The Importance Of Living

Lin Yutang was unlucky in his choice of the year to publish "The Importance of Living" -- 1939. This was the period of "The Gathering Storm," yet the author chose to make a "witticism" about the money Britain was spending on rearmament. He also seems to have felt that Russia was doing just fine, although it had a minor problem with Stalin. And he thought that Chinese wisdom and humor would see them through the years of crisis.The horror of what happened surpassed his imagination. Britain was not spending ENOUGH on rearmament, Stalin had yet to be revealed as the monster he was, and the Chinese fell victim to a megalomaniac, mass-murdering peasant named Mao, despite their wisdom and humor.Putting all this to one side, there is a lot of stuff in here to consider, and consider seriously. The Chinese philosophical and poetic tradition largely considers "wealth" and "fame" to be giant humbugs. And here we arrive at the importance of living. LIVING! So many people decide to work 14 hours a day, 7 days a week, in the hopes of gaining wealth or fame, that they never have time for themselves, where they can actually be lazy, smell the roses, and enjoy the real pleasures of life: raising children, a good meal, and drinking wine with friends.Later on, the author has a long section on marriage and raising children, which is obviously one of the most important things any society can do. But he does not seem to put his two halves together: women will not typically marry a penniless poet who enjoys drinking wine with friends. They may not want the man working 14 hours a day, but they will insist on a man who will stick with them and their children, and put food in their mouths.In any case, I hope I have given you a taste of the many topics covered in this book. Some of the discussions can be instantly dismissed because of history, but a number of them call for serious thought.

If your bookshelf can take the weight, get a hardbound edition circa the 1930's. This is the kindof book you'll want to revisit again and again; just open and read anything and you'll say 'yesss'. . .If you like what's written, learn about 'Wabi-Sabi' too, the Japanese equivalent to the Chinese philosophic values of simplicity and essential living. This Japanese rendition orients (untended pun) Wabi-Sabi to graphics... then carries it through to life. Wabi-Sabi: for Artists, Designers, Poets & Philosophers . Their famous tea ceremony exemplifies the beauty of purity and simplicity, as does Yutang in this fine book.Amazon offers three pages of books regarding Wabi-Sabi; some are 'decorative'coffee-table books and most of those are rather superficial. Shop carefully.Another Wabi-Sabi book I much appreciate is  In Praise of Shadows . Delving into both Chinese and Japanese perspectives is not redundant; the differences just go to give further depth and understanding. Oh: The only Western take on 'less is more' thinking which occurs to me is via Mies Van Der Rohe, a noted architect; that 'less is more' line is his.Americans especially, with their yen (another pun, intended) for embellishment/ego-centric fashionsaimed at impre$$ing others would benefit greatly by the concepts of Lin Yutang and Wabi-Sabi.Another point: Elsewhere at Amazon, the author credited is 'John Day'; actually, the reference is the John Day Company; publishers (maybe of this fine book in the 1930s; hope that misinformation will be straightened out... LIN YUTANG should be credited with this masterpiece.

Lin Yutang was no doubt an interesting fellow, but very long winded. After reading Tom Hodgekinsons books about idleness and freedom, I was interested in this book because it was mentioned a lot by Tom. Not nearly an easy read and I wish it could be shortened by at least a half. Much of what he said makes sense but I wish it was more of how one should live and less of ramblings not pertaining to living. All in all, its ok. Would definitely recommend Freedom manifesto and How to be idle by Tom hodgekinson

Clean book and faster than expected shipping. Would definitely purchase from again in the future.

Great book about how to enjoy the simpler things in life and how not to let life pass you buy without being fully immersed and active in it. Allows/encourages one to inspect what one does to earn a living, and how much time is spent doing this without true enjoyment of what is truly important. Great advice for surviving and prospering in today's modern, very hectic lifestyle.

I felt the need to leave an alternate opinion quickie-review as I love older chinese writing (all of Cao Xueqin, Pu Songling, Lu Xun, The Monkey stories, chinese folktales, myths, and so on) and was looking forward to this after reading the online reviews. I was very very disappointed. I admit I did not read the whole book, maybe I will go back to it someday, but I found it at times offensive (women should dress in chiffon and stay out of the business mans world!??) as well as that annoying "get rid of your ego and just be happy enjoying the breath you inhale" sort of advice. I am not a big feminist but gee, describing us in fabric choices was a bit much. And blatent anit-ego stuff....I can't bear that either. Others seem to love this book online and if you would like my copy, let me know. I didn't.

This is an English language classic. Everyone should read The Importance of Living. Mr. Lin speaks on living from a Chinese point of view. Highlights include relaxation--Chinese vs. Western. Mr. Lin was a well-known and well-respected English language writer in the first half of the twentieth century. One caveat, this book being written when it was, does contain a chapter on the enjoyment of tobacco. I have read this book many times. It is in my top ten non-fiction books.

if you are into chinese culture or into philosophy then i recommend to read this book atleast the one time.i really enjoyed reading it the first time, and when i have some spare time i will read it again.

Just to give an idea of how great this book is here is a quote from it that is on the wall above my desk at work:'Miserable indeed is a world in which we have knowledge without understanding, critisism without appreciation, beauty without love, truth without passion, righteousness without mercy, and courtesy without a warm heart.'Enough said.

WONDERFUL BOOK READING OF IT FLOWS ANS SERVICE TO US WAS EXCELLENT

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Excellent product. In fantastic condition. Will definitely purchase from this seller again.Thank you.