ESSAY FOR YAMS MAGAZINE (MAY 1997)

“What does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul?” -- Mark 8:36

We Taiwanese-Americans find ourselves at a critical juncture. We wonder how (or if) to preserve our heritage as we assimilate into society. We wonder what our voice is in a nation where racial issues are only seen in “black” and “white.” And we wonder what our stance should be concerning the political and economic development of our homeland.

I hope that we will continue to struggle with these issues, for they are relevant and significant. But I hope that in the midst of these discussions, we won’t lose sight of the privileges that have been bestowed upon us by our forefathers, and the responsibilities they place upon us as a generation. Having been blessed by our parents’ diligence in work ethic, a commitment to family, and a focus on education, we Taiwanese-Americans have inherited access to support, skills, and opportunities not enjoyed by many of our peers. How will we respond?

I have heard and experienced the pangs of being Taiwanese-American, dealing with the natural misunderstandings and disagreements that arise when different cultures and generations collide. Rather than venting frustration at “parents who don’t understand,” I would like to commend my parents and their generation for several admirable attributes.

I admire the pioneering spirit of my mother, who when asked what it was like to leave home to attend graduate school in America, simply replied, “I bought a one-way ticket.” I respect those who have not only learned how to understand and assimilate into a foreign society, but have had to adapt to and help manage the cultural and social development of their children. Now that I live and work in inner-city West Philadelphia, where neither home nor school is a source of stability or edification for kids, I appreciate my parents more deeply for being committed to one another, to my sister and I, and to our education.

I will not be satisfied with our generation if it does not matter to us that we are Taiwanese; it would be tragic to lose such a cultural distinctiveness. I will also not be satisfied if it only matters that we are Taiwanese, and that all we spend our time on is “Taiwanese” issues, to the exclusion of issues which relate to all Americans: poverty, justice, racial reconciliation, etc.

And I will not be satisfied with our generation if we parlay our parent-nurtured intelligence, our parent-taught diligence, and our parent-subsidized education into worldly riches and prestige, to the exclusion of responsibility to our families and concern for the less fortunate. I fear that many of us will choose the road of material wealth, and find at the end that it has profited them nothing.

If there is one thing I have learned from my parents that I would want to pass on to my children, it is this: there is no investment which can reap a greater return on our time, money, and attention than our children. And to this, Jesus has added to me another piece of investment advice: “Sell your possessions, and give to charity; make yourselves purses which do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near, nor moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Luke 12:33-34).

My hope and prayer for us Taiwanese-Americans is that we will not irresponsibly pursue treasure in this life to the forfeiting of our soul, but that we will invest our lives in loving people, especially the poor, and make for ourselves lasting treasures.