The Wisdom of Insecurity: A Message for an Age of Anxiety
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- Author：Alan W. Watts
- ISBN：0712695885
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Summary
A classic look at man's search for certainty from the acclaimed expert on Eastern philosophy
In this fascinating book， Alan Watts explores man's quest for psychological security， examining our efforts to find spiritual and intellectual certainty in the realms of religion and philosophy。 The Wisdom of Insecurity underlines the importance of our search for stability in an age where human life seems particularly vulnerable and uncertain。Watts argues our insecurity is the consequence of trying to be secure and that， ironically， salvation and sanity lie in the recognition that we have no way of saving ourselves。
Alan Watts was the foremost Western expert on Eastern thought， specialising in Zen Buddhism。 He was the author of a number of books on the philosophy and psychology of religion， which have continued to be in popular demand over the past forty years。
In this fascinating book， Alan Watts explores man's quest for psychological security， examining our efforts to find spiritual and intellectual certainty in the realms of religion and philosophy。 The Wisdom of Insecurity underlines the importance of our search for stability in an age where human life seems particularly vulnerable and uncertain。Watts argues our insecurity is the consequence of trying to be secure and that， ironically， salvation and sanity lie in the recognition that we have no way of saving ourselves。
Alan Watts was the foremost Western expert on Eastern thought， specialising in Zen Buddhism。 He was the author of a number of books on the philosophy and psychology of religion， which have continued to be in popular demand over the past forty years。
Reviews
Sarah
，
Well， I'm an idiot。I picked up this book thinking the title's "insecurity" meant the lack of confidence; the book means "insecurity" as a lack of permanence and constant change。I'm not sure why I continued reading。 While Watts make several interesting points， I ended up skimming a third of the book。Watts doesn't share anything new; he's just very articulate in explaining basic Buddihist tenets: mindfulness， being in the present， stop worrying about the future， etc Well， I'm an idiot。I picked up this book thinking the title's "insecurity" meant the lack of confidence; the book means "insecurity" as a lack of permanence and constant change。I'm not sure why I continued reading。 While Watts make several interesting points， I ended up skimming a third of the book。Watts doesn't share anything new; he's just very articulate in explaining basic Buddihist tenets: mindfulness， being in the present， stop worrying about the future， etc 。。。more
Luis Cabrera López
，
Bastante flojo al lado de otros libros del mismo autor。 Creo que da más paz y se entiende mejor lo que es la ansiedad en el arte de ser dios que en este libro。
Victor
，
Depending on your level of consciousness and sense of awareness this book offers further explanation of the path you are traveling and possible corrections in your understanding， or it may change your perspective of existence， completely。
Fabian Wadle
，
It really depends on where you're at in life with respect to exploring Eastern Philosophy， Ive spent about two years digging into Taosim and Buddhism and meditate semi regularly， but 2-3 years prior I would nt be able to grasp these concepts。 By no means is it an intro to eastern philosphy， IMOWith that said， at my current stage in life， this is top 5 non-fiction/"spiritual" books Ive ever read and will definitely reread。 I truly believe if you took these concepts seriously life would/will come It really depends on where you're at in life with respect to exploring Eastern Philosophy， Ive spent about two years digging into Taosim and Buddhism and meditate semi regularly， but 2-3 years prior I would nt be able to grasp these concepts。 By no means is it an intro to eastern philosphy， IMOWith that said， at my current stage in life， this is top 5 non-fiction/"spiritual" books Ive ever read and will definitely reread。 I truly believe if you took these concepts seriously life would/will come a bit easier。 It really is filled with many moments where you sit back and reflect on how true it feels at times。Two of my favorite concepts thoughts from this text would be:-letting go of the need to find an explanation for the world around you/universe （i。e。 "God"） There are so many layers to everything/everyone， the digger we deep， the harder it is to put a name to it。。。theres beauty in that。-Embrace what we fear/what makes us anxious and the dips/valleys of life。 Trying to maintain a level of comfort， avoiding pain/resisting pain is pointless。 Difficult moments/tasks will find us regardless of our avoidance， and through what we fear most is exactly what we desire most。 。。。more
Michael Scussel
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The first Alan Watts book I read and I thought it was accessible enough。 Deep reading and there are a lot of gems sitting on these pages。
Milly Cohen
