“Everything has its own Inner Nature. Unlike other forms of life, though, people are easily led away from what’s right for them, because people have Brain, and Brain can be fooled. Inner Nature, when relied on, cannot be fooled. But many people do not look at it or listen to it, and consequently do not understand themselves very much. Having little understanding of themselves, they have little respect for themselves, are therefore easily influenced by others.” (p. 57)
I actually agree with this portion of the book but honestly found most of it unfitting for myself especially the bisy backson chapter.
In the Bisy Backson chapter, Hoff explains “Let’s put it this way: if you want to be healthy, relaxed, and contented, just watch what a Bisy Backson does and then do the opposite.” He is implying that the “American” way of doing things or the “Bisy Backson” way is unhealthy and won’t bring us happiness. Earlier in the chapter, he also talks about how we work all the time even when we play and exercise. I don’t agree with this at all. I believe if you don’t work out then you really will be unhealthy and that is why it’s good to keep fit, so that we can prevent physical problems associated with being overweight. I also believe that everyone is different and has different desires. Some are happy staying busy and having skydiving as a hobby while others enjoy a more relaxed lifestyle in which they never desire to travel.
I feel that we do need to be in touch with our own inner nature so that we can be in control of our lives. We need to know who we are and what will work best for us. Only we know what we should change about ourselves and what would be best to retain about ourselves. The best example I can relate this to is when we’re choosing a career path, we need to pick something that will suit us as individuals for we are all different and offer different characteristics.
I enjoyed reading this book. I thought it offered a great and easy way to learn about Taoism by using such a beloved character like Pooh.
Although I can agree with some of the ideals and beliefs in the book and Taoism, I honestly don’t agree with most of it because in my opinion things don’t happen a “natural way” but rather in the way that you choose. I believe in our own will to make things happen and sometimes dealing with things as you go rather than having some sort of plan doesn’t really work out especially in the society we live in.
This is interesting because I believe a lot of things do happen the natural way. The way you act as a baby directly relate to your personality traits as an adult. I learned this all in my Lifespan Developmental class, and in fact, a lot of these genetic personality traits cannot be changed. So knowing your "inner self" doesn't necessarily mean you can change who you are. I think it's more of being able to go with the flow (or the Tao, if you will) and accepting/embracing who you really are.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you when you say that things don't happen in a natural way. In life and in many situations, I feel that you can either let things/events happen in a natural way, without any interference or make it happen. If everyone let things happen naturally, nothing would ever get done. We need people to take initiative, to be motivated, and to want to make a difference and do something in order for society to progress and even in order to survive. If we just let things happen on their own, we won't strive to be the best person we can be and use our potential to the fullest. For example, for a person who works at a retail store, they may just work there their whole life instead of realizing their potential, interfering with the "natural way," and maybe going for a degree or looking for higher positions in other places. I do feel that in some cases, you should just let things happen as they are suppose to and let nature run its course, but in other cases, people need to take action. For example, relief efforts from countries and celebrities when dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina can help to show the principle of "using our will to make things happen." We can either let the victims suffer and hope that as time goes by, the circumstances will get better, or we can get involved and try to bring about a change in those circumstances ourselves.
ReplyDeleteI agree that some things don't happen in a natural way. From my own experience I've learned that many things I actually take time to plan don't work out that way. I think sometimes it is best to just go with the flow and deals with things as they happen.
ReplyDeleteI too agree with posts from the ladies above. I've learned in my short life that the more one attempts to plan their life the less likely that it will happen as they plan.I think going with the flow is a good way to live your life because its less stress and less disappointment if things don't go as planned.
ReplyDeleteLetting things happen in a "natural way" is not the same as being lazy or "not getting anything done". The point is that when choosing what to do, one goes with what seems natural. A person has to be extremely in-tune with himself and the natural rhythm of things in order to do this. The reality is, however, that most people are not. I think that is what Hoff is trying to say in this book - Americans are so busy and preoccupied with other things that they become out of touch with their inner selfs. Like the quote says, our inner nature doesn't lie. Our brains often play tricks on us but our true, inner self will always be right. We just need to listen to it.
ReplyDeleteI agree that we should have some sort of a plan in life but there is a limit. We should still let many things happen on their own. Have ab outline not a detailed plan for everything.
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