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The Wisdom of Insecurity

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This echos the opening line of the Dao De Jing, which says, “The Dao that can be named, is not the true Dao. This inaccessibility of the philosophy could explain why it didn’t become the dominant understanding in most religions, since most people couldn’t reach past the metaphors and so, instead, hung onto them as literal truth. He was the author of a number of books on the philosophy and psychology of religion, which have continued to be in popular demand over the past forty years. My sense is that the key difference between Watts’ appreciation of the present moment with the fluid unity of nature, and the anxiety-prone, analytical, ego-driven perception many of us feel stuck in, is one of attention. If I remember correctly, the central idea is the Daoist principle of "invest in loss" as we say in Taiji Quan practice.

There may be some beauty in that, in the sense of an organic stream of thought, but to me it felt untidy and consequently difficult to draw conclusions from his theoretical prattling (of which nothing was backed up with any real world reference). He says, "The art of living in this 'predicament' is neither careless drifting on the one hand nor fearful clinging to the past and the known on the other.Even though this book is well over 60 years old, it remains an extremely timely read, and it is surprisingly fresh in both its approach and thinking. But once we open up to wonder, see the connections between everything, we will no longer be the anxious I desperately trying to feel OK. Only by being paradoxical and confusing, will the student surrender, admit there is nothing to intellectualize and become enlightened.

Very difficult to give a such a highly regarded book 2 stars, but I'm playing safe with Goodreads' system that 2 stars means 'It was ok'. But I think it is provocative in that it also neatly resolves some of the practical and metaphysical problems I see with a more standard, scientific Western view of the world. There's some good work here on the layers that our minds add to the true reality, and some good metaphors to explain why those should not be important to us. But to attempt anyway: This is a book about living in the present moment, and it kind of messes with your mind in that great expansive sort of way. In many regards a book ahead of its time, and for that reason I can understand its long-standing adoration.

He challenges your thoughts, your definition of "right", cuts through the bullshit of our constant yearning for security and approval. As Watt’s explains, “Part of man’s frustration is that he has become accustomed to expert language and thought to offer explanations which they cannot give. It's a very non-Western principle but it contains a depth of truth that Western philosophy has never quite understood.

It is not as if he were thinking about it in a practical way, trying to decide whether he should have the operation or not, or making plans to take care of his family and his affairs if he should die.But the thought, “this living in the present sounds like something I’d like to have, how can I get it? Watts’ objection, however, is that we mistake this essential abstraction for our fundamental nature.

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