Assignment on the The Tao of Pooh

In the Tao of Pooh, it is revealed by Benjamin Hoff how a simple-minded character and representation of Winnie the Pooh emulates the lessons of Taoism, an ancient Chinese philosophy. Principles of Taoism seem to revolve around living simply just as a person is while following the universe’s natural power for finding happiness and wisdom. While every other creature living in the world of Pooh gets into different antics by overreacting or overthinking, Pooh seems to meander as he is and does not question it. The Way of Taoism is represented in the Way of Pooh.

When it comes to anecdotes, Cottleston Pie is a song that Pooh sings and it seems to express the Tao principle of Inner Nature. In general, Inner Nature is a thing that exists inside everything and makes it unique. The principle of Cottleston Pie has the following doctrines:

1.       Enable Things to be How They Are

Everyone and everything has a specific purpose, and when that objective is recognised and properly celebrated, things tend to happen as they are implied and meant to happen. Ignoring this inner nature is similar to trying to fit a square block in a round hole. If this attempt is not stopped, it will make life full of struggles and will make it difficult. For instance, it will be more than just a difficult to turn gnarled tree into lumber. If a person considers trees only as a mean of creating and building something else, the person will only experience disappointment. Meanwhile, when it is acknowledged that the unique shape and dimensions of tree make it beautiful and its branches are decent for shade, value will be found in it.

2.       There are Limits to Everyone

It would not be wrong to say that limitations are weaknesses if a person wants them to be. Actually, everyone has some specific things that they are not made for and they do not seem to like them. However, if these limitations are acknowledge, a person can understand how they can be used accordingly. Meanwhile, when these limitations are ignored, it causes issues for the person and others around. For instance, Tigger always wanted to prove that he was capable of doing everything, even climbing tress in a better manner than bears. To the highest branch, although he climbed up, he could not come down. A number of characters of along with Pooh had to risk their lives for helping Tigger in getting down.

3.       Some Things are Beyond Understanding

It is quite important to understand that there are some things and aspects of life that cannot be understood as they do not have any explanations for their justification. When an explanation is placed on such un-describable things, their inner nature is ignored. Meanwhile, when a person begins to accept and understand that there are some specific things that cannot be understood normally, they will be comprehended better and the person will find a better use of these things in life (Hoff, Shepard, & Timur, 1982).

Personal Experience of the Tao of Pooh

                I have always been interested in understanding the actual phenomenon of nature. For instance, as a child, I liked growing different types of plants. I can easily remember how I would look at the plants and day by day, I would record how they were growing. One of the most interesting things that I used to note about plants was that they has their own specific growth cycles and they grew in some certain seasons. Some plants would grow in summer while the others would grow better in the winter. I was always intrigued how did they grow and what made them grow. In order to understand this process, I began to research biology and read different articles and acquired significant knowledge about how nature worked and how plants would photosynthesise to grow. Even though all of this research provided me the mechanics of how these processes were working, it did not tell me anything about why they were doing so in this manner. For instance, how did they even come into being and why they performed their processes in a specific manner? Why did plants not photosynthesise in the night and how did they even gain the ability of doing this anyway?

                These are some of the many questions that I used to have and they served to pique my interest significantly. When I was unable to find my answers in science, I began to study resources which were based on spirituality and the order of nature. This helped me in understanding that sometimes there are some certain things which do not have any type of explanation. One of such questions is: why did humankind chose earth? Answering this question is not easy at all and even when scholars attempt to answer it, there will be a lot ambiguities in the answer. I came to understand that there is something referred to as nature and it is alive. Instead of asking ‘why’ and ‘what,’ I began to just believe in nature and it allowed me to better interact and understand it. In fact, this realisation led me to the discovery of my purpose and that is all about helping others as much as I can. It made me understand that before anything and anyone we become, we are humans and every religion and every study indicates that humans should be helping each other.

                This realisation has enabled me to look deeper into myself and finally find what I am meant to do. Thus, whenever I have the opportunity and whenever I get the chance, I attempt to pursue my objective and that is what seems to complete me. It is true that helping others is quite a broad objective and I cannot just help everyone who is in need of assistance. Another thing that I have come to discover is that every single person has some specific limitations and instead of overcoming these limitations, a person can do better by understanding and realising them.

                When I first realised my objective and attempted to work on it, I came to a sudden understanding that it was not possible for me to help just around every person who required assistance. This served to depress me because even after understanding my real objective, I could not really work on it to accomplish it. I spent days, working harder and harder, but even then I could not help every single person. This realisation was enough to make me stop working. However, then my parents helped me in understanding that everyone has some certain limitations and limits that cannot be crossed. Sometimes it is essential for us to understand these limitations and cope up with them to ensure that they we can live how we really want and in a manner that is best for us. When I got to understand my limitations and that it was not possible for me to assist every single person, it strengthened my resolve. I realised that even if I cannot help everybody, at least I am helping and I am not stopping because of it. If I stop working on my objective and do not accomplish it then I am not working towards my ambition. This has allowed me to be happy and be comfortable with my life. As I manage other aspects of my life, I thrive to pursue my objective as well and it provides me with satisfaction that would not have been possible without understanding my limitations.

                While I was working, I began to question, why are some people born rich and why are some people born poor? In fact, this question began to trouble me significantly because I was unable to find a proper answer to it. When I could not find an answer to it, I sought guidance and help from my father and I got to know that complexities and difficulties are a part of our life and why they are experienced by only some people cannot be answered. We have to accept it and we need to work hard enough to overcome any type of difficulty. Even though it is not in the hand of a person to dodge a difficulty, it is certainly possible for the person to work hard enough to manage it and even overcome it. This comprehension made me realise that I am also bound to experience difficulties in my life and what matters is how well I am managing them and attempting to overcome them.

                Overall, this is how the principles of Taoism, represented in the Tao of Pooh, have helped me in better understanding myself, realising my true objective and purpose, and find peace in how I am working and how I am performing. This has also allowed me to come closer to my inner nature and utilise in such a manner that others around me are benefitted, as it serves to make me happy. It has made me realise that some things are better off not understanding and knowing.

References of the Tao of Pooh

Hoff, B., Shepard, E. H., & Timur, F. K. (1982). The tao of pooh. New York: Penguin Books.