Chapter 1: Section 6: Page 48: Line 69 (862)

 Lew, supposed to be disciplined in the ways of the East, would not allow himself the luxury of panic, but at times, like now, could've used maybe a homeopathic dose, just to keep his immunity up.

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What would a homeopathic dose of Eastern philosophy look like? Just kidding! It would look like every other homeopathic dose: non-existent except for whatever the imbiber decides to imagine. I imagine a homeopathic dose of Eastern philosophy would feel like the fluttering of a moth's wings. It would cause you to take a deep and steady breath and raise one hand up to your chest, flat, palm facing the opposite side of your body. Then you'd exhale slowly and crane kick some motherfucker in the face.

Should I be apologetic that my only knowledge of Eastern philosophy comes from The Karate Kid, both the original and the sequel?

Actually, that's not true. It's a dumb joke. I also learned all about Taoism from Steinbeck's Tortilla Flats. And I probably learned a bunch about the I Ching from reading nearly every Philip K. Dick book but in a way where I didn't realize I was learning about it at all. Kind of like a homeopathic dose of the I Ching, I suppose.

When was Lew disciplined in the ways of the East? Was this part of his training while gaining redemption with Drave and his cult? Hopefully it wasn't something that was mentioned previously or else I'm in serious trouble reading Against the Day one line at a time. I can't be 48 pages into it and already forgetting things I've read!

Is it racist to assume that people born in the Eastern part of the world are always calm and collected? Isn't that Orientalism? Was Mr. Miyagi a racist stereotype or just a terrific character? I enjoyed how angry he would get at the stupid teenagers when he was named Arnold and ran a malt shop.

I've never been disciplined in the ways of the East but I still rarely panic. I've just got a naturally Taoist attitude. It's probably part nature and part growing up on the beaches of California nurture. Sort of the Jeff Spicoli version of Taoism.