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Como vamos a encontrar seguridad y paz de espíritu en un mundo cuya misma naturaleza es la inseguridad， la impermanencia y el cambio incesante？Lo increíble es que parece que lo escribió ayer。 Y es de 1951。Buenísimo！Renunciando a uno mismo el universo se convierte en mi。
Juliana
，
Three and a half。 I suppose I would recommend it。The book has pushed me in the direction of living in the moment more， which I appreciate。 There are enlightening and somewhat entertaining metaphors。 Distinguishing faith from belief is something I will carry with me。 The central theme of embracing the unknowable resonates。 However I find myself focusing on the points that didn't sit well with me。I am a person who plans things， and Watts does not quite address the relationship between planning and Three and a half。 I suppose I would recommend it。The book has pushed me in the direction of living in the moment more， which I appreciate。 There are enlightening and somewhat entertaining metaphors。 Distinguishing faith from belief is something I will carry with me。 The central theme of embracing the unknowable resonates。 However I find myself focusing on the points that didn't sit well with me。I am a person who plans things， and Watts does not quite address the relationship between planning and living in the moment。 （Of course we can't plan to be happy， but not planning send to consistently lead to unhappiness for me。） It's possible to come away from the book thinking that he does not see value in punitive/ incentive means of directing people toward moral behavior - perhaps this is meant as a philosophical point， but not at all practical。 Also the last chapter deals in large part with recontextualizing Christianity in terms of the themes of the book。I listened to the audiobook， and it is not possible to do so while doing anything else - the book requires one's full attention。 Therefore it took me over 2 weeks to find the time to finish this short book。 。。。more
Colin
，
Watss does an incredible job of conveying his unorthodox philosophy through metaphors， which make understanding the message much more effective。 This book reminded me of the Power of Now by Eckhartt Tolle， minus some of the mysticism and easier to understand in my opinion。 "The brain can only assume its proper behavior when consciousness is doing what it is designed for: not writhing and whirling to get out of present experience， but being effortlessly aware of it。" "If I want to be secure that Watss does an incredible job of conveying his unorthodox philosophy through metaphors， which make understanding the message much more effective。 This book reminded me of the Power of Now by Eckhartt Tolle， minus some of the mysticism and easier to understand in my opinion。 "The brain can only assume its proper behavior when consciousness is doing what it is designed for: not writhing and whirling to get out of present experience， but being effortlessly aware of it。" "If I want to be secure that is protected from the flux of life， I am wanting to be separate from life。 Yet it is this very sense of separateness which makes me feel insecure。 To e secure means to isolate and fotify the "I" which makes me feel lonely and afraid。 。 。 。 To put it still more plainly: the desire for security and the feeling of insecurity are the same thing。""I can only think seriously of trying to live up to an ideal to improve myself， if I am split in two pieces。 There must be a good "I" who is going to improve the bad "me。" "I，" who has the best intentions， will go to work on wayward "me，" and the tussle between the two will very much stress the difference between them。 Consequently "I: will feel more separate than ever， and so merely increase the lonely and cut-off feelings which make "me" behave so badly。We cannot work against life and against change。 Change is constant。 Our insecurity and anxiety comes when we try to fixate or hold things， which are transient。 I've experienced this is my own life， trying to hold on to things too tightly is a sure way to lose it。 Being adaptable and open to our experience， whatever it may be， not resisting the change， creates the smoothest experience。 By understanding this process， we can embrace change instead of fighting it， which only brings more pain。 。。。more
Alex Beckett
，
If fiction is so dearly loved because it allows the reader to travel to other worlds， and to experience other lives， through only the medium of a book - well then I should think that Watts' 'The Wisdom of Insecurity' is like a fiction but for real life。 It's written in quite standard English， certainly an English which is no more difficult than it has to be， for which I give kudos to Watts。 In addition， I think the work is close to being as accessible as it possibly could be， given the complexit If fiction is so dearly loved because it allows the reader to travel to other worlds， and to experience other lives， through only the medium of a book - well then I should think that Watts' 'The Wisdom of Insecurity' is like a fiction but for real life。 It's written in quite standard English， certainly an English which is no more difficult than it has to be， for which I give kudos to Watts。 