Blizzard

      The blizzard scene from the movie is an emotional and, at first, dismal situation where a group of mountain climbers are struck by a fierce snowstorm and find themselves unable to continue. The men become frustrated with the circumstances they are in and begin to accept that they can not go on any further, or so they think. During the blizzard, elements of Shintoism can be seen in the leader's actions when he is trying to rile up his men to be able to put one foot in front of the other and continue their tread through the harsh mountain climate. He seeks the best outcome for his team so that they do not end up failing their mission and facing death. This is an example of trying to avoid dishonor by failing to set out what they attempted to do, an important concept in Shintoism, as dishonor is worse than death. Additionally, the leader's actions can be paralleled to Bushido ideals, in that he was attempting to be courageous, as well as loyal to his men.

      Unable to properly galvanize his men, the leader then accepts a “short break” as he hunches over and falls into the snow on the ground. While he is “unconscious”, he has a vision of a benevolent spiritual entity, perhaps something like a kami, that tells him that the “snow is warm” and that the “ice is cold”. He stares at her for a while as she comforts him, then he falls back asleep. When he wakes, their safety camp is only a few feet away from them and, to top it all off, the storm has dissipated.

The Tao of Who? The Tao of Pooh!

The Tao of Pooh

Even a smiling, whimsical cartoon bear with childlike innocence can be a master of a religion. Benjamin Hoff's The Tao of Pooh cleverly follows the adventures of the famous cartoon character Winnie-the-Pooh and relates them to aspects of Taoism. Taoist pretenses such as wu-wei (non-action), is explained on page 67, and Pu (the uncarved block) can be sighted throughout the book, such as on page 19 when Piglet, Pooh, and Rabbit converse about the Pu (Hoff). My reaction to this book is overwhelmingly positive. I fell in love with it after just reading the front page, and even the front cover was entertaining to the eye. I will likely read this book again, and pass it on to my friends to enjoy as well.

“Busy Backsons” is a term that describes the American way of life. I strongly agree with the way that it is presented and the sentiment it passes on. "Busy Backsons" are always too caught up with fighting back and manipulating their surroundings in order to make it work for them. This is against the Taoist way and fights against the Tao itself. To go with the flow like Pooh is the best way to do nothing and get things done (Hoff, 70). If one spends all their time trying to get things to work their way, they never really experience the way things truly are. A Taoist might say that they never really align themselves with the Tao, constantly condemning themselves to ignorant and possibly harmful paths.

To an extent, I believe that Taoism could act as a solution to the distracted fast life that American's live today. Since we are never really where we are physically in America (by this I mean to say that our minds are always elsewhere), it may be nice to stop for a second and, instead of manipulating things to go the way you want them to be, to act in the natural course of where things take you, much like a leaf in a river. Instead of trying to call the shots, experiencing the current situation and taking action through non-action might be the peaceful way out. In fact, action through non-action could be the key for many Americans to  relieve their stress, thus potentially ending up as a major preventative for hair loss.

Works Cited

Hoff, Benjamin. The Tao of Pooh. New York, NY: Penguin, 1983. Print.