I like the book because it explains Taoism as simple as possible and its east to understand. Interesting enough, I think I like the book more because its told through the journeys of Winnie the Pooh which draws my attention more. At the beginning of the book, when I first read that the author would explain Taoism that way I didn’t think that I would like the book. I thought it would be something that would not hold my attention but it was the complete opposite. There were two principles in the book that stood out to me the most and those were the “Uncarved Block” and the Taoist views on Knowledge. I liked those two principles the most because instantly I understood how they relate to my life and others.
The principle of the uncarved emphasizes things in their natural power and simplicity. A lot of people complain about the drama and confusion in their lives that they are dealing with regarding other people as well as materialistic things. This is a problem that I’ve seen with a lot of Americans. In my opinion, if we don’t stress things that would cause us to become upset or create a burden on us and be thankful for the things that are truly a blessing(such as the gift to live another day) it would help people. Similar to what the book says, you will realize that life is simple.
The other principle I liked was the Taoist views on knowledge. I liked this section because their view of teaching and knowledge coincides with what I’ve been told all my life. My uncle always told me “You live and you learn.” Taoist believe that people should learn fro direct experience because intellectual experience would only get you but so far. This can be applied to the people in America easily but for some reason when I think of direct experience business leaders come to mind. Business leaders have intellectual knowledge but they have to apply the principles they learn to whatever it is they want to do. Sometimes they may try repeatedly but never get the result they need. In the end, until they get the result they want they know what does not work and therefore they know not to try it again.
Kiara,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your post. However, the thing that struck me the most was your conveyance of the Taoist pursuit of knowledge. I found it interesting how you related the pursuit of knowledge with a personal anecdotal quote your Uncle has since told you. The pursuit of knowledge goes further than theory, and definitely requires true experience. I think you nailed it right on the spot. I think that this theme is shared across many of the religions we have viewed thus far, namely Hinduism and Buddhism. The fact that you were able to hone into this fact and explain it so clearly I think is quite impressive. I tend to philosophize and theorize a bit much and sometimes lose sight of actual action and experience. However, I think I can start to shift those energies into action and gain experiential wisdom that way. Thank you for your insight.
-Kunal
I'm glad that you could relate ancient wisdom to your life. I feel that a lot of folks will just read it an forget about it. Personally I am a little torn with the Taoist concept of knowledge because I enjoy book learning and hands on learning. Just a thought: How did the Taoist pass on their knowledge if they didn't read it from a book? A holy figure, maybe. I feel that eventually it will all be traced back to a book, not experience.
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ReplyDeleteKiara, I enjoyed your post a lot. It was a refresher from the other blogs that I've been reading. Your uncle was very right. In today's time people can tell you over and over how something is going to be or what's going to happen. But until a person goes through the motion themselves they will not learn. A simple example would be a parent always tells their child to not touch the stove especially if its hot. One day that child decides to touch the stove and LEARNS that what their parent was saying had reasoning behind it and that it was true.
ReplyDeleteIm sorry that im late replying. I appreciate your feedback a lot. Kiara, thanks for the compliment. I also thought of the same example while reading the book :)
ReplyDeleteKunal, i try my best to relate what im reading to my life as a way to retain the information.
Jessie, I also feel that some things about knowledge have been passed down from books also for the religion to emphasize experiential knowledge so much. I think everyone is influenced by someone.