Challenge 6: Any nonfiction book

While I was working at a bookstore in the late nineties, a book written in 1982 was having a resurgence in popularity: The Tao of Pooh, written by Benjamin Hoff.   Some people buying it were curious about what Taoism is and how, if at all, does Winnie-the-Pooh fit into things.   Other readers were in search of answers to questions much deeper and personal.  Its resurgence was at least in part do to the release of a single volume containing both The Tao of Pooh and its followup book, The Te of Piglet, published in 1992.

The Tao of Pooh is basically an explanation of concept of Tao, pronounced “dao”.   Taoism encompasses a group of religions with similar ideas, but it's also is a popular Eastern philosophy.   The Tao Of Pooh focuses on the philosophy of Tao, or “the way”, and explains how we can put Taoism to use in our daily lives.  The introduction describes a famous Chinese painting called The Vinegar Tasters, where three pillars of Chinese culture are tasting a vat of vinegar representing the essence of life.  Confucius and Buddha don't like it, but Lao Tzu, the founder of Taoism, has a satisfied smile on his face.

The narrator, while explaining the Taoism and its principles, frequently interacts with Winnie-the-Pooh and his companions and involves them in his explanation.  He likens Winnie-the-Pooh to the “uncarved block”, or P'u, which is the idea that many things, including people, are at their best when they're at their simplest.   Wasting energy trying to change something, or change ourselves, diminishes our chances of happiness the more energy we spend on making those changes.  Pooh and his companions jump in and add their own thoughts, each with their unique personality, which are meant to reinforce the benefits of Pooh's clear and simple mind-set.  He spends a chapter addressing what are surely arguments against this type of thinking, made by people who prioritize knowledge, but do so for the wrong reasons.  Hoff calls these people “dried-up Western descendants of the Confucianist Dedicated Scholar”.  Knowledge, he writes, is useful as a source of information. It easily becomes something counterproductive when the reason for acquiring it becomes something other than information, such as a title, or to win an argument.  That reminds me of an acquaintance who was always ready to whip his phone out and google something, with plenty of added fanfare and drama.

Another key point of Taoism Hoff writes about is the idea that everything and everyone has a place. Knowing and working with your limitations always beats spending energy fighting them and forcing them to work against you.  This leads to the importance of finding and recognizing our own unique inner nature which we can always rely upon, unlike our much more easily fooled Brain, which doesn't always get us where we need to go.

Any conversation about Taoism is going to involve wu wei, meaning “without doing, causing or making”.  This is stressing the importance of efficiency.  The book describes a river, flowing from its beginning to its end, going around rocks and hills instead of trying to go through them. Working with our inner nature leads to this coveted wu wei, were we can achieve our goals with minimal effort. Nothing is forced, round pegs go into round holes, square pegs into square holes, and working in our own way leads to natural results without the interference of Desire, Cleverness, or Knowledge.   Hoff says with wu wei we don't try or think, it goes by circumstances and listens to intuition, and decisions almost make themselves.

Interestingly, you can tell this is a cold war era book because near the end Hoff writes about people thinking too much and caring too little, and how the world is headed for disaster if things don't change soon.  He writes that we have one chance, and that is to value wisdom and contentment, which don't come from knowledge and cleverness.   Great advice for two nations preparing to nuke each other, and it works just as well in the world we live in now.

It's funny how many of these principles can simply be labeled “Common Sense” and how often I find myself relying on these Taoist ideals at work, despite not having any Taoist knowledge.   To a frequent complainer I've said many times, “Just relax, you can't control everything, focus on what you do best.”  This is advice almost anybody would give, were they in my place, because we can all recognize the value of staying level-headed, focusing on our work, and not over-extending ourselves.   To another gossipy co-worker I often say “Don't worry about so-and-so, worry about yourself.   Stop spending so much of your time and energy comparing yourselves”.   And when one of my bosses is standing in front of me, hands on hips, giving me a scornful review of my many failures, I make the choice to nod and smile.  A Taoist would tell me my boss just became a new flavor in that vat of vinegar we call life, meant to be enjoyed to the fullest.

All said and done, The Tao of Pooh was an entertaining and informative peak into Taoism, at least from a philosophical point of view.  It didn't change my outlook on life but maybe it helped me clarify my worldview somewhat.  Also, it interested me enough to give The Te of Piglet a try in the future.  If at some point you catch me muttering “What would Pooh do?” to myself, maybe that's a question you should try asking yourself every once in a while.   And while you're at it, give The Tao of Pooh a read.   Maybe it will answer some questions you didn't even know you had.

D.G. Raymond