for MRT and High Speed Rail ... either Lee Tenghui or the DPP, not the old KMT and only to some degree the new KMT.