Philosopher and orator Alan Watts was one of the leading mediators between Eastern and Western philosophy. His works are still very popular today, as his way of expression makes it easy to get started, especially for philosophy beginners. This passage from one of his lectures deals with the concept the vicious circle of worry and how we escape it. Watts' describes the...
I think most of us feel rushed a lot these days. Some even permanently. I definitely used to be one of the latter. The result is often that we run out of energy faster than we would like and we can't devote ourselves to things the way we would like to. The Roman...
There are many well-known quotes from Marcus Aurelius, the famous Stoic philosopher. However, there are also lesser known quotes that are of great concern to me and, in my opinion, carry important messages. We will take a closer look at one of these quotes in this article. "Today I have escaped from fear. Or no, I have discarded it, for it....
In many Far-Eastern philosophies and religions, the pursuit of enlightenment and happiness is an integral aspect. I realized years ago that we in the West also feel a need for this, but in our cultures we are not actively engaged with these goals. In most cases, in westernized countries, the...
Chances are you've caught yourself acting or thinking to please others. The Chinese philosopher Lao tzu had warned against this very thing, as it makes us dependent on these people. He wrote the following words on this subject: "Take care of it....
Some say not to dwell on the past and others say to honor the past and the memories associated with it. I have noticed these contrasts in various philosophies and Alan Watts has also picked up on them. New Age philosopher Alan Watts was known for pointing out different philosophical views, but mostly strove to...
In this article, we will look at some of the greatest quotes from Marcus Aurelius that have been extremely helpful to me (and countless other people) to steadily improve, see things in a more relaxed way, and find more inner peace - and thus better cope with modern life. In this article we will look at the meanings of...
Many philosophers have grappled with the question of who or what we actually are as human beings. By this, very few mean whether we are hairless descendants of apes or the creation of a god, but what makes us human. Alan Watts has presented his views in various lectures. This article is about how...
In a letter to a friend, Seneca wrote that death is not an event somewhere in the future. Rather, one should see death in the now, in the permanent progression of time. One could also say that every moment that passes dies in that very moment. "The last hour in which we cease to exist brings....
To learn something new in life - be it playing an instrument, a new sport, or anything else - you have to be willing to be a fool. In hardly any case, you're good at something you've never done before. If you're not willing to be bad at something to begin with,...
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