“When you are content to be simply yourself and don't compare or compete, everyone will respect you.” (Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching.) This quote about Taoism not only describes how I feel about Taoism but about life in general. The Tao of Pooh by Benjamin Hoff has helped me better understand the principles of Taoism. I enjoy reading this book because it helps to further understand why it is important to just be yourself and not try to conform to what society wants or expects you to be. The two topics I found the most interesting in Benjamin Hoff's The Tao of Pooh is the Cottleston Pie Principle and the idea of Un-Bouncing because it focuses mainly on accepting yourself the way you are and trying to better yourself.
The first topic I found most interesting …show more content…
"Each of us has something special... hidden inside somewhere." The idea of un-bouncing is that there are things about you people may try to change or tell you not to do, but it is important to remain true to yourself and who you are. In this day and age, it seems there is so much pressure to conform to what society wants you to be. However, when you learn to accept yourself and your Inner Nature it is easier to find peace within yourself and be happy with who you are; it is also easier to recognize the things that do need to be changed to better yourself. "The Wise are Who They Are.They work with what they got and do what they can do." As mentioned in the previous paragraph, we each have our own sets of strengths and weaknesses. When you know what your strengths and weaknesses are and stop comparing yourself to others then it is easier to use what you have to grow and become a better person. If you direct all your attention to the things that you do not have or that you want then you are preventing yourself from growing. Think of it like an apple tree, if you are so obsessed with the idea of getting your apples right away that you try to rush the process and water your apple tree everyday, then eventually your tree will drown and lose all its leaves. But if instead you water and take care of your tree properly, it will eventually grow and produce the apples you were waiting for. We are the same, if we
The first topic I found most interesting …show more content…
"Each of us has something special... hidden inside somewhere." The idea of un-bouncing is that there are things about you people may try to change or tell you not to do, but it is important to remain true to yourself and who you are. In this day and age, it seems there is so much pressure to conform to what society wants you to be. However, when you learn to accept yourself and your Inner Nature it is easier to find peace within yourself and be happy with who you are; it is also easier to recognize the things that do need to be changed to better yourself. "The Wise are Who They Are.They work with what they got and do what they can do." As mentioned in the previous paragraph, we each have our own sets of strengths and weaknesses. When you know what your strengths and weaknesses are and stop comparing yourself to others then it is easier to use what you have to grow and become a better person. If you direct all your attention to the things that you do not have or that you want then you are preventing yourself from growing. Think of it like an apple tree, if you are so obsessed with the idea of getting your apples right away that you try to rush the process and water your apple tree everyday, then eventually your tree will drown and lose all its leaves. But if instead you water and take care of your tree properly, it will eventually grow and produce the apples you were waiting for. We are the same, if we