The Wisdom of Insecurity: A Message for an Age of Anxiety

I'm not going to spoil this book by giving you its argument. It must be experienced to be known. And that might be the crux of the argument right there. But there's also more, and it's deeply profound and yet simple at the same time!

Becoming aware of your unknowing. I attempted to read this book twice before and until I wrote an essay about the contents it started to make sense to me. The title is truly the crux of the book. We can discover the "awe" moments in life without a dogmatic approach to our look at life...a security in the unknowable. Open to a discovery from every corner in life. To bring gods into a concept (or block gods in) is an act of hubris. The highest moral code is to not cause suffering. We all suffer and to live in this world is to suffer. Why should we be the cause of suffering? We cause our anxiety by attempting to fix a square block into a round hole. We think in terms of "I" and this limits our existence to a frail ego. Go join the ebb and flow of the Cosmos, learn to play again, and stop looking at your shoes and telling the world you are dancing...you are not dancing. The beating of the native drum is the heartbeat and find your dance.

I know that had Alan Watts been live, and had he seen the title of this review, he would have possible stomped his foot on the ground or even slapped me into my senses while saying: "BUT THAT'S NOT THE POINT." And I understand why he would say that. I understood (albeit not perfectly) the message that he is trying to pass on. Watts is the most Eastern Westerner I know. His philosophies, particularly in this book, can lead into a metaphysical web that could leave you stuck indefinitely. At this same time, if you peel back the philosophical layers, which he helps you do at times, you will notice that the message, at its core, is always simple. He is begging the reader not to eliminate the ego, but to come to a full realization, a hyper awareness of sorts, that there is NO ego - that the ego, or the "I," is simply a figment of imagination. There is no method to achieve this hyper-awareness, no guide, no set of instructions, but only this imperative: "Look!" I may be just a tad bit too simplistic to fully grasp the significance of this, but I believe that at times I caught a glimpse of the implications of Watt's message. To live perfectly in the moment, to understand that the experience and the "experiencer" are one in the same just as a wave is not part of the ocean, but is the ocean, all of it - I can begin to fathom how one would be able to shed so much pretense and predispositions. Or not, I don't know. My personal opinion is that there are gems in this book, but as it is with all things, anything in excess is harmful. This book sells Eastern thought in its entirety, and I believe that no, Alan Watt's does not have the answer to the meaning of life (which he would probably agree to me saying) and I don't think you'll find in this book all the answers to your questions. It is a refreshing read though, at least it was for me. I really had to break down my mind, my prejudices, my perceptions and realize that my reality is truly the product of my own mind - and that I can change that, if I want to. In any case, a worthy read, but definitely not a book if you're looking for "10 Ways to Reduce Anxiety." It is rather an exhortation to awareness.

