We all remember David Carradine as "Grasshopper" of the Kung Fu series. Kwai Chang Caine, a Shaolin priest, is wandering the American west searching for his half brother. Caine (as he calls himself) had to leave China for killing the man who killed his master. This peaceful man is beset with danger and his values are constantly challenged. He relies on the teachings of his masters while choosing the path that will lead him to be the man he wants to be.

You will hear quotes from Lao Tzu and learn snippets about the way of the Tao. Although peaceful, these priests are not pacificists and can fight to defend themselves. Caine never carries a gun and advocates a peaceful lifestyle. But watch out bad guys! Caine can kick butt when needed.

David Carradine did not actually know any Kung Fu at the time he starred in the series, during the 1970's. However, he did eventually study and become a master. He has published books and videos relating to the Eastern philosophy and martial arts.

Most people of a younger generation will remember David Carradine as "Bill" from the Kill Bill movies. These Quentin Tarantino classics made David a household name again. He was nominated for a Golden Globe for his part in Kill Bill 2. When asked about his thoughts on "Bill", David Carradine would say that he didn't see him as a villain, just a bad guy in love.

Few people remember David Carradine the musician or David Carradine the artist, but he was also both of these. He was studying music before he ever considered acting. In fact, it was while he was studying music in college that he first thought about acting. When he needed a break from playing, he would go down the hall and watch a Shakespearean group.

David Carradine died this week. Many people will miss him, his wit, his wisdom, his music and his spirituality. He lived life more productively than most people ever dream. He was acting and had his own band at the age of 72. This quote from an interview with Josh Rottenberg on Entertainment Weekly (EW.com) in 2004 sums it up for me:

''Right now, the rest of my life is a blank page. The interesting thing is, I don't think I've hardly started. And f---, I'm on Social Security, but I'm getting a rebirth.'' (David Carradine, 2004)

This hub's for David Carradine, one of the great sages of the 1970's TV sitcoms.  A man whose portrayal of a lonely monk shaped the minds of a generation.

Kwai Chang Caine was portrayed by David Carradine. His father was American and his mother was Chinese. His parents died while he was a young child and he ended up at the Shaolin temple being raised by the monks. There he learned the ways of the Shaolin monks and the arts of Kung Fu, a martial art that focused on defense not killing.

The Sholin monks taught him the non-violent way of the Tao. They focused on learning and developing one's self as a person. Life was viewed as a never-ending journey towards excellence. The baser emotions such as pride, arrogance, hate and envy were abhorred. Humility, love, understanding and peace were to be sought at all costs.

One day walking with his master they encountered the Emperor's nephew. The nephew killed Caine's master and Caine, enraged, killed the nephew. This led to him leaving China and ending up in the American west circa 1870's. Here he learns he has a half brother, and begins his search for his family.

During his search, he champions many people suffering from various injustices. He remembers the teachings of his masters, using them as guideposts on his new road. Although he is non-violent, he is not a pacifist. He can and will fight to defend himself and others. He grows in his knowledge of himself and others, while his empathy and love for others increase exponentially on his journey.

"We know that where there is no contention, there is neither defeat nor victory. The supple willow does not contend against the storm, yet it survives." (Master Kan)

"Weakness prevails over strength. Gentleness conquers. Become the calm and restful breeze that tames the violent sea." (Master Kan)

"Before we wake, we cannot know that what we dreamed does not exist. Before we die, we cannot know that death is not the greatest joy." (Kwai Chang Caine)

"You spoke of chance, Grasshopper. As if such a thing were certain to exist. In the matter you speak of, destiny, there is no such thing as chance. For which ever way you choose, right or left, it must lead to an end. And that end is our destiny." (Master Po)

"Perceive the way of nature, and no force of man can harm you. Do not meet a wave head on. Avoid it. You do not have to stop force. It is easier to redirect it. Learn more ways to preserve, than to destroy. Avoid, rather than check. Check, rather than hurt. Hurt, rather than maim. Maim, rather than kill. For all life is precious. Nor can any be replaced." (Master Kan)

