What happened to Taipei

410202073

英美三吳晟華

What Happened to Taipei

In my childhood memory, Taipei was a dream land for those who wants to do something with their lives, a city one can chase dreams and there was no restriction to anybody. I lived in SHE-ZI, one of the places that were known for warm hospitality.

By the time, I lived with my father and his two sibling’s families, that is, a total of 15 people in a three storey house. One step out of the door and it was the middle of the local market. I was able to find everything the whole family need for daily life in the community.

Just a few years later, those who chased dreams had succeeded, those who seek opportunities had seized them, as a result, all the wealth they gathered in Taipei stuck the traffic. So the government pave new roads and new plan for the city. The market was wiped from the map because wider streets were necessary, and the grocery I used to buy daily necessities reinvested into café. The one family I used to live in, split into three.

Now I can hardly recognize my home, dreams are only for those who have degree of famous University and colorful portfolio, and what’s even worse is that those who already lived in have to spend their life only on surviving.

The blind worship of success and money developed a culture that worship money as success, and success as the only value of life. This culture not only cause the life style of Taipeiness to become tensive and restless, but pitiless. Everything must be effective and productive, those who can keep up are simply not working hard enough. Furthermore, living in the so called “sick” society, people in Taipei are more likely to have a mental issue above all other provinces, and that had caused innocent people to lose their life.

Perhaps in this age of changing it is time to make a difference, to make a balance between “Lifeing” and actually living before it is too late. Last time I checked, the toy shop I spend my childhood life is still to be found in the alley.