The Tao of Pooh

     Benjamin Hoff does a great job engaging the reader and making learning the basics of Taoism interesting and fun.  I think he has a very unique approach to explaining Taoism; he uses Winnie the Pooh to make understanding Taoism concepts clear for Westerner's, since most have heard of and know of Winnie the Pooh and his simplistic nature.  The book itself was a very quick, smooth read.  For me that is because of the pauses in between main concepts of Taoism.  Hoff does an excellent job of breaking the book up; even in each chapter, putting conversations he has with Pooh and some of Pooh’s stories.  This helps further your understanding of the bare bones Taoist concepts, putting it in more layman’s terms through a children’s classic.  Out of all the books we have read this semester this was by far my favorite; as it was the easiest to read while actually grasp the elements of the religion. 

     Sometimes it does feel like American’s are “almost desperately active,” as Hoff puts in on page 93.  I really liked Hoff’s paragraph’s about the Bisy Backson’s ‘Life Interests,’ because he is one-hundred percept right with Bisy Backson’s response.  Now a days when you ask some American’s what their interests and hobbies are they might spat off physical activities, and only physical activities.  Of course there are those “other” people who enjoy reading or sitting outside and enjoying a nice day; sometimes those people can come across as lazy to the Bisy Backson’s.  Americans are alway going, like little wind up toys, always on the run.  I’d like to point out that a large portion of other countries set aside time midway through the day or a little later to relax, stores in small towns will close for an hour, children go home from school to have a nice lunch and take a break for a while, possibly take a nap; this is a healthy idea and exploit.  Most American’s feel like they need “something to do,” (99) they are “always going somewhere....Anywhere but where he is,” (97) we are always late for something and on the run.  

     While I just made it clear that American’s as a whole are always running around and jam-packing their schedules, that does not necessarily mean its such a huge problem that it needs a solution like Taoism.  The solution can be to set aside more time to relax, hang out with your friends and family and just be.  Set aside some time for you, do what you truly want to do.  Some people really enjoy physical activities, if thats what they want to do with their spare time who is to say that is wrong?  For instance I enjoy hiking, seeing nature, that is a calming thing for me, but I also like reading books, which I image Taoism would see as a more fitting activity, you cannot run around and be Bisy Backson while reading.  I do not think the American culture and American’s as individuals need fixing.  Yes, it would be nice if we were not running around all the time, but that is the culture that we live in, its also a personal choice.  If you do not want to have a hectic schedule try to work it out so its not.  Every culture is unique and I do not think other cultures or religions should tell people the way they are living is wrong.  

Citations: 

Hoff, Benjamin. The Tao of Pooh. New York, NY: Penguin, 1983. Print.

Shepard, Ernest H. Pooh Shepard. Digital image. Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., 31 Dec. 2007. Web. 17 Apr. 2011. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki.File:Pooh_Shepard_1926.png>.