Tonight, I heard a story from the instructor in school. She told us that, one day, a worker in our school restaurant asked her about a man in white shirt. When our instructor asked her why she asked. She replied, "The man seems a bit quarky and always talks to himself!"
Continually, our instructor told us about his story that ----this man is a math professor. When he first came to our school to teach, he was only a Master degree teacher. After a few years, he decided to go to Germany for the Ph.D and broke up with his GF at that time. Because his GF thought it would be too difficult to get the Ph.D in Germany. It took him many years to get his degree and finally he was back again in campus to teach, but he was never as normal as before. Sometimes, according to our instructor, he would sit alone in the restaurant having his lunch or dinner, laughs or talks happily to himself.
Our instructor explained that, perhaps, he was too involved in his mathematic world that he forgot how to get along with people. If he could have paused a little bit more and looked around, he wouldn't have disconnected to the world around him and ended up alone all by himself in his middle age.
This is not just a sad story, but also a very retrospective one! Maybe I've mentioned before on my blog, how I am scared of the academic world with all fascinating things but might have forced people to sacrifice the youth and time and might end up alone without a family!
The academic paths for us here are quite different from the ones people have in Western countries! At least, from the part I've observed.
There are many people nowadays in Taiwan having Master degrees. Some of them got theirs abroad, some studied in Taiwan. But the qualities vary greatly from the reputation of schools and majors!
However, getting a Ph.D isn't an option for everyone who has a Master. Because it is difficult and many who get them will wait until they are older with a better finance! This only shows how poorly our government is to support the academic study! They would spend tons of money on the high speed train that isn't safe at all or the corrupted national health insurance, but wouldn't willing to help out those who are academic talented. Those who want to get Ph.D need, either to have rich parents or have to wait later on thier lean saving!
Their goals, then, will consume their energy on busing making money and when they finally able to realize their dreams, they would be too old to settle down.
You might wonder why they can't get married first, have families and then continue their studies?
It has something to do with our traditional conventions! Taiwanese conventional values are all about having better lives and making money!
Until now, many parents or either young people themselves would think that it is irresponsible to not making money, leaving your family aside and pursuing your dream in study. They don't find that realistic! They don't see the values of the academic studies, especially on Humanism and Art subjects. The ones that don't make profits.
Therefore, if someone is a Ph.D in Science, Bi0-Tech or Electronics. People would give off the admiration. But if you mentioned, you study in art history or history or like me, literature.
They wouldn't even have a clue about what your major is and how that could help you make more money!
So, the whole cultural background we're facing in Taiwan leave many who are pursuing their higher educations alone facing themselves with their studies and ended up either single forever or psychological mal-funcitoned!
Of course, they are fortunate ones that they have their partners by their sides to understand them and support them spiritually! But I would say, those are fewer and far between!
I, sometimes, asked myself, why I always fancy a life surrounded by books and academic study?
There was one story to this question!
When I was in high school, I had a classmate ( I studed in Catholic Girl's school.) Her parents were both professors in the same Univeristy teaching Geography! When she told me how her parents would do research together or how they've devoted in their studies. I was like, "Wow, that is the life I want!"
I really do, seriously! My parents were like many other else. Mom is a housewife, and Dad is a hard-working worker who works all his life in a rountine way!
I told myself, I ain't going to live myself like myself working on something that never gonna change. It is like a brain-dead functioning on something!
But, seeing a case like the math teacher in our school. I wonder how I would have the courage to continue my dream without a spiritual one around?
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