It takes courage to be your own individual in a hierarchical society still recovering from the traumatic experiences of its authoritarian past.

A Godzilla-like monster emerges from the waters and sees fireworks above the city. Intrigued, he dives and swims towards the seaside.

The city falls into panic and chaos as the monster, in awe by the urban spectacles, tours clumsily through the city streets, toppling buildings and shaking grounds, wreaking havoc wherever he goes. Police helicopters roam the sky in a search and destroy mission to eliminate the monster.

As the monster is under attack and defenseless, a fairy dragon flies to the rescue and takes the monster to safety under a bridge. The fairy dragon dresses the monster’s wounds and comforts him. By sunrise, the monster is himself again. He and the fairy dragon are joined by two other guardians. They look to the city with hope.

Like the feared, misjudged Godzilla-like monster, Taiwanese youth are a generation of misfits forced and indoctrinated by the society to fit in.

A 2018 OECD report reveals that Taiwan’s teenagers are the most fearful of failures. This phenomenon is a microcosmic reflection of Taiwan’s collective conservatism regarding personal financial security and hyper-vigilance towards unorthodox ideas and behaviors.

Such fear of shame and affinity towards conformity are the living, multi-generational legacy of Taiwan’s military authoritarian past and meritocratic ideal that are still pervasive in schools. Resistance often receives punitive feedback and divides public opinion, while reconciliation tends to be procedural.

But Taiwan is an ocean-bound country whose ancestors were explorers. To continue growing as a democracy, the courage to be different, to fail and fail better, to be fearless needs to be celebrated during Taiwanese younglings’ socialization process to nurture innovation and entrepreneurship mindsets. We wanted to help plant a seed.