philosophy

A client from New York asked me what I do when I get stressed. I told her: I read the Tao Te Ching. She looked at me funny — she was expecting "yoga" or "a glass of wine" maybe. But I've been reading it for over a decade now. Someone gave me a copy years ago, and it stuck. There's a line I think about a lot when work gets overwhelming: "The best way to fill a cup is to empty it first." (I'm paraphrasing — the original is more elegant.) I'm not saying you need to read ancient Chinese philosophy to enjoy China. But if you visit a Taoist temple — like Qingyang Palace in Chengdu or the temples on Qingcheng Mountain — sit quietly for a few minutes before pulling out your phone. Read the inscriptions on the pillars. Watch the incense smoke rise. You don't need to understand every character to feel what the space is trying to say. Most tourists photograph the building and leave. The ones who stay a little longer are the ones who remember it differently.

One of my guests from Germany pointed at the Laozi quote in the hotel lobby yesterday. Asked me what it means. I told her: A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. She smiled — said that is exactly why she booked this trip. You see Tao Te Ching everywhere in China. Not just in books. On office walls, restaurant scrolls, park stones. Its how people here actually think, even if they have not read it.