The days of the Bamboo Curtain are gone. To know how to intelligently proceed on any issue, such as cross-strait relations, we must have a clear view of the situation. To do this as a nation, we have to step back and view the situation in its totality. This is our karma, the root of our current situation. According to Buddhist theory, both individuals and groups have karma.
Fate is blind and predestination implies no hope for change.
Karma simply states that our present situation as a nation or as individuals is conditioned by past events. We, as individuals or nations can improve the future by action in the present. Regrettably our current leadership does not seem to possess either the insight or moral courage of the Dalai Lama in reflecting on how our actions have placed us in the difficult and dangerous situation we are in regarding China. Nor is it my purpose to be an apologist for China. The vast majority of its policies are, in my analysis, despicable.