Four million years. Plate against plate.
Taiwan: forever rising, forever starward.

Freedom and democracy did not fall from the sky.
They were forged under intense pressure —
cultivated by the blood, sweat and tears of those who came before us.

Polarization has long been considered a fire to be extinguished.
But in Taiwan, we learned a new way.

We learned that as the youngest tectonic island in the world,
crashing plates
give rise to a majestic verdancy.

We built a geothermal democracy —
the crashing plates turned
into positive energy for renewal.

This is the challenge for all democracies facing backsliding:
not to silence
but to channel conflict.

AI must not divide us with outrage.
It must connect us through uncommon ground.

We the people are the true superintelligence.

To be Taiwan’s first Right Livelihood Laureate
is not my honor alone — it is ours.

To everyone who etched their mark on digital freedom,
to everyone waging peace across the globe:
Thank you.

婆娑之洋，美麗之島。
公民之國，萬華之中。

(Pronounced huā, meaning flourishing, as in the classical phrase ‘spring blossoms and autumn fruit’ 春華秋實.)

Swirling ocean. Beautiful islands.
A transcultural republic of citizens.

Let’s free the future — together.