The Importance Of Living

Rating:
Summary: Good essence under complicated cover
Review: 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.