The Peach Orchard

In Kurosawa’s film “Dreams,” I decided to watch The Peach Orchard clips. It starts off with a little Japanese boy who sees an illusion of a girl and follows her outside. He thinks she’s real, and the girl later leads him to a bunch of other illusions of people, or gods, who are blaming the boy’s family for cutting down the peach orchards that were outside of his home. The peach orchards had a significant meaning to the gods, and the boy quickly defends himself by saying that he fought for the orchards to not be cut down because he loved them. He cries and feels very emotional so the people feel empathy for him and forgive him. He dreams of the orchards being bloomed again and is happy, until he realizes that it’s only a dream and the trees are actually cut down.

His respect for the orchards increases more after he sees the illusion of the girl. You can tell that he feels more emotion towards the disappearance of the trees and he has a better appreciation for nature and beauty. In relation to the Shinto belief, I think this story emphasizes the importance of myth and kami (deities). Kami believe that spirituality is vital and that humanity, nature, and the spirits/gods intertwine with one another. That is why the gods who spoke with the little boy were not happy that what was important to them (the peach orchards) were destroyed.

According to Shinto ethics, myths reinforce ethics. For example, as a result of the little boy's family destroying the peach orchards, he was punished. His desire to be with the attractive girl was taken away because of what his family did. By the end of the clip, he spots just one tree that is an illusion and the girl is inside the tree for only a split second. Then the tree disappears. I think this symbolizes how the boy has lost touch with nature and he had an epiphany of what happened to him. This dream was very artistic in the way it was portrayed of how important nature is.

The Tao of Pooh

After reading the Tao of Pooh, I had a much better understanding of Taoism prior to the class lecture since I finished the book a few days beforehand. The principles of Taoism through Winnie-the-Pooh made the book a pretty easy read and relatable to real-life situations. For example, in order to explain that the “Three Teachings” of China reflects the Essence of Life, Hoff talks about the three masters Kung fu-Tse/Confucius, Buddha and Lao-tse on page two. He mentions them as The Vinegar Tasters, saying that from the Taoist point of view, sourness and bitterness come from the interfering and unappreciative mind.; life itself, when understood and utilized for what it is, is sweet (page 6).

In reaction to America being a Busy Backson culture, I believe that this is true and will be even truer in future years with more Busy Backsons. We live in a society where people are constantly in a hurry to do whatever they need to do. According to the Tao of Pooh, a Busy Backson is a person who is always on the run (page 96). He/she has no time and is too busy wasting time by trying to save it. A Busy Backson can’t save time; they can only spend it, and they can spend it either wisely or foolishly. For a Taoist, you don’t want to be a Busy Backson. I agree with this statement because I’d rather enjoy my surroundings and appreciate being alive. I’m more into living a laid-back, relaxing lifestyle than always being rushed. More people need to slow down and appreciate life to the fullest.

As far as Taoism being a solution to the problem of American culture and Americans as individuals, I think the idea isn’t bad, but probably not plausible. When Hoff explains in the chapter titled “Nowhere and Nothing,” he says that in the process of enlightenment in Taoism and the Tao Te Ching, being an adult isn’t the highest stage of development. The end of the cycle is the independent, clear-minded, all-seeing child, which leads to the person having the most wisdom (page 151). I feel like some Americans would squabble over this statement because in our society, you reach your full maturity when you’re an adult. However, in a Taoist’s mind, being filled with light and happiness = a child, and that’s when you reach your full potential. It would be a calmer place in America if Americans had the same mindset of the Taoists.