A review by strath
The Importance of Living by Lin Yutang

5.0

I regard the discovery of one’s favorite author as the most critical event in one’s intellectual development.
-Lin Yutang

My exposure to Chinese culture and philosophy comes, these days, through my experiences with Tai Chi Chuan and various other martial arts and Qigong. This study brings me close to many Chinese and Taiwanese people. None are more gracious, accepting, and friendly. I appreciate how their culture blends into ours so seamlessly.

Lin Yutang’s The Importance of Living is, to me, the best exploration of this blending and this contrast between our two peoples.

He is an essayist, writer, philosopher, linguist, and a cultural critic, among other many talents. And, The Importance of Living deserves to be on your bookshelf. From his table of contents get a quick feel of what you will experience: Approach to Life, Spirit and Flesh, On Being Mortal, On Having a Mind, On Human Dignity, On the Sense of Humor, How About Human Pleasure, On Growing Old Gracefully, On Conversation, The Art of Reading, The Art of Writing, and last but not least, The Return to Common Sense…

The best peek at this work is the blurb on the book’s cover:

‘The Classic Bestseller that Introduced Millions to the Noble Art of Leaving Things Undone.’

You will laugh. You will cry. You will wonder what in the heck you have done with your life.