BUDDHISM: Taiwan is a buddhist society in the same way that the Vatican is a Jewish society. There are temples everywhere, and people will tell me that they are buddhist. (I am not a theologian, but . . .) So you would expect lifstyles to reflect the Buddhist beliefs of the middle path and monasticism, right? Well, unfortunately that isn't the case in Taiwan. There are devout Buddhists here. They are few and far between, but they can be seen some places.

The majority of Taiwanese "Buddhists" seem more interested in acquiring possesions and making money than they do about attaining enlightenment. A Taiwanese Buddhist will often visit the temple and worship, but it will be in times when they want to gain something. Be it a high score, a raise, or the winning numbers in the lottery. I have seen puddles of rain water with more soul than the eyes of the children in this nation.

I have a theory that a nation's struggle and faith can be seen in the eyes of its children. Look at any African child, or any child from a country with a firm foundation in a belief system, and you will see the history of the nation. But in Taiwan all you see is vapid emptiness and loss. The children don't even seem aware of what they are doing. And I am not talking about babies. This is true in the eyes of teenagers as well.

Where this emptiness comes from I don't know. Is it a souless country? Or could it be the consumerism of the west's influence? Or is it the hours children spend in front of a computer playing on-line games? Whichever it is, there is a great ability in Taiwanese people to just stare blankly for tens of minutes at a time. Just empty wasted time.

This IS my first time in a "Buddhist" society so maybe I am just not accustomed to the lifestyle. But compared to Thailand there is no joy of life in Taiwan. They eat, sleep, study, and breath for one purpose: to produce and to consume. I asked a class of adults what their dream jobs were. I explained how I wanted to own an independant music store. I explained how teaching English in High School is also a dream I have. They are jobs that make me feel I will accomplish something and affect people's lives through literature and music. They told me that they wanted jobs that gave them lots of money and less responsibility. I again explained what a dream job was and they would still come back with: Systems Analysts cause it pays more than their current job.

Another facet of this nation is its consumption. Plain and simple consumption. Gasoline, food, alcohol, clothes, music, electronics, cars. It is a society of haves and will haves. There are few have nots. Everyone shops. Everyone wants a BMW and half of them have BMWs or mercedes. A luxury in most countries they are almost valuless because of the frequency that they drive by all day.

One reason this nation suffers from greed could be the West's influence, and they are great at copying. They see another nation do something well and they do it as well. Be it: music, movies,business, restaurants. And when they copy, there is a great enthusiasm. The people go all out to be like their American cousins. Starbucks is huge here. HUGE! I have never seen the insanity that pervails in a Starbuck's line-up.

So In all of my time in Taiwan, I have yet to find one person following the middle path. I don't think the middle path is possible in Taiwan. And if it is, where is the middle in a nation of capitalism?