And honestly speaking, there are too many things that need to be changed in Taiwan. Senior citizens need to be taken care of, and they need to have better access to better caretakers. Farmers need to have new ways to survive once Taiwan opens up for free trade with China and the US. Young people need job opportunities, but they also need better schools and universities for their children. We also need to have less devastating disasters, less over-urbanization, and less disparity in living standards. Most importantly, there is still the biggest change needed of all: someone has to come up with a national vision for survival and then be able to convince the people as a whole to labor and sacrifice for that vision. These are not changes that will happen simply by stuffing more cash into red-envelope government hand-outs or posting a message about their mood in the mornings on Facebook.

So to me, this election was not simply another chance to take out my blue and green crayons and count up who got more seats. Of course there had been young politicians entering the race and there will be more, but it is encouraging that there may be a chance that  we will see some change happening. Will they be the new agents of change? Will they be swallowed by the old system? This struggle is something worth paying attention to.

Finally, for those of you who did not get elected, I would still believe that you will one day be an important piece of the future’s political puzzle. For those who got elected, I wish you all the wisdom, wits, and luck that you will need. For those who won in a landslide, I sincerely hope that you will use all of our support and faith in you, and really take us somewhere new. It will not be easy, but I know you did not sign up because it’s an easy job.