Vice President Annette Lu delivered an address at National Yang-Ming University, encouraging those present to find new meanings in life based on "productivity, living, ecology and life" and exchanged opinions with attendees afterward.
The Vice President first affirmed that President Wu Yen-hua is an outstanding woman, adding that it is even more incredible that she also holds a post as an information technology advisor for the President. Lu introduced her address by saying that the main point is that it is everyone's duty, from birth until death, to learn how to make life more meaningful and to explore the value of humanity and life.
The Vice President told students that the era of globalization has already come and that exchange of human resources is a major trend. Technological developments have extended human life, but the result is that there are greater challenges for modern individuals, forcing us to ask: "What ultimately is the meaning of life?" The Vice President said, we are miniscule in the universe we live and thus, as we face the universe and Mother Nature and as we pursue new knowledge and technology, we should be very humble when considering the accomplishments of human kind and instead be more generous in our devotion to heaven, in our respect for the land and in our love for one another—not one of which may be overlooked.
The Vice President said that she has experienced every type of difficulty in her life. At the age of 30, she was diagnosed with cancer and nearly lost her life. At 32, she was sentenced to 12 years in prison for giving a 20-minute speech on the day of the Kaohsiung Incident. Her mother died while in captivity and she was unable to pay respects in person and cried nonstop. She had thought that she had suffered everything a person could possibly bear, only to be shot at the age of 60 while riding in the presidential motorcade with President Chen Shui-bian while running for re-election.
The Vice President told the students that her reason for sharing these events in her life with the students was primarily to make them aware that, in life, it is up to them to maintain control. Although one may have no control over the circumstances of life and death, one is responsible for one's own health and determining the meaning of life is the responsibility of every individual. How one aims to fill life with joy and honor is something that every one must examine.
The Vice President also commented on the relationship between technology and power, saying that with constant technological innovation, new methods of death and destruction are being invented. To be placed in a position of power is to bear an even greater responsibility, so to have a balance between technology and power is the only way to improve the livelihood of the people. Humanity therefore must not push the limits of nature. In other words, man and nature must maintain a mutually beneficial relationship for growth. This paragenesis is the source of human wealth and it is only this way that we may obtain a greater level of protection.
During the question-and-answer session after her speech, the Vice President emphasized that Taiwan is in full support of international cooperation in medical treatment and prevention of epidemics and said she hopes that hygiene, health care and disease prevention become matters irrespective of borders. Efforts instead must be made for the world as a whole. In keeping with this hope, she said that the Democratic Pacific Union (DPU) she had established this year (2005) has included the establishment of the Pacific Disease Prevention Center and that the Pacific Disaster Relief Center will be established on December 26, 2005, on the first anniversary of the devastating earthquake-begotten tsunami. She also vowed that more funding would be forthcoming for scholarships and other purposes. She finally encouraged students to do their part to uphold health standards and to work toward technological advancement.