郭啟二 Stanley Kuo

Stanley Kuo_JTCA Israel Study Tour Review  

I. What is the essence of Israel? 
A. The operational logic of a prism 
A prism is an optical element, consisting of three flat mirrored surfaces, forming th appearance of a triangular prism. It has various functions in optical applications,  including dispersion, refraction, reflection, et 
Focusing and scattering are among the basic optical properties of a prism, which  depend on the angle of light incidence and the geometric shape of the prism. When  a light ray hits a face of the prism from the air or other mediums at a certain angle, it  gets refracted or reflecte 
Based on the incident angle and the geometric shape of the prism, the light ray may  get reflected multiple times before eventually being refracted or reflected out. If  faces of the prism are well-designed, the light can be focused through the prism,  i.e., bent and converged to a specific focal point. This focusing can be applied i many optical systems, such as laser beam focusing, imaging, etc. 
On the other hand, if the faces of the prism are designed differently, the light migh get scattered, i.e., dispersed without being focused on a point. This scattering can  be used for spectrographs or other applications that need to break down light into  different wavelengths. Note that the specific focusing and scattering effects d on the geometric shape of the prism, the characteristics of its surfaces, and the  properties of the incident light. 
Therefore, different prism designs and application scenarios might generat different focusing and scattering effe 
B. The angle from which we view the world 
If the essence of things (rerum natura) exists, sorry for being a bit pedantic here...  it's like light, entering the 'mirror' and 'dispersing, refracting, reflecting' into differ 'colors'. 
What is the mirror? It's the angle from which we observe, whether as a collective or  an individual, the nation, society, or the individual. Through dispersion, refraction,  reflection, this can be thought of as the process after observing the changes an operations of the world, how a thing operates in society, how different individual interact within society. How does it operate? How does it run? 
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In the end, it will turn into different colors. The key is this color. The color is th appearance of the world that we see. Assaff, devout believers see Israel as the hol city, believers in the startup nation see 98 unicorns. However, the 'colors' that are  'dispersed, refracted, reflected' in the 'mirror' are all illusions or not real becaus only the essence of the thing is real. But we can't see the form of the incoming light,  so we can only understand more different colors, understand how society operate and deals with, to restore the essence of things. Going a step further, even  understanding the essence of a thing is just a part of this world, but this world is  only a part of the universe, and the universe may also be a part of something. 
C. Trying to see the light of Israel 
"Our view of the world is like a mirror, through dispersion, refraction, reflection, w observe different colors. The mirror represents our perspective, it can be individual social, theoretical worldview, etc. Dispersion, refraction, reflection represent th process of changes in things in societal operation and interaction. The color  represents our cognition of the world, but these colors are all illusions, only the  essence of things is real. By understanding different colors and how societ operates, we get closer to restoring the essence of things. Furthermore, this  viewpoint allows us to think about narratives in a more 'meta' way, starting from  thinking about the essence of things, exploring different societal operation logic reasons, and their relationships.” 
II. An ancient people, a new nation 
"Israel is an ancient people, but a new nation. All actions of Israelis are linked to the  past and look forward to the future, shaping the appearance of this moment." 
Looking back at Israel, a beautiful but conflict-ridden place, there's so much wort writing about. Due to space constraints, I'll start with "Israel and Peace" and let's  think about it together. 
The most impressive part of the journey for me was the Peres Center for Peace and  Innovation, a non-profit organization named after former Israeli President Shimo Peres, committed to promoting peace, innovation, and cooperation. 
Peres had a strong desire and commitment to advancing the peace process. He  negotiated with Palestinian leaders, which resulted in the Oslo Agreement signed by  Israel and Palestine in 1993. This agreement laid the foundation for a peaceful  resolution to the conflict between Israel and Palestine and established mutua recognition and cooperation between the two sides. Peres's efforts and leadershi 
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provided a significant impetus to the peace process. He showed a willingness t listen, engage in dialogue, and compromise during the negotiation process, striving  to resolve disputes and contradictions between the two sides. His courage and  determination made him a key figure at the negotiating table, pushing forward th realization of peace. The Nobel Peace Prize awarded to Shimon Peres is an  acknowledgment and commendation of his achievements in the peace process. 
While there are still many conflicts between Israel and Palestine, with the idea o peace as the ultimate goal, I believe that Israel can still achieve peace with  neighboring countries. 
III. The Stone from Another Mountain: National Identity of Taiwan  from the Perspective of Israel 
How should we view the relationship between Taiwan and China from the Israel Palestine conflict? Within the island, we have many different positions, such different representations of one country? Two countries? There are still man disputes to this day, but the ultimate goal is still peace. 
What I care about is, peace is the goal, but what means should we use to achieve  it? 
Israel has strengthened its national defense capabilities, cultivated the ability to  confront long-term conflicts, and ensured peace. Although there are sporadi conflicts, the general public in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem is living in a very comfortabl and smooth life, and Israel's national defense policy has obviously played a role. 
Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs currently uses the "hedgehog defense strategy" which does not aim to compete with the mainland for air and sea dominance, but  seeks to increase the risks of invasion by a more powerful side at the lowest cost. In  simple terms, Taiwan gets hurt but China gets hurt even more. 
I believe the hedgehog strategy makes sense in its existence, but in reality, it  overlooks the fact that the majority of people lack a sense of combat or the desire  to protect their country, and peace may gradually move further away from Taiwan.