By Mu Zhen, Taiwan

When I was little, I was a smart and sensible kid and so I always received the loving care of my parents, relatives and friends. Because I always got good grades at school and was kind and easygoing, I was well liked by teachers and classmates. During that time, I was full of hope for the future. Much to my surprise, however, when it came time to test for high school, I missed qualifying for the top girls’ school by half a point and was admitted instead to a second-grade school. I was so unable to accept what had happened that I locked myself in my room for two days and refused to eat or drink. That was the first time I had experienced failure in my life—I felt as if I had fallen into an abyss and I was wracked with torment and pain.

When school started up again, I went to orientation feeling deeply depressed. During orientation, a se ... Read more »