Nowhere+and+Nothing,+The+Now+of+Pooh,+Backwards+-+Thematic+Analysis+by+Mady+Flores

=T h e T h e m e s =

I. The Value of Nothing
Let’s talk about nothing. Sounds weird right? When we think of nothing, we might feel like it is not important at all because it is simply “nothing”. What can you do with nothing? The ideology of nothingness is not what we think it is. Nothingness achieves wisdom, happiness, and truth. “...Nothing is something, and Something-...is really nothing at all.” (143) The Taoists call this the “Great Nothing”.

//a. Emptiness //
Having an empty mind is key for finding what you are looking for because an empty mind can see what is in front of it, while the clogged mind makes it hard to concentrate on the task at hand. It’s even harder to see the truth when the mind is clogged up too much. Knowledge and Cleverness ruins the mind because it adds on to the problems of the clogged mind. These two look at what is unimportant, instead of what they really need to be seeing, which is right in front of them.

i. The Connection Between Emptiness and Loneliness:
What is emptiness? It is what is not filled in. The spot that has nothing in it. The meaning of emptiness reminds people of Loneliness. People are scared to be lonely and to have nothing. They feel everything must not be empty, but ironically what they are trying to avoid comes right back at them. People want to fill up everything in order to avoid emptiness, but that is when Loneliness really comes out. No matter how hard you try to make it go away, it will come right back. When finally the emptiness of the humongous mess goes away, the concept of Nothing is completely understood.


 * SO...... The Value of Nothing can be achieved through a clear, empty mind and by also appreciating and respectfully using it.

II. To Sum It All Up (The Book’s Overall Message)
The mind is a powerful thing. It can tell us what to do or say, but that does not always mean that the mind is right. Think of Knowledge and Cleverness as the “bad guys”. They like to think of wrong ideas that will not get you what you want. They point you in the wrong direction instead of the right one. Your “best friends” are wisdom and contentment. True they are both searched through Knowledge and Cleverness, but that does not mean they are directly from them. Your BFF’s (best friends forever) will lead you in the right direction to wherever you are going.

In the Tao of Pooh, each character has its own characteristics that distinguishes them from all the rest. Their different characteristics make them clash at times, but that is the way things go. There is a bit of each character in all of us. We are all at times too much like Rabbit and Owl. When we are those characters, we end up making things complicated then they should be. We never accomplish anything that way. So therefore we should follow the way of Pooh because he is the one with the solution that will lead you to your destination.