In Kevin Kim’s excellent book Water from a Skull (which I will be commenting on in greater detail as time permits — meanwhile, follow this link and buy a copy), he quotes Mark Salzman’s book Iron and Silk, in which kung fu master Pan Qingfu says “live each moment as if it were your last.”
Kevin’s book is fascinating, and I have already learned a great deal from it, but this aphorism, while not without a certain dashing appeal, is simply not good advice. If nothing else, you’d never have any groceries in the house.
I offer this instead:
“Live each moment with a conscious awareness of its proper context.”
6 Comments
Or:
“Live each moment as if it were your last — but buy your lunch just in case.”
Thanks for the shout-out. The link to my book probably doesn’t work at the moment; there was some sort of screw-up over at CafePress (this is the second time it’s happened; very frustrating). It ought to work soon (i.e., in hours or, at most, a few days).
I couldn’t tell whether you were being facetious in your post. I think a charitable interpretation of Master Pan’s advice would require a bit of unpacking: “Live every moment with the same level of mindfulness and depth that a man who knows he is about to die experiences.” Warrior wisdom for sure.
The advice itself isn’t unique to Master Pan, of course; it’s pretty much pancultural, I think. A couple years ago, I saw one blogger’s reply to similar wisdom: “Yeah, so I can go around smashing windows and looting, right?” Smartass.
All y’all be smartasses.
Kevin
Quite right you are, Kevin, and mindfulness is indeed the point, which I was careful to preserve in my own version. (I’ve actually been meaning to email you a few thoughts that arose upon reading your chapter on mindfulness.)
I wasn’t trying to be facetious, really (one of only two words that I know of in English, by the way, that have all the vowels in order), just striving for clarity.
I certainly was not being facetious in recommending your book to one and all. Readers should buy a copy as soon as the website is back on its feet.
But yes, a smartass sometimes am I.
Deogolwulf,
Yes, that would solve the problem neatly.
re: a, e, i, o, u
facetious
abstemious
I remember reading about them somewhere. Is there another one?
Thanks, by the way, for supporting the book. I sincerely appreciate that.
Kevin
We have a very funny comedian over here who always ends his spiel with: “Live every day as though it were your last – because one day you’ll be right!”