In addition， I think the work is close to being as accessible as it possibly could be， given the complexity of the subject matter （which means that certain passages naturally have to be reread several times， yet that is to be expected）。I'm rating 'The Wisdom of Insecurity' so highly for the fact that I believe this to be a book from which anyone could gain immeasurably。 It's far reaching， not only in terms of audience， but also in the ideas it discusses。 Watts sets out an approach to life which is at ends with how so many people in the modern world live， yet his approach makes sense。 His masterful use of imagery， simile， and sources that span millennia at times stunned me; it was as if there was something quite fundamental about the world that I hadn't understood or even been aware of until now， and in a number of lines Watts had not only brought the matter to my attention but he'd brought it into focus。 I have much more to say on 'The Wisdom of Insecurity' but I shall leave these comments here， as it is difficult to put into words all of my thoughts on a book which gifts so much to the reader。 By this difficulty I am made all the more thankful to and appreciative of Watts for his incredible capacity to encapsulate in mere words a message which is so important。 I strongly recommend this book to anyone。 。。。more
Silvio
，
This is what this book is about: The antidote to anxiety is direct experience。 No resistance， no self， just being here now。 Stop running away from this moment。 Be-hold the mystery。 Recognize this: "I am experience"This book is unbelievably good。 And it is almost unbelievable that it is 70 years old， and it's advice is still as needed as then， probably even more so。 Alan Watts is not just ahead of his time， he is timeless。 Actually， we all are， hehe。By the way， I would say what he calls a "disord This is what this book is about: The antidote to anxiety is direct experience。 No resistance， no self， just being here now。 Stop running away from this moment。 Be-hold the mystery。 Recognize this: "I am experience"This book is unbelievably good。 And it is almost unbelievable that it is 70 years old， and it's advice is still as needed as then， probably even more so。 Alan Watts is not just ahead of his time， he is timeless。 Actually， we all are， hehe。By the way， I would say what he calls a "disorder of the brain" is a disorder of the nervous system。。。 。。。more
Stephanie Lodico
，
Quite the doozy， The Wisdom of Insecurity is written like any other philosophy book， unnecessarily jumpy and mind boggling at most times。 But when there’s a gem， there’s a gem—I definitely got a lot out of this book。 It was actually quoted in an enneagram book for Type Sixes （me）， who I feel would benefit from leaning into insecurity a bit more by leaning into this book。 And yet， like a classic Six， I finished it wanting a little more something concrete。 I just felt like I was getting less and l Quite the doozy， The Wisdom of Insecurity is written like any other philosophy book， unnecessarily jumpy and mind boggling at most times。 But when there’s a gem， there’s a gem—I definitely got a lot out of this book。 It was actually quoted in an enneagram book for Type Sixes （me）， who I feel would benefit from leaning into insecurity a bit more by leaning into this book。 And yet， like a classic Six， I finished it wanting a little more something concrete。 I just felt like I was getting less and less the more I read after a certain point， although the book was very short: he says pretty clearly halfway through that security and life are incompatible， and while the second half tries to support this， it didn’t do as good of a job as the first half did。 This book is probably one I would have to read more than once to really grasp; if anything， I think Watts is speaking above me and I could learn more with each read。 If you get super irritated at philosophy （like me）， proceed with caution， but I think it’s valuable nonetheless， especially for people constantly in existential crises （like me）。 。。。more
Taylor Ross
，
“I” and “me”
Aaron Sanstrum
，
Pretty interesting。 Watts is a presbyterian pastor who became Buddhist。 There are very useful things there。
Jeffrey
，
We have all been brought up to believe that defining feelings is a way to understand it better， but all it does is set us on a looped path。
Serkan Olgun
，
