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The Path

What Chinese Philosophers Can Teach Us About the Good Life
Community comment are the opinions of contributing users. These comment do not represent the opinions of Tulsa City-County Library.
May 31, 2016bibliokrisp rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
This one took a while--it's full of ideas about Western and Eastern philosophies and how we can live our best life. The authors' main assertion is that we, citizens of Western cultures, have taken only the very basics of Chinese philosophy and bent them to fit our Western mindset. The authors posit that if we truly follow the teachings of Confucius, Mencius, Laozi and others, our focus should be outward--thinking of others and working to create the life and society that we want. The authors believe that because our world is forever changing, there is no such thing as fate or free will--with each decision we make, from what to eat, to thanking others, to our choice of a life partner, we live in an ever-changing world. Sometimes things seem to have played out well and sometimes not--but our lives are influenced by a mixture of our actions and the actions of others, as well as other external influences. If we want to learn new skills and live different lives, those possibilities are within our grasp, as long as we remain open to possibility and change.