[Editor’s Note]Life Can Turn on a Dime

Su Hui-chao’s remark that “Life is short, and can change in an instant,” which appears in this month’s article “Hsu Lu’s Taitung Dream,” struck me to the quick. At the right moment, personal pain, cruel fate, and the capricious world can render even the simplest, most ordinary of statements fresh and meaningful.

The all too frequent heartlessness of fate makes it doubly fortunate that there is love in the world.

This month’s cover story, “Livable Communities: Connecting Neighbors into Networks,” includes pieces on Kaohsiung’s Jiaxian Community, which was pulled back to its feet by its elementary school tug-of-war team; the elderly members of Yilan’s Jinyue Community, who went searching for their roots in a helicopter; the tea-growing Pinglin District, which has recast itself as a travel destination; and Yilan’s E-Wang Community, which has earned an International Awards for Liveable Communities’ prize for its handicrafts revival.

It is the binding of one community to the next that gives rise to society in the larger sense. When possessed of compassion, these communities gain the resiliency to rise above nearly any circumstance. While such livable communities can form in a number of ways, all draw strength from an immutable truth: that no matter what disasters or misfortunes they encounter, their shared confidence and compassion will eventually bear them through their hardships.

The world may indeed be ever changing, but doesn’t that make change itself a constant?

November was an eventful month, with the 51st Golden Horse Awards on November 22 and local elections on November 29. While the results thrilled some and disappointed others, the more important takeaways from the two contests are that the festival has continued to help grow the audience for film and that the election has further developed democracy in Taiwan. “The Silver Screen: Film Festivals Boom in Taiwan” reports on two of Taiwan’s year-end film festivals.

Having personally experienced how concern and compassion can ease the pain life sometimes brings, I’d like to thank my colleagues at Taiwan Panorama for their support through a difficult time and to thank our readers for sticking with us in this oversaturated media environment. As we turn our gazes to the new year ahead, I’d also like to wish our dear colleagues, friends, and readers a wonderful new beginning.