Jane DoeThis current world is full of turmoil. Anxiety, depression, tension and agitation prevails most prominently amongst the people. The ideologies discussed and shared in this book by the well-known Zen Guru Mr. Alan Watts are as much applicable for today’s busy life as much as it was in 60’s while the book got published. This copy of The Wisdom of Insecurity was not easily available on the online stores in India. However after waiting for quite a long time I was luckily able to have one.
So the honorable Zen Guru takes a different approach with this book. His books are usually regarding the subjects and ideas of Tao, Buddhism, Indian and Zen philosophies. With ‘The Wisdom of Insecurity’ Alan Watts tries to bring our unsettled mind into the importance of present moment. What exists here and now is more important than what could exist in the next moment (future) or what existed before (past).
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Many reasons exist for this, such as striving for security, being materialistic, spiritual or in relationship, etc. And thus we chase a will-o-wisp which exists in future and we think we might get that in future. But while we are in this process of chasing a non existing future, we miss the the immediate now. We consider the present moment as trivial, whereas the entire esoteric teachings consists of trying to bring the human beings into the present moment.
“Tomorrow and plans for tomorrow can have no significance at all unless you are in full contact with the reality of the present, since it is in the present and only in the present that you live. There is nothing more evident than the present, so that, even if one were to live for endless ages, to live for the future would be to miss the point everlastingly.”
Therefore Mr. Alan Watts suggests embracing the insecurity of this moment totally.
“The desire of security and feeling of insecurity is same thing. A society based on quest for security is nothing but breath-retention contest in which everyone is as taut as drum.”
But certain drawbacks do exist if people take this approach given in the book quite literally by misunderstanding the actual point. For example: not planning for a better future at all and taking into consideration certain important things for his/her personal life looking at just the present. Also being in present moment means accepting whatever exists in emotional, physical and mental levels at the present moment. The complete ‘you’ as in whole tries to be aware of this moment.
As its title suggests ‘Message for an age of anxiety’. So it is! Grab a copy and indulge yourself in the world free of insecurity and gain some wisdom lessons from the great Zen master – Alan Watts.
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