Alan Watts - Don't Take Life too Seriously

Don't take life too seriously. Nobody gets out alive.

“It’s dark because you are trying too hard. Lightly child, lightly. Learn to do everything lightly. Yes, feel lightly even though you’re feeling deeply. Just lightly let things happen and lightly cope with them. I was so preposterously serious in those days…Lightly, lightly – it’s the best advice ever given me…to throw away your baggage and go forward. There are quicksands all about you, sucking at your feet, trying to suck you down into fear and self-pity and despair. That’s why you must walk so lightly. Lightly my darling…”

– Aldous Huxley, Island

Man i love this, i love you all

I don’t think I can really put into words how much Alan Watts saved me at a really low point. At times I thought my life was all over, I’d listen to his lectures and it would really ground me. It would settle my fears and come to the realisation to keep going. Keep surprising yourself, life keeps throwing things right at you but you got to keep going.

At worst point of time in my life, this talk
saved me, Thanks to Alan Watts.

Don't take life too seriously and remember everything has an end, therefore there is no reason to worry

I'd honestly love to meet everyone else that listens to Alan Watts and meet some beautifully like minded people to just talk for hours on end. Anyone that's in London 'spontaneously' wants to meet up, let me know

I need some backround music like this whenever I'm late to work
Boss: "Why are you late again?"
Me: "When you... seek.... to arrive on time to work, you are already late, therefore must one somehow... endeavour... to attain earliness without planning it"

Boss: "... you're fired"

Life is like a box of matches. To take it too seriously is ridiculous. To take it not seriously enough is dangerous.
© Ryunosuke Akutagava

One of my important moments in life was the time l was at a crosswalk that had the pedestrian signals to tell you when to stop or go. Directly across from me was a young woman who appeared to have down syndrome. No cars were coming, so l started to cross the road, eventhough the signal showed to stop. The young woman said "you're not suppose to go...STUPID".
That made me laugh. She was right for one thing, but l also saw it as her chance to call someone else "stupid"
How many times has someone called her "stupid"? Never will forget.

Every thing is just made up. I always use to think that as a child. Then I forgot about it and my life became miserable lol. It took me 6 years of "soul searching" to remember that.

this speaks to me on so many levels. as I struggle in this darkness of depression and anxiety, Alan Watts is the voice that calms my soul.

“Don’t take life so seriously, no one gets out alive!”

I have been revisiting this gem for 8 years without fail. It encompasses all. To keep me grounded. To keep me sane. To keep me present. There will come a time when our society will acknowledge the unequivocal contribution he has left behind, not only the far in people.

"Yesterday does not exist, and tomorrow never comes. there is only the eternal now." Enjoy every second, tell your family you love them and don't forget to love yourself.

Life just is. We live on a floating rock blissfully un-aware of the many years that have passed and the many years that will pass.

The mind can only comprehend the now, and it will continue that way forever. Love eachother, and the things you do.

One things i’ve always told myself since i was little is, “life could always be worse” and it’s such an interesting sentence; truly. Such a powerful one but most of us ‘overlook’ it and brush it off with not much value.

But if you truly sit and think about the history of our species, what we have been through, what some people still go through to this day… and compare it to what you have been though/experienced; it should quickly put into perspective your struggles and (hopefully) give you some hope…

No matter what you’ve been through or what you’re going through right now, someone has been through it or something similar and HAS made it out alive. They HAVE succeeded and continued with a life of happiness.

I think in todays society a lot of us really take for granted the basic things in life. Once some of that is stripped away you start to realize how fragile we all truly are. Enjoy life. Slow down. TAKE A LOOK AROUND

Life is beautiful, people are beautiful. I see so many hurt/broken souls. And it makes me think how weak we all have become honestly. Back in the day hope was the only thing that drove us through famine, disease, war, etc.

HOPE

I remember sitting in my garage after years of intense depression. Listen to Mr. Watts. I can't remember what it was. I'd been intrigued and soothed my him for months. One day, without warning...CRACK! LMAO. Weight lifted. I suddenly realized I wasn't depressed. That I'd been unintentionally learning the most important things. 2 weeks later, Mt now wife called me to hit on me. She's my best friend. She is me. I was finally fine. Then she came. As did the laughter, and I laughed even harder. It's ok. Every part is where it's supposed to be for maximum affect.

Death ends life. But death doesn't just end lives, it breaks hearts. I don't think we fear the end of life, I think we fear the end of love. Love is what really matters in life and we wonder if death puts an end to all love. That would be the tragedy of it.

I’m more afraid of living a life with no meaning then I am afraid of death

I feel so much gratitude for his talks. I dont dwell on it but in this moment im reflecting on the fact that before you come to this realization you spend so much time fighting the very nature of existence. So much energy put towards fighting the duality that will always be there. You dont have to fight, both sides define the other. Without one there is no other. I feel like unless you've really thought deeply about it this seems like nonsense but to me it makes perfect sense and brings me peace.