Life is About Living: Alan Watts’ Wisdom for a Fulfilling Life

Hey there, fellow seekers of wisdom and all things fun! Today, we’re diving into the enchanting world of Alan Watts, a spiritual guide and Zen lecturer who’s here to remind us that life is all about, well, living! Have you ever felt like you’re stuck in an endless cycle of to-dos, constantly checking boxes, and wondering if there’s more to it all? Well, you’re not alone, and Alan Watts has some fantastic insights to share.

*Finding the “Living” in Life*

Ever heard the quote, “Life is about Living”? It struck a chord with me, too, and sent me on a quest to explore Alan Watts’ teachings, more so to revisit as I have been listening to Alan Watts for a couple of years as I come across his stuff on YouTube. Many of us find ourselves caught up in the hustle and bustle of modern life, always striving to meet other people’s expectations, and constantly pushing ourselves to reach undefined goals. Alan Watts, in his eloquent lectures, reminds us that this lifestyle is learned behavior that gets passed down through generations like an endless relay race. My curiosity is sparked by these types of things as I struggle with feeling stuck in a constant flow of doing and don’t feel satisfied unless I am checking off a box. Even now, I am reacting to this as it is an idea for writing to hit my once-a-week writing schedule which is indeed therapeutic but I wonder if I didn’t make this commitment would I be better off with my coffee in hand just watching the rain fall down from the sky or offering to play a game with my kids but here I am, looking down on my phone doing this. Again I see the benefit in this, if one person reads this and gets benefit from it, then I have successfully done my part.

*Passing the Torch of Hustle Culture*

As adults and/or parents, we often forget what it’s like to see the world through the eyes of a child. Alan Watts once shared that simply telling kids to “go and play” isn’t enough; they need inspiration and fun to truly engage with the world. Our own experiences as kids seem like a distant memory when we’re busy with adult responsibilities. But, maybe it’s time to rediscover that childlike wonder and approach life with a new perspective. Then Alan said the damage done here is these actions are then learned behavior to the next generation, and it goes on and on. This is indeed true, both of my parents worked a lot and it instilled in me to get a job early in life and earn money so I can maintain a comfortable life. Then my kids will probably serve the same fate. My daughter is 10 and runs her own slime business, so pretty much hustling other 8 – 10-year-olds to buy slime from her in school and online. She enjoys it so harmless right, maybe, maybe not. Important for this world though I believe, she’ll have a leg up in this hustle culture world where some people find it difficult to earn income my daughter and I find it as second nature to earn income through service, to provide the things our peers desire.

*Artists: Adults at Play* // *Embracing the Sandbox*

Alan Watts explained that artists are just adults who continue on to play as a living, I actually found this quite clever and it rings true in many cases. Like the dancer who is asked to perform on the spot, they just push down all of their negative thoughts due to their day-to-day life and just like that, they dance. The same goes for a DJ, singer, or whatever creative path you choose we are just playing in our sandboxes. In the supportive role I have been doing since I have been in my teens I have been on a journey to allow people to play in their sandboxes and trade up their small sandboxes for much larger sandboxes – this is what I get joy from. This is really what Alan Watts says that we should strive for, where we shouldn’t expect a result out of the work we do but where we should just enjoy it. Then if and when we enjoy it we aren’t tricking ourselves into enjoying it so we can be more productive or something, we should work because we find joy or purpose in our life. The reality of this is a sad one though as not everyone has a sandbox that they play in, they have a conveyor belt of parts that must be gotten to, or else they can’t feed their family. So what do they do? I believe it is just finding the best part of the work we all do and finding joy or purpose in it. Maybe it’s not the work but maybe the people that we work with. If not the people then where are those parts going and how are you contributing to the betterment of this society? This is what we need to think about. Like for CGAgency, I have always enjoyed two things in this business and it is all based on connection. I allow DJs to connect with their fans and do what they want to do for a living, to spread music to the world, and then I enjoy giving experiences to audiences out there as they run lives like the rest of us, a lot of work and not enough play, so live music is their play, going out and listening to music and to dance to this music is an all-around success to me.

I can understand the feelings of those persons who are involved in the never-ending rat race…I find myself in this stage and at times it feels like a form of depression as the passion flame is not burning as bright as it once was but as Alan put it in a lecture “No one is having fun, we are just pounding at life”. We do indeed choose our actions we even have the choice to take our own lives but most of us don’t do this especially when we realize that this is indeed a choice we have, and then we find the reason to continue on living. We should want to do the things we are doing, being told what to do is unnatural to our mental well-being, but it is indeed the instructions that move us along in life.

*Japanese Art of Purposefulness*

Finally, Alan Watts introduces us to the Japanese concept of purposefulness. It’s about enjoying things simply for the sake of enjoying them. In a world where we often expect instant mood boosts, it’s a skill worth practicing – to appreciate the beauty of life without constantly seeking something in return.

So there you have it, a journey through Alan Watts’ wisdom on the art of living. As we continue on our individual paths, let’s remember to find joy, play, and embrace the simple pleasures of life. We’re all in this together, so why not make it a grand adventure?

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Check Out My Substack – a lot of the same, just there