The Importance of Living
Author: Yutang Lin, Lin Yutang
List Price: $26.00
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ISBN: 0688147178
Publisher: William Morrow (August, 1996)
Sales Rank: 116,200
Average Customer Rating: 4.47 out of 5
Customer Reviews
Rating: 5 out of 5
sipping tea with Lin
I am actually disapointed to find this book in wide circulation. A friend had introduced me to an old copy of 'The importance of Living' on the balcony of a mountain home in the Blue mountains, Sydney, Australia. The edition he showed me resembled a holy text, with its simple red cover and black insignia-character. On opening the cover of Yutang's book, the reader must peruse the contents. This is an intriguing read in itself. Chapters such as 'on having strong muscles' and the classics 'on tea and friendship' and 'on Luck' illustrate Yutang's unorthodox approach to life and philosophy. After reading Yutang, after immersing myself in his slow and simple prose style, I decided, as I am sure many before me have, to live my life by his recommendations, to treat sleep, tea, friendship and leisure as Yutang himself would. So profound was my reaction to 'The importance of living', that I began to reproduce selections of text on my computer. I printed sections describing firecrackers and stuck them beside the front door. I 'blu-tacked' a section about the merits of lying sideways in bed just above my pillow. Soon the house was littered by the floating philosophy of Lin Yutang. I lived in that house for nearly one year. In that time, Yutang philosophy carried me through abject poverty. There is also reason to believe that my adopted Yutangisms were a major factor in the genesis of a whirl-wind and ultimately life-long relationship. Basically, read Yutang's wise words on life, adopt or reject his ideas after long, easy, tea-drenched contemplation. I gaurantee you will not emerge unchanged.
Rating: 3 out of 5
Good essence under complicated cover
What I like about this book is the author's eloquence in evaluating simple acts in our life taken as granted (e.g. laying down, drinking tea, having a nice conversation) and in bringing out their simplicity yet beauty. In this manner, he teaches us how to enjoy them as they are and therefore gain a deeper appreciation of life itself. This book is like a reminder of things that we already knew but became forgotten as we grow older and is a collection of concrete philosophical ideas that would enrich our way of living.
The downside of this book is the tendency of the author to be verbose and to use complicated expressions. It is somewhat a vocabulary marathon to understand what he writes, not to mention the chinese expressions oftenly used without clear explanation (even with the explanation summary at the end of the book). The other is the impresssion of somewhat chinese-centric and xenophobic writing style.
In conclusion, this book is valuable in the way it reminds us the importance and enjoyment of living. It is however not an easy reading, and his writing style needs some getting used to.
Rating: 5 out of 5
Offers a complete philosophy of life
This is a true modern classic (to those who consider 1937 modern anyway). Lin Yutang offers a meandering, informal look at life, happiness, the differences between Eastern and Western cultures, the enjoyment of food and many other things. What I like best about this book is not what it argues for or advocates (Yutang is about as far from an academic philosopher as you can get) but the joy and wisdom he injects into every paragraph. He is often considered a Chinese thinker, but this is only partially true. His very broad studies and experiences make him a true cosmopolitan, the sort it is hard to find today. The Importance of Living is really a call to appreciate the earthly pleasures of life and not take so seriously the overrated follies of modern civilization. You don't have to completely agree with his views to appreciate his style. The ideal life for Lin Yutang is that of a lazy, wandering Taoist scholar. Not a humorless ascetic, but someone who approaches life with a sense of humor and an ability to enjoy the small pleasures. Yutang identifies himself as a hedonist (later in life he became Christian, but that's another story). There are many self help and new age books out today that tell you how to live a simpler, more spiritual life. This book tells you the same thing in a way that is far wittier and less sanctimonious.
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