The Wisdom of Insecurity is a philosophical book by Alan Watts with the premise of guiding people in their search for “meaning” in an age of anxiety。 First published in 1951 when the level of anxiety in the world reached to a level for this book to be written as a guide; but it is still nothing compared to the anxiety levels of 21st century social media age people， which makes this book maybe even more relevant today compared to 70 years ago。Watts argues human beings constantly seek for the secu The Wisdom of Insecurity is a philosophical book by Alan Watts with the premise of guiding people in their search for “meaning” in an age of anxiety。 First published in 1951 when the level of anxiety in the world reached to a level for this book to be written as a guide; but it is still nothing compared to the anxiety levels of 21st century social media age people， which makes this book maybe even more relevant today compared to 70 years ago。Watts argues human beings constantly seek for the security feeling for future at the cost of missing out on “now”。 This search for a better future where they will be more happy becomes what actually makes them more insecure and unhappy in the first place。 Watts tries to explain in a simple way that this conundrum can be only solved by if people let go of the future and live in the “now”。Insecurity notion is maybe one-third of the book where the majority of it covers experiencing the “now” as it is， as a whole; as opposed to splitting ourselves into two selves: experiencing self and the self who is thinking about the experience。 He argues this constant struggle of thinking about the experience instead of just experiencing is what drives people into the hands of an “unhappy” life。Most of the book was too vague —especially in the parts where it repeatedly argues the only way to “salvation” is to experience the “now” as a whole without thinking— for my “rational” taste as arguing the same thing over and over again does not make that argument stronger。Although Alan Watts is the foremost interpreter of the Eastern thought， Zen Buddhism in particular， to the West; in this book he doesn’t even attempt to “sell” any named religion or spiritual doctrine whatsoever。 This is not a Buddhist 101 sort of book。 It is rather a manifestation of his philosophy on how we can make a difference in our lives if we are able to let go of our future-thinking selves and focus on the “now” instead。https://serkanolgun。me/2021/05/16/review-book-the-wisdom-of-insecurity。html 。。。more
Derek Spencer
，
Genuinely insightful spiritual arguments mixed in with just absolute trash takes about modern society （for example "women used to give birth alone in the fields and then just keep working and this is how it should be"）。 A delightful minefield， a convincing new age magic trick。 Genuinely insightful spiritual arguments mixed in with just absolute trash takes about modern society （for example "women used to give birth alone in the fields and then just keep working and this is how it should be"）。 A delightful minefield， a convincing new age magic trick。 。。。more
George Orton
，
nope
Deeksha Das
，
One of the best books I've ever read！ I am sure I'll come back to this gem of a book again and again。 One of the best books I've ever read！ I am sure I'll come back to this gem of a book again and again。 。。。more
Oliver
，
There are a few valuable insights here， but I didn't find the overall arguments memorable or compelling。 Maybe something to reread。 There are a few valuable insights here， but I didn't find the overall arguments memorable or compelling。 Maybe something to reread。 。。。more
Michael Kress
，
I had one credit on Audible， and knew I wanted something by Watts。 I scrolled through a few that were longer than this， then decided on this one thinking I had a premonition of quality over quantity， and I think I was right。 I'd read The Way of Zen before this， and I'm not sure if this book is actually better or if I was just ready for Watt's message this time。 One of the main reasons this gets a solid five stars is because of how well this audiobook goes with running。 I have a tendency to menta I had one credit on Audible， and knew I wanted something by Watts。 I scrolled through a few that were longer than this， then decided on this one thinking I had a premonition of quality over quantity， and I think I was right。 I'd read The Way of Zen before this， and I'm not sure if this book is actually better or if I was just ready for Watt's message this time。 One of the main reasons this gets a solid five stars is because of how well this audiobook goes with running。 I have a tendency to mentally drift off from books， I'm even drift worse with audiobooks， and audiobook mixed with running is the worst of them all for distractedness。 But when this book reminds me of the importance of the present moment， I'm able to focus in on the book， my run， the trees， the birds， the planes overhead， and everything else I'm experiencing right now。 Also， it's been said that running is very "Zen，" and I get that。 I can focus on enjoying the fatigue， rather than projecting into the future， wishing it was over。 I'd put this up there with Tao Te Ching as one of the most important books on mindfulness that I've read。 。。。more
Donald Schopflocher
，
