So, after having read this book, I must say... I'm quite astounded. It is very well written, and has brilliantly expressed ideas. Having been a fan of Winnie the Pooh as a child (prior to reading the book) I had an idea as to where Taoist views could work there way into the character's attitudes, lo and behold, my ideas were fairly accurate after reading the book (however I slightly differed in opinion about Owl). Not only was I able to connect with the ideas being expressed in the book, it also helped me understand a few of the slightly confusing concepts in Taoism that would more than likely just fly over my head in a class lecture.
The book goes into a critique on America as a culture or society of "Busy Backsons." To understand what that means, I had to first figure out what a Busy Backson was, which is, in fact, a misspelling of a sign saying "Busy - back soon", that is "I am busy, will be back soon." Hoff explained that America is full of people that are focused on working... all the time. Although I feel compelled to agree with him in the most general of cases, I have to disagree with it being exclusively America. Not only do I disagree with it being exclusively America, I almost disagree with it being the stereotype that it seems to be, his point is very general and there are always plenty of exceptions.
With that said, Hoff explains in a wonderful quote regarding societies which I think is a more accurate statement, even when he still regards society as a whole, saying "The main problem with this great obsession for saving time is very simple: you can't save time. You can only spend it. But you can spend it wisely or foolishly." I feel like this quote should be read aloud to anyone and everyone. All it takes is a little change of perspective to get people to make better decisions and that's what this book does. Hoff takes characters which most people know and love, then changes our perspectives by introducing another, then diving in deep with details and ideologies from a Taoist regarding our society. It's times like these I really appreciate being as open minded towards other religions ideologies as I am, even while being a Christian. It really helps one grasp life better if you're able to open your mind to new concepts and ideas, even when the idea didn't necessarily spawn from your deity. In conclusion I'd have to say that I would recommend the Tao of Poo to any person interested in anything concerning a way of living life. I'll be sure to chill out some from now on.
I really liked your post because it was very balanced. I agree that some of his stereotypes are unfair and some even hypocritical. However, for the most part, I feel like a lot of his points could be considered tips for how to live happier and more at ease. While I think the Taoist teachings could help people to calm down and maybe live a little slower, I don't think I could stop being my busy backson self all the time. Maybe moderation should be practiced as well?
ReplyDeleteI'm curious, what about the owl caused you to differ in opinion? Also good point that most of his book is generalizations. I do not think its exclusive to one culture. I also really appreciated what he says in regard to time, I felt that was very wise.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your point about the busy lifestyle not being strictly an American concept. This overly ambitious lifestlye can be seen in countries around the world. I also think that there are lots of exceptions to the rule. For example, in small towns, people in gas station will stand around and talk and just enjoy each other's company, where as that might not be the case in New York City. I think that the "Bisy Backson" lifestyle is common in America, but it is not everyone and it is not unique to our culture. I am glad that you didn't suddenly drop all your previous values and totally just jump into "Taoism" like it's the latest trend. I still hold a belief in God, but I also respect philosophical Taoism as well.
ReplyDeleteI (like Rachel in her comment above) would be interested in hearing your opinion on Owl? Are you saying that you don't agree that learning for the sake of knowledge is necessarily a bad thing (something I could totally get behind). And it's good to hear that someone in class is taking the message to heart and "chilling out" haha.
ReplyDeleteI would have to say that I would agree with him in saying that it's a primarily, if not exclusively, American thing to be working non-stop and trying to "save time." In my experience, siesta cultures dominate the modern world (at least, the industrialized world) where meeting at 9 means give or take 15 minutes, with no offense to anyone kept waiting, and taking three hours in the middle of the day to eat a big lunch with your family and then take a nap before resuming work for a couple hours.
I agree with you and many of the posters as well. I think American's get alot of grief about being so busy and working so hard all the time, where in alot of countries it's the same thing. However i think the difference is in other countries they appreciate how important time off is when they do get time off (which tends to be more often they we vacation) they really spend the time enjoying their friends in family where i think we tend to lose sight of that.
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