More Of Alan Watts And Less Of Paulo Coelho, Please!

Alan Watts’ judgments are capable of shaking up our conception of the world, life and relationships.

Alan Watts (1915–1973) was a British philosopher, writer and lecturer. In contrast to other well-known writers like Paulo Coelho on life philosophy, Alan Watts’ messages are far away from the classic type “When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it”.

Alan Watts wants to question ourselves and get to know the truth, even though, it can get ugly. These are deep visions capable of shaking up our conception of the world, life and relationships to bring us to the abyss of our own being.

1 — The Thought Trap

We can be masters or slaves of our thoughts, it’s up to you. Although a thought is not evil in itself, it can become dangerous when we cling to it and get lost in vicious circles of belief.

Thoughts are a very powerful tool we must know how to dominate, use with moderation and prune when it unfolds its tricks to confuse us and induce to self-deception. For Alan Watts there is no better way to manage it than to surrender to the evidence of the present, to the deep connection with what we are being and feeling now.

As Alan Watts once said;

“We seldom realize, for example that our most private thoughts and emotions are not actually our own. For we think in terms of languages and images which we did not invent, but which were given to us by our society.”

2 — The Limits Of Words

Language is a social instrument, a tool invented by man capable of generating realities that facilitate understanding — and also make it difficult, depending on the case.

Sometimes words, whether spoken or written, are not enough to give an acceptable resolution to what we feel, so that others can understand it. The problem is to remain within the boundaries of language and to take for granted that we cannot go further to express ourselves.

Alan Watts’ expressed his concern on the limitations we suffer with words and how we can never fully communicate our inner thoughts. According to his vision, “this is only half living”.

3 — The Secret Of The Path

According to Alan Watts, the joy of the journey is much more enriching than the achievement of any success or goal. The experience of each moment, the connection with the present is what gives us the awareness of real existence.

Ignoring the path that has led us to the ultimate goal, can overshadow all the effort made to reach there.

4 — The Importance Of The Present

We live lost in a labyrinth which unites the past and the future without being aware we possess the key which opens the exit door: the present.

In general, we tend to tell ourselves stories filled with fears, worries and guilt. We wander crestfallen and exhausted in what one day was and what another will be. However, only when we manage to be present, will we be able to experience our most real existence.

5 — The Great Value Of Detachment

To cling to things, situations and people is to build walls which interrupt the art of flowing with life in exchange for suffering. Nourishing the ideas of belonging, control and power takes us away from our most genuine essence to place us in the earthly universe of the material and in the duality of pleasure-unpleasure.

Without a doubt this is one of Alan Watts’ phrases in which we can see reflected his knowledge of Eastern philosophy. We must forget this idea that something or someone belongs to us because otherwise we will become victims of the fear of loss and this will only lead us to sink into a spiral of suffering.

The art of knowing how to renounce is the key to freeing ourselves from the traps of expectations and desire. And once achieved, it will be much easier to connect with a state of wholeness and harmony.

Alan Watts’ phrases are a valuable legacy for reflection and awakening consciousness. They are sentences that invite us to broaden our visual and mental spectrum to go beyond.

Eastern philosophy offers a wholly different perspective on inner wholeness in the age of anxiety and what it really means to live a life of purpose. Indeed, maybe we need more of Alan Watts where self-awareness is not always comforting and it can get ugly.