Now over 70 years old， this classic vibrates with the concerns of its era: anxiety and existential angst， the nuclear age， the pace of modernity; as well as the concerns of conventional western religion from which Watts had been recently expelled。 For Watts here， the divided mind ie the I and the me， the objectification function of language， the split into past and future， initiates a fruitless search for security and escape from angst which can only be overcome by the realization that living in Now over 70 years old， this classic vibrates with the concerns of its era: anxiety and existential angst， the nuclear age， the pace of modernity; as well as the concerns of conventional western religion from which Watts had been recently expelled。 For Watts here， the divided mind ie the I and the me， the objectification function of language， the split into past and future， initiates a fruitless search for security and escape from angst which can only be overcome by the realization that living in the present moment is all we can do and embracing our present experience， even fear and anxiety， is the way to dispel them。 In doing so we overcome the splits， and come to realize that there is no self， and we are not separate from the world。 Watts is able to present and argue these perennial messages from the Eastern Religions in a straightforward manner divorced from the sometimes mystical languages of those Eastern Religions。 Indeed， throughout his career Watts’ ability to communicate the Eastern traditions to Westerners using simple metaphors and common language was a key to his considerable appeal。 And this work lives on to inspire new generations。 。。。more
Timothy
，
Perhaps it's not for everyone but it is relevant to everyone。 It speaks to the heart of the matter。 Perhaps it's not for everyone but it is relevant to everyone。 It speaks to the heart of the matter。 。。。more
Annie
，
This is a short book but it is too long。 Too many examples in his progression of thought。 But， the message is important。
Gabriele Valenza
，
Da leggere e rileggere。
Ashley Jane
，
I really enjoy spending time with Alan Watts。 His views on our existence are very interesting to me。 The more I think about the title of this book， the more I love it。 Clinging so hard to anything only makes things more difficult。 Lots to think about。
Zak Cebulski
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 4。5/5As someone who was born and raised Catholic， but has since fallen away from the religion， and religion as a whole into atheism， this book really struck me。 I was constantly awestruck by Watts' ability to so accurately articulate the prevailing feelings of anxiety which run rampant fueled by the constant and unyielding desire to get more， to have more to want more。 It was a scary reassurance to sit back and to think that we truly are able to sit and think for a second that we will never live 4。5/5As someone who was born and raised Catholic， but has since fallen away from the religion， and religion as a whole into atheism， this book really struck me。 I was constantly awestruck by Watts' ability to so accurately articulate the prevailing feelings of anxiety which run rampant fueled by the constant and unyielding desire to get more， to have more to want more。 It was a scary reassurance to sit back and to think that we truly are able to sit and think for a second that we will never live in the future， nor， can we live in the past。 We are ling in the present。 I think that the concepts which Watts discusses are so obvious， but， from the world in which we live in， we overlook them， or， frankly， forget about them。 It is like working a muscle， or learning an instrument， practicing living in this moment， this fleeting moment of the present， where we can truly exist and be happy and experience life。 Otherwise， we are living for the expectation of the future which may be radically different from our expectations， or we are living with our images of the past- not the past itself。 Absolutely brilliant， and a shock that he was so clearly gifted and aware of what he discussed。 I will need to revisit this book， as there were some portions which beg for more reviewing， and frankly， cannot be understood fully， by me， with a one time read。 。。。more
Jim Beatty
，
One of the greatest favors bestowed on the soul trangently in this life is to enable it to see so distinctly and to feel so profoundly that it cannot comprehend God at all。 These souls are here in somewhat like the souls in heaven， they who know him most perfectly perceive most clearly that he is infinitely incomprehensible。 For those who have the less clear vision do not conceive so clearly as these others， how greatly he transcends their vision。St John of the Cross
Kaci Crook
，
4。5 - Contrary to the title， this is not a book about anxiety， but about existence and the human desire to describe and quantify as to attach purpose to suffering。 In looking to the future， we leave the present， and lose life。 As simple as the concepts are， they are also profound - I will need to reread this many more times *ordering hard copy。*“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 prese 4。5 - Contrary to the title， this is not a book about anxiety， but about existence and the human desire to describe and quantify as to attach purpose to suffering。 In looking to the future， we leave the present， and lose life。 As simple as the concepts are， they are also profound - I will need to reread this many more times *ordering hard copy。*“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 no other reality than present reality， so that， even if one were to live for endless ages， to live for the future would be to miss the point everlastingly。” 。。。more
Albatul
，
A wonderful primer for mindfulness and spirituality。
John Valett
，