Alan Watts writes with simple, lucid logic that is nearly impossible for me to summarize. His argument holds together like a long string of connected puzzle pieces and to take any out is to lose the impact of his philosophy. I would thoroughly recommend reading Watts’ work, but would recommend against trusting me to accurately convey his system of thought aside from this one major point: live in the present. Watts begins right at the heart of the matter by emphasizing why it is illogical to live for the future or to dwell on the past. He writes, “If happiness always depends on something expected in the future, we are chasing a will-o’-the-wisp that ever eludes our grasp, until the future, and ourselves, vanish into the abyss of death” (15). He takes time to explore how the modern western mind is plagued by anxiety and hope for the future while forgetting that the future is an eternally moving goalpost. While some of his ideas certainly buck the prevailing mindset--especially that held by wide swaths of Christians--Watts proceeds graciously and with respect to the difficulty some will have with digesting the idea that we ought not be fixated on heaven but experience the eternal in the present moment alone. Watts continues with some linguistically based logical arguments exploring the concepts of faith, belief, God. He peppers in difficult concepts and then immediately explains them with such clarity that his system of thought is obviously in concert with the workings of the universe. Watts’ next chapter argues for the need of accepting both pleasure and pain in the present moment and to avoid chasing the future as it invalidates the present. In writing about the pursuit of financial stability, he notes, “Instead of earning a living [many people] are mostly earning an earning and thus when the time comes to relax they are unable to do so” (36). Change, Watts proclaims in his next chapter, is an unchanging reality of life. Everything changes and “when we fail to see that our life is change, we set ourselves against ourselves and become like the Ouroboros” (43). Watts argues that words cannot capture reality, but are only symbols representing parts of the infinitely complex, interconnected universe. He takes time to explore the inadequacy of both science and religion in grasping reality through defining it--a slippery and unsatisfying pursuit. So, what is reality? It is “this ultimate something which cannot be defined or fixed [and] can be represented by the word God” (55). Some more interesting ideas: “Since what we know of the future is made up of purely abstract and logical elements--inferences, guesses, deductions--it cannot be eaten, felt, smelled, seen, heard, or otherwise enjoyed. To pursue it is to pursue a constantly retreating phantom, and the faster you chase it, the faster it runs ahead” (60-61). “The brain can only assume its proper behavior when consciousness is doing what it is designed for: not writhing and whirling to get out of present experience, but being effortlessly aware of it” (73). “A society based on the quest for security is nothing but a breath-retention contest in which everyone is as taut as a drum and as purple as a beet” (78). “The craving for security is itself a pain and a contradiction...the more we pursue it, the more painful it becomes” (78). “To be aware of reality, of the living present, is to discover that each moment the experience is all. There is nothing else beside it--no experience of ‘you’ experiencing the experience” (89). On being the present moment (Watts says we are not to live in the present moment so much as to realize that we inescapably are the present moment) and experiencing pain: “Seeing that there is no escape from the pain, the mind yields to it, absorbs it, and becomes conscious of just pain without any ‘I’ feeling it or resisting it. It experiences pain in the same complete, unselfconscious way in which it experiences pleasure. Pain is the nature of this present moment, and I can only live in this moment...pain and the effort to be separate from it are the same thing” (97-98). “Realize that you live in, that indeed you are this moment now, and no other, that apart from this there is no past and no future, you must relax and taste to the full, whether it be pleasure or pain” (115-116). While some of these notions may seem so abstract, Watts takes time and care to illustrate how Western religions have put forward the same ideas couched in different language and distorted by time. If I keep writing quotations, you’ll eventually read the whole book. Much of the power of Watts’ thought, I’m realizing, cannot be captured in soundbytes, but must be considered in context. I would encourage any reader seeking to find simple fulfillment in the present moment to give Watts a chance. I will certainly return to this book in the future and I look forward to reading more of what Watts has to say. A-

I have read practically every meditation, Buddhism and philosophic book published during my 60 years on the planet.. This is by far the simplest to understand and the best. You want a firmer grip on the human condition, and how to live in the moment within it? - then this is the book for you. Some of Watts books are not easy to follow- but not this one. Will settle you mind and thoughts and direct you to living this life in the present while enjoying the movement and change inherent in all things. I am on my third marked up copy since I bought my first one years ago.

In 1951, Alan Watts wrote about the increasing pace of life and the challenges to maintain one's moorings in turbulent times. If only he were around today to see what has happened recent years and to comment accordingly! Perhaps he would give similar advice, as his principles should not be subject to the current events or fashion. His two main themes from my perspective, at least in the first half that I found much more enlightening, were that humans do not need traditional religion and that humans should not fight anxiety. In the first case, his analysis is not that science has solved everything, a topic lively today and likely to continue as a perpetual debate. It is more that the human soul can find nourishment and understanding in other ways, and does not need the tenets of religion to make life whole. He does, however, concede that belief has been undermined by the ceaseless march of human intelligence, while claiming that the coldly intellectual angle often leaves the human soul unsatisfied. Mystery helps feed the mind and spirit. Mr. Watts' insights on anxiety as the necessary complement to freedom and pleasure were particularly succinct and sharp. A favorite quote is, "If, then, we are to be fully human and fully alive and aware, it seems that we must be willing to suffer for our pleasures. Without such willingness there can be no growth in the intensity of consciousness. Yet, generally speaking, we are not willing, and it may be thought strange to suppose that we can be. For 'nature in us' so rebels against pain that the very notion of 'willingness' to put up with it beyond a certain point may appear impossible and meaningless. "Under these circumstances, the life that we live is a contradiction and a conflict. Because consciousness must involve both pleasure and pain, to strive for pleasure to the exclusion of pain is, in effect, to strive for the loss of consciousness. Because such a loss is in principle the same as death, this means that the more we struggle for life (as pleasure), the more we are actually killing what we love." Well stated, obviously, and that is one of many. I endorse the modest length of the book, its lack of deep theological argument, and light touch on Eastern thought. Those topics are best served in other works dedicated to the proper depth and sophistication. I especially recommend a look back at Mr. Watts with the wave of anti-religion books by Hitchens, et al. Read them and compare to Alan Watts.

