Author: Luka Walls

#64 “…. A tree too big to embrace is born from a slender shoot. A nine-story rises from a pile of earth. A thousand-mile journey begins with a single step. Act and you ruin it. Grasp and you lose it. Therefore the Sage does not act and so does not ruin Does not grasp and… Continue reading Tao te Ching

Letter from Feng Yen to his Brother-in-law After reading this passage, it made me think about how many times in Chinese culture, marital partners are picked for you instead of it being a choice. We see Feng-Yen in his old age wishing he had left his wife earlier but didn’t have it in him to… Continue reading Feng Yen

Wisdom of Confucius “If there is nothing that man loves more than life, then does he not permit himself to do anything in order to save it? And if there is nothing that man hates more than death, then why does he not always avoid dangers that could be avoided? And so there are times… Continue reading Mencius

Flame by Ha Jin is story of a past love, from the military writing to the main character Nimei, to just reacquaint and see how she’s doing. Nimei, dumbstruck, agreed to their meeting and looked forward to seeing her old friend. Except Nimei, as well as the old lover, currently have families and have seemingly… Continue reading Flame

Poem 8 reads, “Best to be like water. Which benefits the ten thousand things And does not contend. It pools where humans distain to dwell, Close to the Tao. Live in a good place. Keep your mind deep. Treat others well. Stand by your word. Make fair rules. Do the right thing. Work when it’s… Continue reading Tao Te Ching

A Tiger Fighter is Hard to Find is a story about a scene director who struggles with shooting a scene about a fight between a man and a tiger. Originally the scene is done with a fake tiger but, the show caught the provincial mayors attention and he decided wanted them to redo the show,… Continue reading The Tiger Killer

The main character finds work at an American-owned fried chicken restaurant in a Chinese city. When it came to Chinese based work, it revolved around giving everyone work and a secure wage. Since the restaurant is owned by an American, the owner operates his business differently paying his workers an hourly wage instead of a… Continue reading Cowboy Chicken