Author: charrison

An interesting discussion that I would like to delve deeper into was about curiosity and how it is not always a good idea to satiate it. In The Cairo House, Gigi sneaks out of her bed, and she starts to roam around her home, stumbling upon a horrific site – a lamb being slaughtered for… Continue reading Reflection on the Opening Chapters of The Cairo House

Mother of Mencius was an insightful reading that allowed me to understand ideas of respect in Early China a little bit better. The beginning of the story brings up two areas that are, as I interpreted it, not well received amongst the populous for raising children: by a graveyard and a market. Confucian values rely… Continue reading Respect

Men are certainly creatures of emotion. They act with lust, love, empathy, and entitlement. My husband only acts with two of them. According to him, one of his lifelong regrets was not having a concubine during our “marriage”. Apparently, I was not enough to satisfy his needs and marriage is more of a transaction to… Continue reading A Letter to my Brother

“The gentlest thing in the world overcomes the hardest thing in the world.   That which has no substance enters where there is no space. This shows the value of non-action.   Teaching without words, performing without actions: that is the Master’s way.” (Daodejing #43)   I had to read this a couple of times… Continue reading Balance, Rocks, and Flowers

  “Knowing others is wisdom; Knowing the self is enlightenment. Mastering others requires force; Mastering the self needs strength.   He who knows he has enough is rich. Perseverance is a sign of willpower. He who stays where he is endures. To die but not to perish is to be eternally present.” (Daodejing #33)  … Continue reading Daoism and the Self

Menicus’s definition of a “great man” is something that everyone in the world needs to hear. Seriously. I know that that is said for many statements that are profound, but this is truly the exception. He defines a “great man” as someone who has not lost the heart of a child. When we think of… Continue reading What is a Great Man

I thought that the section titled “C” by Chuang Tzu was extremely thought provoking. The metaphor of the knife and life was especially interesting. The idea of trying to force something makes it so much harder, like the mediocre chef and his hacking. But if you were to let the knife, or life, guide you… Continue reading Control and Kitchen Knives

After watching the documentary, I was astonished by the desecration of the gravesite of one of the most influential philosophers known to man. I wanted to know more so I did a little bit of research, and I came across an interesting article that tackles the ideas of Anti-Confucianism and Pro-Confucianism and their effects on… Continue reading Reactions to Confucianism Over The Years

The poems of the Tao Te Ching were very interesting and extremely fun to read. The poems were, by definition, different in theme but when you look at them as a collective, you see the basis of the moral code of the religion itself. The poems are filled with these ideas that all flow together… Continue reading Tao Te Ching

In the short story, “Tiger Killers are Hard to Find”, themes of perfection, ambition, and heroism run deep. All these all work together in preparing the characteristics of a role model – which was the main reason the film was given a green light; the government wanted a role model, a hero, that embodied an… Continue reading Perfection and Heroism – Reflection on “A Tiger Fighter is Hard to Find”