I enjoyed reading this book; however, I felt that it was light conjecture and for lack of a better description, off the cuff, perhaps dated. There is one quote, well over halfway into the book that resonated with me, but I have forgotten it by now. That seems to be the case for much of what is stated in this book; the insights don't strike me as rare or what one wouldn't find upon living their own life. It may be possible that these insights were revolutionary when the book was first written, but no longer and this, at least for me, disqualifies the book as a classic. This may be a good starting point for younger people or those who've had little experience with Buddhism, eastern philosophy or reflection in navigating the uncertainty of life. For a better guide, I recommend Phillip Moffett's Dancing with Life: Buddhist Insights for Finding Meaning and Joy in the Face of Suffering, which is wonderful and a book I return to often since its publication in 2008.

This book is an excellent place to start reading philosophy. _The Wisdom of Insecurity_ was obviously written for the layman, making it ideal for those who are new to this type of nonfiction. In it, Alan Watts explains to us various ways of accepting and dealing with anxiety and insecurity in spiritual matters. This technique of acceptance was clearly derived from the Hindu and Buddhist methods of establishing a calm and mellow outlook on life. Like these great Eastern religions, Alan Watts does not try to tackle issues of theological truth head-on, but instead sidesteps the eternal questions. This is not because he is incapable of dealing with more complex metaphysical issues - he does so in great depth in his other, longer works. Neither is this method of sidestepping our sources of anxiety an evasion of rational, empirical truth. This book is not a rigorous empiricist study, and never claimed to be. It is instead a psychotheapeutic work verging on the anti-intellectual, but at the same time embracing meditation and contemplation. Watts shows us ways to act out our love for wisdom and enlightenment by concentrating on the positive and accepting (but not dwelling on) disturbing questions which he considers to be unanswerable. This is not an atheistic work nor is it a tale of despair. This is a work infused with hope, while being mindful of the truth. It succeeds in treading a sort of middle ground between the love of knowledge and anti-intellectualism. The only problem with this book is its short length, although some might consider this an advantage. If you are looking for a more in-depth and rigorous study, try _Behold the Spirit_ or _Psychotherapy East and West_, also by Alan Watts.

Bought for a friend, they loved it!

Alan Watts managed to express complicated philosophical issues in an accessible way. Our western way of thinking is governed by dualism (body-mind, matter-form, good-evil, cause-effect), eschatology (salvation in pre-modern times, technological perfection in modernity) and the illusion of an immutable ego (soul, person). To this dualism Alan Watts opposes the non-dualism of eastern tradition and - being well acquainted with western philosophy and Christianity - dares the difficult task of trans-lating terminology from a different culture. As the title implies Alan Watts does not propose a recipe or a dogma but describes living your a life of letting things happen by being part and not an adversary of the stream of life. To all those who wonder why we are thrown into existence, why we are subject to pain and death, why we are just a glimpse of existence between two eternal phases of non-existence, and who cannot subscribe to metaphysics of life after death, Alan Watts gives a new perspective of not looking at life but living life. Emmanouil Pajatakis

Everything was good and I've received the item in perfect conditions. Customer service has been very kind and really useful.

Es un excelente libro. Me ha servido mucho para regresarme a mi eje cuando veo que la mente ya anda divagando hacia el futuro. Es como un libro de consulta: no es para leerlo una sola vez, desde mi perspectiva. La edición es bonita y la calidad del papel y de la edición (tipografía, tamaño de la letra, etc.), es buena. Se lo he recomendado a varios de mis amigos y se lo recomendaría a cualquiera que sienta que ha perdido el rumbo o que tiene que ir siempre corriendo en esta vida que a veces abruma con fuerza.

one of the greatest 20th century philosophers