Poet Lee in translation

Following is a translation of a poem I discovered recently. The poem was originally in Chinese and was translated by Bruce Lee (Yes, the same. Do you know of another?)

It was intense to learn that Bruce Lee was an accomplished poet who not only wrote his own work but translated the works of others.

Seriously time to take things a little less seriously

I have been accused many times of not taking supposedly serious things not seriously at all, or not seriously enough.

I blame a society that expects increasing solemnity with age. According to these unwritten rules people are supposed to become more planted and mirthless as they age.

It seems that levity becomes conditional as you age; apparently after a certain age, you can only joke among old friends (who are as old as you are), you can joke with little children (who are closely related), you can joke with the spouse (but only on Tuesdays... and then only if it isn't raining), you can joke with the help (if you fancy a illicit hanky panky)... the rules are so bizarre that you'd think I was making this up!

Morals have lowest melt threshold during global meltdowns

The global economy begins to look bleaker with each passing day on growing doubts over Greece's ability to avoid default, which in turn are fuelling fears of global financial turmoil and recession.

Moreover in the backdrop of a declining US economy, a possibility of a prolonged recession, and growing fears over the banking sector's exposure to euro zone sovereign debt (made worse with Germany and France's so far failing attempts to rein in the Euro instability and Italy's shaky financial footing) there seems little to smile about, or, let alone, make light off.

But it seems this is not for the lack of trying.