Alan Watts (1915 - 1973)
"The facts, the reality of our existence, is that we are both the natural environment, which ultimately is the whole universe, and the organism playing together. Why don't we feel that way? Why, obviously because this other feeling gets in the way of it. This socially induced feeling which comes about as a result of a kind of hypnotism exercised upon us throughout the whole educational process has given us a hallucinatory feeling of who we are, and therefore we act like madmen. We don't respect our environment; we destroy it. But you know, exploiting and destroying your environment, polluting the water and the air and everything, is just like destroying your own body. The environment is your body. But we act in this crazy way because we've got a crazy conception of who we are. We're raving mad."
- Alan Watts, Ego, Vol. 8 of "The Essence of Alan Watts."
I remember the first time I heard Alan Watts on the radio, back in the early '70's. He speaks exactly how he writes - with powerful, well-chosen words, in immaculate English.
I think I have always been a fan of Alan Watts - (my wife calls me a "Wattie") even after I met someone who knew him well and described him as a "confused and troubled man."
When I first heard Alan's friend say that about him, I was very disappointed, and in my immaturity at that moment, felt that it destroyed my image of him as the wise mystic. Now I look back and ask - who among us would be the first to admit that we haven't been "confused and troubled" at least once or twice in our lives?
Alan's wisdom always hit to the core of any self-righteousness dogmatic posture and shattered the security of so many inherited beliefs. Not the least of which, would be the idea that a spiritual person always has it "all together." I can really relate to that.
Tonight I was browsing the web - "Googling" - and I came across some great YouTube clips of Alan that various people had put together. See below......
Take a few moments to listen (and watch) these:
Alan Watts - thanks for being!
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