March: The Tao of Pooh

For our second meeting, we met at Kristy's place to discuss the Tao of Pooh, by Benjamin Hoff. Four of us were present: Kristy, Kyla, Caitlin and Christine. Sylvie and Jill were unfortunately unable to meet us. Kristy's adorable and fluffy cats also joined us for a fun-filled evening of books, wine and yummy food.

Unlike last meeting, which featured two hours of intense discussion, we were slower to start talking about this book, and much faster to dismiss it. Overall, I don't think many of us were impressed with Hoff's rhetoric. Some of us felt he was being of a bit of an Eyore, an Owl and a Rabbit all in one, and his criticism of Western society was predominantly slanted to the negative. At this point, Kyla pointed out that a true Taoist would have seen the positives of Western society rather than criticising it. We were also slightly miffed at the author's criticism of Western exercise habits.

Ever the optimist, Kristy did point out that the book had its own value, notably in pointing out the importance of enjoying the now...Kristy has spent the last ten years in Victoria, where the pace is much slower than that in Toronto, and pointed out that if nothing else, Hoff reminded her of the need to just enjoy nature. Why, she asked, must we rush to get to work and work all day, then rush home to eat and go to bed. We must remember to slow down and enjoy the time in between work...To leave work at work.

Anyhoo, reading this book a second time was interesting to me. I was very struck by it when I was in my early 20s. Now that I'm older, I'm not sure if I'm wiser, but it just didn't make such an impression on me...

Next book: A Sand County Almanac...Looking forward to it!