Final thoughts

I am writing this final blog entry on June 12, 2009, less than 24 hours before my graduation. This is the final blog entry for my online journal in CST 251: Comparative Non-Western Social Systems. Let's do a little bit of reflection here...

Most of what I learned in this class was not profound. Not to say that this class was somehow, in any way, a waste of time. Most of the topics were simply organized and systematic discussions of things that I already see happening. Being an avid news junkie who subscribes to BBC, MSNBC, NYTimes, etc., I consider myself pretty well versed in international news. However, it is fascinating to read what precisely it is that catalyzes many of the events that I see on the news.

I remember, during a high school history class, when I had this very naive notion about the Middle East. In what was admittedly a pretty low point in my academic existence, I raised my hand with the following question: "If Israel is such a persistent problem all the time, why don't we just nuke them already and be done with it?" (Good thing I wasn't conducting a prime-time interview with Katie Couric at the time during an election season...)

Living in the U.S., it is easy to develop a sort of bubble as to my view on how the greater world works. Growing up in suburban Ohio tends to make that bubble even smaller. It's tempting to wonder why it is that others throughout the world don't simply adopt an American way of life and establish a government for themselves based on the American model. However, when you venture out of that middle-class America bubble and see what it is precisely that have shaped the people in these different areas throughout the world, it becomes abundantly clear that the world is certainly far more complex than my simple mind could comprehend.

One of the most striking phenomena that I've learned and begun to appreciate is the dissolution of nations per se. The established governments of powerful nations are being challenged in all directions - both from within and from abroad. We see this all the time in modern society: when Google challenges China's strict internet regulations, when terrorist groups take control of a country's government, when governments consolidate resources to form international trade agreements. The traditional structures of sovereignty and governance are being significantly shifted from all directions. Is it because power is inevitably being shifted towards an all-powerful world government? Or is it the opposite, in which power is being more evenly distributed among individuals to decide for themselves how to live? As humankind faces its next set of challenges (securing energy, climate change, industrialization of second-world nations), it will be interesting to see where these powers are shifted to in order to tackle this substantial set of global challenges.

I will be attending graduate school at McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, to pursue my Master's degree in Electrical Engineering. I am excited to start a new chapter of my life in a completely different place, as an "international student." I hope to have the opportunity to meet distinctly original individuals from a variety of places and cultures to further expand my perspective on humanity and our beautiful world. From what I have learned throughout my life and from this class, the broader world presents so many exciting challenges and opportunities to embrace and to learn from, and I cannot wait to embark on that adventure.

Adolescent democracy

The more I learn about Taiwan, the more I'm fascinated. I starting looking up gay tolerance in Taiwanese society and ended up in a crash course study of Taiwanese government. It's interesting to read about the rapid development of this emerging democracy. Much of the country is fiercely independent and democratic. I think what's really impressive is that the country has been democratic for less than 20 years, and it's already considering legalizing same-sex marriage and making other such strides in social justice, much of the stuff that the United States has a long ways to go before doing.


Taiwan intrigues the hell out of me. Its economy is blooming, and its democracy appears to be undergoing its adolescent stages. Of course, it's a work in progress, and the government faces lots of problems with corruption, taming urban development, pollution, awkwardness with China, etc.


Asian democracies are so much better, because they don't have to put as with as many crazy religious fanatics that try to impose their beliefs through the government onto all citizens. A majority of Taiwan is Buddhist, which better emphasizes the principles of tolerance and respect that I so firmly believe in.