I’m all for going with the flow, but were it not for curious minds investigating and examining the world around them, then we’d be in a much sorrier state today. I have to take issue with this as Hoff runs the risk of seeming quite anti-intellectual, if you can call knowing why birds fly South in winter to be the mark of an intellectual. He goes into more detail by saying that, if you asked a scientist why birds fly South during the winter, they’d say it’s just their instinct, the implication being that scientists explain without actually knowing.

However, a few times Hoff seemed to be saying that this means we shouldn’t strive to understand the world but simply go with it. There’s certainly a lot of wisdom to be had in this way of thinking, and many problems, slights and worries are indeed the product of an overworked mind. Sure, much of Taoism revolves around not trying to resist the flow of the world, and there’s certainly a lot to be said for that, but at certain points I couldn’t help but feel Hoff came across as somewhat arrogant in how he presented Taoist ways of thinking.įor instance, there is an element of Taoism that encourages people not to over think things. I understand that I’m unlikely to agree with every point a entire religion makes, but there were a handful of moments where I couldn’t help but feel Hoff began to feel biased towards saying Taoism’s way of looking at the world is the correct way, and that those who choose another path are making a mistake. While I did overall enjoy my time with The Tao of Pooh, I will admit that I took issue with certain points the book makes. While I’ve read a number of books on Buddhism, Taoism was quite new to me and, while I don’t go along with all the points this book made, I did at the very least find it interesting, and there were certainly more than a few nuggets of wisdom I was left to ponder on. The idea of breaking down a complex topic such as an entire religion by explaining it to beloved children’s characters is certainly a novel one, and this is an excellent starting point for anyone looking to learn more about Eastern philosophies.ĭespite being non-religious myself, I have always been interested in theology and I’ve always been particularly attracted to Eastern philosophies.

The tao of pooh paperback