Essay the Tao Of Pooh Book Review - 2340 Words

THE TAO OF POOH Philosophy is a complicated subject. Since the beginning of human existence, many tried to come up with theories about life, happiness, reality and knowledge. From philosophical ideas different beliefs sprung, and existence of different religions followed. Every theory raised by a philosopher attracted different followers. In todays modern society aside from major religions, there are thousands of others that suggest that their explanations to universal questions are the only accurate ones, and all of these religions seek to gain more followers to join their quot;wayquot;. One of these religions is the religion/philosophy of Taoism. Taoism has it roots in China, where the founder of Taoism Lao-Tse was searching for a†¦show more content†¦The second principle of Taoism that is presented in this novel is the belief that quot;The wise are not learned; the learned are not wisequot;. This principle can be simply explained by the fact that although intellect may be useful for rati onalizing and analyzing certain things, deeper spiritual matters are beyond intellects grasp. Every day people try to use knowledge and come up with ideas that interrupt with the natural order of things. They fail to recognize the fact that everything has its own place and function. Everyone have their limitations that they need to accept and be aware of, which if ignored will only cause them to fail. Pooh illustrates this principle, by the fact that he never tries hard to be something that he is not. He recognizes the fact that he cant fly or live under water, therefore instead of trying to ignore his natural abilities and recognize his weaknesses he enjoys his every day life as a bear in the forest, eating honey exactly how nature intended him to be. The third principle of Taoism described in this novel is the principle of Wu-Wei, in other words -3- Taoism in action. This principle states that actions should evolve from inner sensitivity and be a part of the natural rhythm of things. In order to practice Wu-Wei one must learn to work with his inner nature and the surrounding natural laws operating around him or