Hero #089: A. A: Milne … (03/06/16)
Alan Alexander Milne was an English author, best known for his books about the teddy bear Winnie-the-Pooh. Even before the huge success of Pooh overshadowed all his previous work, Milne was a noted writer (primarily as a playwright). Even more notably, after fighting in WWI in the British Army, Milne wrote a scathing denunciation of war titled Peace with Honour (1934). He retracted these views somewhat a few years later, when he re-enlisted and served in WWII in the British Home Guard – a domestic position that probably made it easier for him to justify the horrors of warfare.
Interestingly enough, the success of his children’s books was to become a source of considerable annoyance to Milne, whose self-avowed aim was to write whatever he pleased and who had, until then, found a ready audience for each change of direction he had made previously … Also intriguing is the fact that the Pooh books ended up causing a rift between Milne and his son Christopher (the source of inspiration for Pooh’s best friend, Christopher Robin), inspiring the two men to remain estranged for the better part of three decades.
And yet most importantly of all, despite all these moral vacillations, familial traumas, and personal disappointments, Milne’s children’s books remain a profoundly instructive testament to a deeper Goodness that resides within us all – waiting to be recognized, and waiting to be set free upon others; friends and strangers alike.
“Love is taking a few steps backward — maybe even more — to give way to the happiness of the person you Love … Just because an animal is large [or mean or greedy or dishonest], it doesn’t mean he doesn’t want kindness … A little consideration, a little thought for others, makes all the difference … You can’t stay in your corner of the Forest waiting for others to come to you. You have to go to them sometimes.” ~ Winnie the Pooh
“Always remember: You’re much braver than you believe, and much stronger than you seem.” ~ (Christopher Robin to Winnie the Pooh)
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