Summary+of+Chapter

Rachel Moon
Hoff begins the chapter by representing Rabbit as Cleverness. He illustrates that the Rabbit did not like the newcomers to the forest, Kanga and Roo, simply because they were Different. Hoff states that Cleverness clearly has its limitations and it certainly doesn't provide the best answers; "Fortunately for everyone, the plan failed, as Clever Plans do, sooner or later" (Hoff 37). Being "Different" and "Unique" is something that Clever People cannot seem to understand. Hoff begins to explain the differences between Cleverness and Inner Nature through the song "Cottleston Pie", which Pooh sang in //Winnie-the-Pooh//.

\ //Cottleston, Cottleston, Cottleston Pie, A fly can't bird, but a bird can fly. Ask me a riddle and I reply "Cottleston, Cottleston, Cottleston Pie."//

//Cottleston, Cottleston, Cottleston Pie, A fish can't whistle and neither can I.// //Ask me a riddle and I reply "Cottleston, Cottleston, Cottleston Pie."//

//Cottleston, Cottleston, Cottleston Pie, Why does a chicken, I don't know why.// // Ask me a riddle and I reply "Cottleston, Cottleston, Cottleston Pie."

"//A fly can't bird, but a bird can fly" conveys how that Things Are As They Are, meaning that there's a clear reality that people shouldn't ignore. It is obvious that birds can fly and that it's reality. Hoff's interpretation on "A fish can't whistle and neither can I" is that there are limits to everyone just like a fish not able to whistle. Hoff also mentions how people shouldn't foolishly attempt to do something they aren't designed for; it's important to know What's There and what your limitations are. Lastly, "Why does a chicken, I dont know why" means that we don't need to know everything and have valid explanations for them; It is okay to not know as long as you recognize Inner Nature and work with Things As They Are. In this song, Cottleston pie represents Inner Nature. "Ask me a riddle and I reply 'Inner Nature'."

Everything has its own Inner Nature. Because of humans intellectual thoughts, people are easily pushed away from their Inner Nature. Hoff states that people often ignore the Inner Nature and end up not understanding themselves, leading to lack of respect for themselves, thus easily influenced by others. To avoid these issues people must work with their own characteristics by first recognizing who we are, What's There, and what works best for us -- The Way of Self-Reliance.