Prof. Si-Kuen Lee Shares Life Experiences with SCU Students

Prof. Si-Kuen Lee of National Taiwan University shared his insights on life and overseas internships with more than 60 Soochow students at SCU’s Downtown Campus on May 7, 2018. This was one of the series speeches arranged by the Soochow University Branch of Association Internationale des Étudiants en Sciences Économiques et Commerciales (AIESEC) for students who are going to or planning to be an intern abroad.

"One’s life may focus on 3Bs: body, brain and belief," Professor Lee explained, while drawing three shapes on a blackboard: a pyramid, an inverted pyramid, and a square. According to his analogy, a pyramid is small and slim at its top and bulky and heavy at its bottom, symbolizing a life centered around “body,” which means just doing but without thinking. By contrast, an inverted pyramid represents the opposite, demonstrating a life focusing too much on “brain,” that is, mostly thinking without actions. So it would be best and more balanced to combine the two triangles to make the shape of a square, indicating a life guided by “belief,” which means “in love with” in German. Because of this belief, or love, one’s body and brain will be carried forward, making plans and taking actions to chase dreams and seize opportunities such as overseas internships to explore the unknown.

Lee further mentioned three key factors that influence one’s “belief” -- life, freedom and the pursuit of excellence. He said that people only realize how precious life is when they are about to lose it; and only when they lose freedom can they understand the value of freedom. He even recommended that each student apply for a try-out experience at a prison to feel the importance of freedom.

Finally, Lee found out that Taiwanese people have a special inclination to pursue excellence as they invented more than 100 varieties of foul language to curse others. He encouraged students to be willing to take risks, understand the meaning of life, and develop unlimited potential. Overseas internships may pose a lot of unknown challenges; however, Lee suggested, as long as one hold and stick to his or her beliefs, he or she will succeed.