"We are one. Yet we are not the same. Ten million living things have as many different worlds. Do not see yourself as the center of the universe: Wise and good and beautiful. Seek rather wisdom, goodness, and beauty. That you may honor them everywhere." (Master Kan)

"Learn first how to live. Learn second, how not to kill. Learn third, how to live with death. Learn fourth, how to die." (Master Po)

"In a heart that is one with nature, though the body contends, there is no violence. And in the heart that in not one with nature, though the body be at rest, there is always violence. Be therefore, like the brow of a boat - it cleaves the water, yet it leaves in its wake, water unbroken." (Master Po)

Hawkeye Pierce, played by Alan Alda in the TV sitcom Mash, is our second sage of the seventies. This fun-loving doctor stuck in the Korean War uses humor to help ease the pain. Spending long hours operating on the wounded, he still finds the time and energy to drink, carouse and play practical jokes.

His joking exterior conceals the deeply caring man beneath. His comments on the human condition and cruelty of war hit home with amazing accuracy. Believing that we are all somebody, he hates being called Captain, and repeatedly tells people of lesser rank, "My name's Hawkeye".

Although at the start of the series, Hawkeye is little more than a prankster, his character develops into a man with a strong moral sense. He remains a prankster and joker, but his honor and moral code show through. His conduct is not always pristine, but his honor and idealistic personality can be seen over and over.

"I will not carry a gun, Frank. When I got thrown into this war I had a clear understanding with the Pentagon: no guns. I'll carry your books, I'll carry a torch, I'll carry a tune, I'll carry on, carry over, carry forward, Cary Grant..." (Hawkeye Pierce)

"You know, we've got to do it someday... throw away all the guns and invite all the jokers from the North and the South in here to a cocktail party... last man standing on his feet at the end wins the war." (Hawkeye Pierce)

"Frank, I happen to be an officer only because I foolishly opened an invitation from President Truman to come to this costume party. And as for my ability as a doctor, if you seriously question that, I'm afraid I'll have to challenge you to a duel." (Hawkeye Pierce)

"When they came to get me, I was hiding under the front porch trying to puncture my eardrum with an ice pick." (Hawkeye Pierce talking about when he was drafted)

"Dear dad, sorry I haven't written sooner, but you know how the work piles up around here. Korea's pretty much the same story: the fighting goes on - the hatred, the violence, the senseless brutality, men behaving like animals, then, of course, there's the war." (Hawkeye Pierce)

"Three of the basic human emotions are greed, fear and greed." (Hawkeye Pierce)

"Just once I'd like to see some other color. Like red, for instance. Not this kind of red. Red that's rosy, red that's cheery. I'm not asking much. A red handkerchief. red fringe... I don't know... a little red alligator on the pocket." (Hawkeye Pierce)

"I'm very impressed now with the terrible fragility of the human body and the unbelievable resiliency of the human spirit."  (Hawkeye Pierce)

"We're just sitting under the rocket's red glare, sharing our favorite unreasonable fears."  (Hawkeye Pierce)

"No, he's got a point.  We're all in the same business.  As surgeons, we'll sacrifice some tissue in order to save the whole body.  You'll sacrifice a few men in order to uh...to uh...what is it you get out of that, again?"  (Hawkeye Pierce)

"Not an Army matter!  You jackass!  Where do you think that child came from?  You got people in American soldier suits running around out there making babies and then making tracks.  Don't you think it's about time it became an Army matter?"  I(Hawkeye Pierce)

"I always feel very patriotic when I come out of OR.  My whites are covered with red, and it gives me the blues."   (Hawkeye Pierce)

Oscar Madison, played by Jack Klugman, is the messy, sloppy, disorganized epitome of a man.  His childhood friend Felix Ungar is a precise clean freak.  When Felix's wife throws him out, Oscar allows Felix to move into his apartment.  They soon realize that their lifestyles are exact opposites.  The conflicts that follow are hilarious and touching.

Oscar is a sportswriter for the New York Times.  He eats hot dogs and doesn't notice when the mustard drips on his shirt.  He drinks beer, plays poker and leaves the mess to clean up another day.  He is course, sarcastic and, at time, openly hostile.  He despises napkins, tablecloths, cleaning and neatness, thinking of them as sissy stuff only fit for women.

