When asked about what inspires him and has been the major influences on his writing, Doug Bentley replied; "Although I was born and have lived in Canada most of my life, my children were born and raised in Hong Kong. I lived and worked there for eleven years. Having a young family, those years were among the best in my life. Living in Asia I learned how strong the human spirit is. The people whom I was fortunate enough to get to know there were extraordinary people in extraordinary circumstances. Yet, they were the ordinary people of those countries, the kinds of people you pass by everyday and never notice. In many ways we in the west are blind. 'We don't have real pleasure. / We don't have real pain. / We just have.' as I once wrote in a poem. Materialism and personal ambition - fame and fortune - are empty pursuits that corrupt the soul.  Most of the people who live in my community now originated in the Orient. I'm still constantly inspired by these people everday. We westerners have much to learn from them. But, they are not easy people to get to know. These are the people who have and do influence me the most - my friends and neighbors."