The Importance of Living

La importancia de vivir es la obra de referencia en Occidente para conocer, desde una perspectiva moderna, la ancestral y rica cultura oriental. Asuntos como el sentido del ocio, la felicidad, la naturaleza, el viaje, la cultura o la religión son abordados por Lin Yutang con una amena combinación de conocimiento teórico y experiencia personal que lo convierten en un magnífico manual de sabiduría concreta que nos ayuda a conocernos a nosotros mismos y nuestras posibilidades. A partir a menudo de anécdotas en las que todos podemos reconocernos o de actitudes y comportamientos que no nos son ajenos, Lin Yutang invita a dedicarles una mirada crítica y a verlas con nuevos ojos.

Sternness of appearance and correctness of behavior are what we moderns tend to assume when thinking of the Confucian way in pre-modern China. However, Chinese thought and character have a lighter side which is explained in "The Importance of Living" (1937) by Lin Yutang (1895-1976). The book is a collection of essays with titles such as “On Having a Stomach,�€? “The Cult of the Idle Life,â€? “On Being Wayward and Incalculable,â€? and “Good Taste in Knowledge.â€? It was a best seller in the mid-1930s, as Americans were sympathetic with the Chinese who were suffering at the hand of Japanese invaders (Japan’s war against China cost about 20 million Chinese lives).

Lin show more mistrusted the arrogance of the intellect and scientism, the belief that the investigative methods of the physical sciences are applicable or justifiable in all fields of inquiry, such as psychology and politics. He writes:

"Philosophy in the Western sense seems to the Chinese eminently idle. … In its preoccupation with logic, which concerns itself with the method of arrival at knowledge, and epistemology, which poses the question of possibility of knowledge, it has forgotten to deal with the knowledge of life itself. . . . The German philosophers are the most frivolous of all; they court truth like ardent lovers, but seldom propose to marry her."

In the Taoist tradition, Lin says the point is not to “have a great philosophy or have a few great philosophersâ€? but rather it is “to take things philosophically,â€? to live in a way that makes life not only bearable but delightful. Reading is key to enjoying life: “… [I]f one knows the enjoyment of reading, one can study anywhere, even in the best schools.â€?

Aside from the sage advice of “Easy does it,â€? the other appeal of this book is that Lin provides translations of Chinese poets and idlers that readers would never find on their own. For instance, his passages from poet and “gay geniusâ€? Su Tungpo are wonderful. Su's four maxims for long life are in fact attainable: having leisure equals having power, going to bed early equals having wealth, a leisurely stroll is as enjoyable as a drive, and eating late is as good as eating meat. As Lin was bilingual, the translations are trustworthy and smooth. Anyway, this book is a delight. show less

The Importance of Living is a number of essays about the importance of enjoying life and ways to do so. In some ways, the author's ideas are kind of silly, but they are presented in such a non-pushy way that they the unpleasant ideas are easy to forget. However, his attitudes towards women are infuriating. At one point the author talks about how it is best for people to be natural... and women require lipstick to be natural. At another point, he makes this statement

Is it merely because woman is more charming and more graceful in a chiffon dress than in a business jacket, or is it merely my imagination? The gist of the matter seems to lie in the fact that women at home are like fish in water. Clothe women in business jackets and men will

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regard them as coworkers with the right to criticize, but let them float about in georgette or chiffon one out of the seven office hours in the day and men will give up any idea of competing with them, and will merely sit back and wonder and gasp.

This book may have been first published in 1937, but I still find the attitude towards women in this book excessively condescending.

Still, the general message of the book was nice, although not particularly noteworthy or inspiring. I agree that it is good to take things easily and to notice the world around us and appreciate nature and each other. It is good to make sure one's truths are consistent with human nature as well as with logic. show less

A witty and humane book that ranges in the most relaxed of ways over two millenia of Chinese writing about how we should live. Marred only by a short section containing atavistic views abut women, this is a marvellously refreshing rumination about how to be happy.

So far, Yuntang succeeds in balancing some excesses of European philosophy - and my nemesis, the Beast Critical Pedagogy - by essaying on his experiences with Chinese philosophy. An exception to this: the Confucious-laden musings.

I first read this book in 1962 and it has been the cornerstone of my philosophy ever since. The essence of the philosophy can be summed up in a quote at the beginning of the book, "Only those who take leisurely what the people of the world are busy about can be busy about what the people of the world take leisurely." It also warns about the dangers of too much concern with wealth, fame and accomplishment.

'[T]here are plenty of historical guides that offer sound advice on leading a joyful and fulfilling life in tumultuous times. Take The Pillow Book, for example, a magnificent collection of lists, gossip and life hacks written in around 1,000AD by Sei Shonagon, a lady of the Japanese court. Or Chinese writer Lin Yutang’s wry 1937 guide, The Importance of Living, whose chapters include “The scamp as ideal” and “On tea and friendship”. I’m drawn to texts that traverse the wide landscape of pleasure and humour over those that offer bristling plans of action.' — Nilanjana Roy, in the Financial Times https://www.ft.com/content/586309a1-3939-4936-b3a6-3bba2f2f2328