Felix believes in a place for everything and everything in it's place.  He eats a balanced diet and keeps a clean house.  A stained shirt would never grace his chest, nor one torn, wrinkled or with bawdy sayings.  He believes in personal hygiene and cleanliness is next to godliness.

Put these two together and the laughs erupt.  Felix is everything that annoys Oscar.  He nags him about his eating, what he wears, his personal hygiene, and drinking out of the milk carton.  With his constant tidying up and nagging, it is a wonder that Oscar doesn't just throw him out.  Instead trust and affection win the day and although these two often are at odds, they are always there for each other when needed.

"Life goes on even for those of us who are divorced, broke and sloppy." (Oscar Madison)

"Don't point that finger at me unless you intend to use it." (Oscar Madison)

"Don't threaten me with jail, Blanche, because it's not a threat. With my expenses and my alimony, a prisoner takes home more pay than I do." (Oscar Madison)

"Look at this. You're the only man in the world with clenched hair." (Oscar Madison)

"You can't spend the rest of your life crying. It annoys people in the movies." (Oscar Madison)

"Getting a clear picture on Channel 2 is not my idea of whoopee." (Oscar Madison)

"It takes two to make a rotten marriage." (Oscar Madison)

"I know him. He'll kill himself just to spite me. Then his ghost will come back, folling me around the apartment, haunting and cleaning, haunting and cleaning, haunting and cleaning..." (Oscar Madison)

"You're not gonna make any effort to change? This is the person you're gonna be until the day you die?" (Oscar Madison)

"You're not nothing, you're something! You're a person! You're flesh, and blood, and bones, and hair, and nails, and ears! You're not a fish. You're not a buffalo. You're you! You walk, and talk, and cry, and complain, and eat little green pills, and send suicide telegrams. No one else does that, Felix, no one!" (Oscar Madison)

Mary Richards, played by Mary Tyler Moore, is a 30 year old woman who has recently broken off her engagement with her fiance. She moves to Minneapolis, Minnesota in the hopes of finding a job. She applies for a secretarial position in a small news room only to find it has been filled. Imagine her surprise when she is hired to be associate producer.

The Mary Tyler Moore Show was one of America's best loved shows. The supporting characters were presented as strongly as the main character. In fact, this show led to more spin off shows than any other. Lou Grant, Rhoda and Phyllis all started in this show. The amazing thing is each one of these are wonderful shows in their own rights.

Detailing the emerging American woman, one who had a career instead of a family, the Mary Tyler Moore Show was a true trend setter. In a time that most women still worked only as long as it took to find a husband, Mary Richards was happy working. She was not unwilling to get married, it was just not her main focus.

Mary Richards was the hero of young women all over America. She was smart, beautiful and successful. She had a career, and through her career a family. She was independent and lived life on her own terms. Throughout she maintained her values and her code of ethics while pursuing a successful career in a man's world.

"I'm an experienced woman. I've been around... Well, all right, I might not've been around, but I've been... nearby." (Mary Richards)

"Well I just wanted to let you know that sometimes I get concerned about being a career woman. I get to thinking that my job is too important to me. And I tell myself that the people I work with are just the people I work with. But last night I thought what is family anyway? It's the people who make you feel less alone and really loved." (Mary Richards)

"Well, what's the cut-off point Mr. Grant? I mean, is... is there some number? You know, I'd really like to know. How many men is a woman allowed to have before she becomes *that* sort of woman?" (Mary Richards)

"Mr. Grant, violence never settled anything." (Mary Richards)

"Breakfast is the most important meal of the day." (Mary Richards)

"Don't knock it till you've tried it." (Mary Richards)

"Oh, c'mon Sue Ann, why does that have to follow? Why do you have to assume they're doing what...you think they're doing. Assuming they are... okay, let's say they are. What difference does that make?" (Mary Richards)

"That doctor said that those fattening foods are loaded with little cholesterol balls that can eventually block the arteries and stop the flow of blood. He said that kind of cooking could kill a person!" (Mary Richards)

"Well Ted, if you don't feel comfortable with those jokes, then just don't make them."  (Mary Richards)