I was actually pleasantly surprised by reading Benjamin Hoff’s “The Tao of Pooh”. I was very happy that it did not seem like your typical religious studies book. By having it not be the typical religious studies book, it made it very easy to understand. I was also very happy that it was a fast read! I thought it was a great idea to relate religion to something that generally most people have heard of, Winnie the Pooh. Relating Taoism to Winnie the Pooh made the concepts of Taoism very easy to understand. For the most part I really enjoyed this book, but in some parts towards to end I felt a little bored while reading it and kept zoning out.
My reaction to the critique of America as a culture of “Busy Backsons”, was that I can definitely see Hoff’s point of view with his argument. “Let’s put it this way: if you want to be healthy, relaxed, and content, just watch what a Bisy Backson does and then do the opposite…he makes you feel tired just looking at him. The chronic Backson always seems to have to be going somewhere, at least on a superficial, physical level. He doesn’t go for a walk, though; he doesn’t have time.”(Hoff 95-96) This quote can definitely be used to describe many Americans. Our culture is very materialistic and superficial. We want others thing think that we are a certain way or live life as upper class citizens. A lot of Americans are constantly working and keeping busy that they do not take the time to enjoy the little things in life. Another quote from the book I found interesting was how he says that the “Bisy Backson Society” is obsessed with youth, which our culture is. “Now one thing that seems rather odd to us is that the Bisy Backson Society, which practically worships youthful energy, appearance, and attitudes have developed no effective methods of retaining them, a lack testified to by an ever-increasing reliance on the unnatural False Front approach of cosmetics and plastic surgery.”(Hoff 106) Americans tend to think that being more youthful is always better, when that is not always the case. In Taosim it is a good thing to be old. It means you are wiser. In other cultures there is a lot of emphasis on respecting their elders.
Having Taoism be a “solution” to the “problem” of American culture and Americans as individuals in theory sounds like it could work. However, I do not think that this would ever happen. If we truly wanted to change and practice the principles of Taoism, then I think we could solve many of the problems in our culture. Everyone would need to realize that being a “Bisy Backson” isn’t always better.
I think it's interesting that you bring up the point about growing old not always being a bad thing. It's something that I hadn't thought about before, but it's a really important point. It's not just that our culture is lacking in respect for its elders, compared to other societies around the world, but it's that with each passing generation we become less respectful of our elders. What used to be a value that was very close to the heart of every family has now almost completely disappeared, in an age where the youth think that they are smarter and more powerful than those older than them, and because of that often abuse or take advantage of them.
ReplyDeleteYour point on the value of youth in our society is really good. I guess I might have zoned out on that part when I was reading! But I definitely do see your point about how our society pushes looking as young as possible and how this contributes so much to how unhappy our society is.
ReplyDeleteI agree that theoretically Taoism sounds like a “solution” for the “problems” with the American pointed out by Hoff but that it is not a realistic or practical solution. I think that people can integrate a few ideas from Taoism into their everyday lives but completely converting to Taoism would really difficult.
ReplyDeleteThe book is about Pooh. But I'm not sure that it is the same Winnie the Pooh. I could not find the name "Winnie" nowhere in this book. The original Winnie the Pooh is much smarter then Pooh described by Hoff.I also don't get the solution. As matter of fact, you need money to stay healthy and have a good life. The poor people in America are fat and not healthy because they can not afford the healthy way of life. It means, work and learn hard. End of discussion.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with your opinion that this is not your typical religious book and Hoff did an excellent job of explaining Taoism. He provided examples for each concept that he talked about and it made it easy to understand. I'm not going to lie this is the first book that we were supposed to read that I read completely and thats because I actually understood what I was reading.
ReplyDeleteI think when Hoff suggests Taoism for America, he is not telling Americans to just kick back and watch the sun set. Another part of Taoism is to find your inner calling, which could turn into some profession. So in an ultimate Daoist world, some people may become "lazy" but others will continue to work and be happier because their job matches their way.
ReplyDeleteI agree that this definitely wasn't the typical Taoism book. I'm actually taking Taoism right now, and none of the books that we have been assigned have been interesting AT ALL. I really wish that the teacher would incorporate this book into his curriculum, because it's something that I feel almost everyone can relate to because Pooh is something most of us are familiar with from childhood.
ReplyDeleteI like when Hoff said Americans Work to work, work when the exercise, and even work when they play. I think that American society has been brought up to constantly work and start a family and then get to the age of retiring. Which is not going with the flow and just have a structured predetermined life.
ReplyDeleteI liked your blog and your interpretation and analysis of the book. This book gives a lot of insight yet hides it a little bit at the same time. The characters perfectly fit a lot of archetypes of americans and its nice to see it doesnt have to be real people to get the point
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