What Chinese philosophers can teach us about dealing with our own grief

November 2 is All Souls’ Day, when many Christians honor the dead.

As much as we all know about the inevitability of death, we are often unable to deal with the loss of a loved one.

Our modern-day worldview could also make us believe that loss is something we should be able to quickly get over, to move on with our lives.

Many of us see grieving as a kind of impediment to our ability to work, live and thrive.

As a scholar of Chinese philosophy, I spend much of my time reading, translating and interpreting early Chinese texts.

It is clear that dealing with loss was a major concern for early Chinese philosophers.

So, what can…