The Wisdom of Insecurity, Alan Watts. First Edition.

Alan Watts (1915-1973) was a British philosopher and writer, best known as a proponent, exponent and popularizer of Eastern thought to Western audiences. Watts moved to the US in 1938, gaining a master's degree in theology and becoming an Episcopal priest in 1945. He left the ministry in 1950 and moved to California, joining the American Academy of Asian Studies. During the San Francisco Renaissance and Beat Generation he gained a large following, and published over 25 books on Eastern spirituality throughout his life. Perhaps his best known work is The Way of Zen, published in 1957, and which became one of the first bestselling books on Buddhism.

One of my favorite books of his is The Wisdom of Insecurity, published in 1951. In it, Watts makes a compelling case that the root of much of our anxiety and frustration is the inability to live in the present moment. As he says,

"If to enjoy even an enjoyable present we must have the assurance of a happy future, we are 'crying for the moon.' We have no such assurance. The best predictions are still matters of probability rather than certainty, and to the best of our knowledge every one of us is going to suffer and die. If, then, we cannot live happily without an assured future, we are certainly not adapted to living in a finite world where, despite the best plans, accidents will happen, and where death comes at the end."

It is the trappings of the rational mind that keep is stuck in the cycle of 'future-tripping.' And the rational mind is an excellent servant, but a terrible master. It's a great little book that I highly recommend. This is the scarce first printing:

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