Not Very Zen
Warning: Do not read if you have issues with insect deaths at the hands of bullying humans. Asian Japanese Lady Beetle suvivors Also, apologies in advance if this post offends any religion, be it mine or yours, I'm really sorry. It is all intended in good fun. The story goes* that I graduated high school a semester early, but the University of Illinois didn't accept early admissions. My parents made higher education sound more appealing than a K-Mart job, so taking six introductory liberal arts classes at Roosevelt University managed to kill the time. I took public transportation downtown. One day a young man with frizzy sideburns and bluejeans sat down next to me on the train. Within seconds he started to mumble, or maybe chant. He did this for awhile, then seemingly satisfied, stopped. As he fished inside his backpack for a book, I asked what that was about. He told me that he learned a mantra from a Zen master, and chanting the mantra made him calm and happy. "Wo...