I Met the Vice President of Taiwan. Here's Why the Meeting Stayed With Me

A little while ago, some colleagues and I got the opportunity to spend some time in Taiwan a short while back. We had the opportunity to meet the Vice President and other dynamic leaders. I got to ask Madame VP about a mutually shared value: democracy. Actually, let me back up. Before the meeting, I had read up a lot about her time at Oberlin College, which fueled her deep commitment to democratic values. So, it was quite gratifying to hear her reiterate the importance of democracy and why we must always resist fascism. It also didn't feel like lip service because she cited practical and significant instances: whether it was civic participation and social cohesion. For instance, as part of the open and free society ideals, they invited citizens to participate in a hackathon. When there was a massive flood in Eastern Taiwan, her former district, people volunteered en masse to help one another. When there is such cohesiveness in a society, undoubtedly, such society thrives. I should know this. One of the core aspects of my research shows the importance of social cohesion for reducing violence and fostering effective governance. Because of social cohesion, during COVID, they devised an innovative way to distribute PPE, further allowing citizens to participate in governance. On and on she went, narrating all the ways they have built democratic resilience and indeed democracy being a cornerstone of their national security resilience. It was heartening to hear her say she still believes democracy is the best form of government. I couldn't agree more. 

Book of the Month: The Farm by Joanne Ramos

I love a good book. And the book of this month is a reminder that there are still great books out there. The book follows the story of Jane, a Filipina immigrant in New York who becomes a "Host" at Golden Oaks, a luxurious secretive facility in New York where wealthy clients pay poor women to produce perfect babies. I know! Quite the story. In essence, the book explores class, poverty, motherhood, exploitation, and the commodification of surrogacy. The idea is that they get these women who are desperate and pay them a lot of money to stay at the Golden Oaks premise with all kinds of amenities: organic meals, personal fitness trainers, daily massages, but then on strict conditions such as not allowing them leave the grounds, monitoring every moment, and being cut off from all they know. What I found so fascinating wasn't quite Golden Oaks itself, but this exposition on the lives of the Filipina women clawing their way to better lives but almost always tumbling down to the depths of struggle because the forces are almost always unbelievable.