A cool breeze blows this afternoon at Tainan's Confucius Temple. Spotting a powerful stanza of calligraphy, I read it to myself: "The way of great learning consists of manifesting virtue, being close to the people, and abiding in goodness… There is a proper order for all things. All affairs have a beginning and an end"… Oops, I read it wrong. It's: "All affairs have an end and a beginning."

It suddenly dawns on me: If you do not know where you want to go, where do you start?

Is this not a frequent complaint among Taiwanese? University students often wonder, "What am I going to do in the future?" Intellectuals frequently complain that "the country lacks vision and direction." And the average person worries, "Will tomorrow be better?"

What Is Taiwan's Different Road?

Some people hope to see Taiwan strike out in a different direction. But what is the road that Taiwan should take?

Looking back and observing closely, it becomes apparent that Taiwan is already well on the way. Our steps may be faltering, and obstacles may lie in our path, but the bumpy road has taken shape.

On the road of freedom and democracy, Taiwan has taken the lead in the Chinese world. Yet having achieved democracy, Taiwan still lacks clarity. The people enjoy extensive freedom, but are still feeling out the appropriate boundaries of liberty.

Several changeovers in power have boosted the public's confidence in democracy and prepared them to better accept election outcomes. However, for their part most politicians continue to treat the balance of power as a life-or-death struggle.

In contrast to the upper echelons of Taiwan's democratic power structure and establishment, which could still use some deepening and refinement, the people's autonomous power and democratic caliber have risen significantly.

The people have become accustomed to social progress pushed from the bottom to the top. Beyond resistance and fighting for rights, it is possible to form partnerships with the government through participatory democracy, working together to resolve issues.

The people not only have power, they have power to do good.

Taiwan's culture of volunteerism has made beaches and neighborhoods clean, and hospitals more pleasant and friendly. The environs are more lovely, libraries and museums are more inviting, and elementary schools in remote areas receive assistance for reading programs. Volunteer culture has lent a layer of warmth to society.

The kindness and selflessness of the citizenry, from the elderly vegetable seller Chen Shu-chu to retired soldier Hung Chung-hai, have become the distinguishing color of Taiwan in numerous world media reports.

Delight in helping others, both in thought and action, has taken root like a robust desert cactus.

Moved by a book they read, students at Changfu Elementary School, located in the remote mountains of Nantou with a student body of just 41 – mostly indigenous children – took action, and raised funds for a water storage tank for a poor village in Nepal. Lacking clean water, nearly one-fifth of the village's children die from infectious malaria.

Eight students from the school compiled their hand-drawn illustrations into a book, offering it for sale everywhere they went. Raising NT$110,000 in donations, they collected enough to build the water tank. They gave this act of volunteerism to themselves as their graduation gift.

Wherever disasters strike around the world, volunteers from the Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation rush to help out and start feeding people. And as the "kindness" campaigns of various religious organizations in Taiwan, advocating "speaking well, doing good deeds, keeping good thoughts," and the Smile Taiwan movement spread out and reach more people, the kindness and good will of Taiwanese people have come to dominate the impressions of foreign visitors.

When passengers disembark from taxis or buses, they and the drivers thank each other. People scramble to give up their seats to others on the rapid transit system. Such acts have become second nature among the Taiwanese.

After visiting Taiwan, one executive of a financial media outlet in China could not help but marvel, "It's like coming to the land of the virtuous."

Beautiful Island, Kind Island

Tolerance of diversity and respect for the environment and different species have become integrated in people's lives in Taiwan. Moving along the green, tree-lined thoroughfares of Dunhua, Renai, and Zhongshan North Road in Taipei, one cannot help but feel a sense of contentment and pride. Towns, villages, and neighborhoods almost try to outdo one another planting trees and flowers, and the people embrace and yearn to live in clean, beautiful surroundings.

Of course, dilapidated old structures still mar one's view behind the lush green boulevards, and rusted window bars and jumbled electric cables are closely juxtaposed with astonishingly creative back alley shops. Yet it is clear that a beautiful Taiwan has become everyone's shared vision.

Taiwan's beauty extends beyond the mountains, rivers and shores. More importantly, people's hearts should be beautiful.

The Taiwan Tourism Bureau's latest campaign slogan, Taiwan – The Heart of Asia, was conceived to spread the goodwill and warmth of the Taiwanese people to foreign visitors. Ilha Formosa, the beautiful island, can also be an island of kindness.

Perched at the edge of coastal China, Taiwan is taking the lead in embracing the world, taking a path in pursuit of beauty colored by democracy, freedom, diversity, tolerance, respect and sustainability. Let us look forward to the contributions that this lovely experiment will make to the Chinese people, Asia, and the entire world.

Hope abides, as long as one is on the road.

Translated from the Chinese by David Toman