who am I? - alan watts

[joekerr31]

as you all might know im a HUGE HUGE HUGE fan of a guy named alan watts. in my opinion one of the most profound thinkers in the history of mankind. he's been dead a long time now, but what I found fascinating about him was his ability to see the full scope of the craziness going on in life and yet still had a great positive attitude.

anyway, i stumbled on the following video that i thought some of you might enjoy - cool to see folks making video montages and dubbing alan watts lecture material from over 30 years ago on to it.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=MVXEiYyZKcY

I find the older I get the more I find myself asking the question 'who am i?'

i wonder if that is why so many people rush in to marriage - so that they dont have to ask that question. so that they can simply say 'im a husband and a father'.

 

[speakeasy]

Alan watts was really fascinating. I downloaded mp3s with his speeches and it held me mesmerized.

 

[joekerr31]

mesmerized is a good term.

his knowledge of the ideas man has come up with so far (science, religion, philosophy, psychology, etc.) was so comprehensive its crazy. very rare to ever see someone who knew so much about so much - his mind was like an encyclopedia i think.

and then to be able to take all of that information and still maintain perspective on what questions really mattered - and then to communicate all of that in a way that the average person can understand - true genius if i've ever seen it.

he's the einstein of 20th century philosophic thought if you ask me

 

[Phyzzle]

His voice is still sampled in contemporary trance & electronic tracks. Sphongle, etc. If you hear any coherent words on such a track, it's either Ken Keysey, Timothy Leary, or this guy.

 

[grinder]

I’m in my 3rd or 4th re-reading of The Way of Zen. Since my book is an original (I’m old, remember) it’s so beat up the pages are falling apart.

And before this gets moved to AE I would like to note that there are some very strong streams of Zen running through our own DJ materials.

Not focusing on or TRYING so hard with women, and allowing it to just happen effortlessly are Zen concepts.

Stopping the over-analyzing and over-thinking on the meaning of what women say or do.

Natural Indifference regarding the avoiding the exclusive focus on women owes Zen a debt.

Acknowledging that one should never lose oneself to another or if one iota of self is given over to a woman then you give away the essence of your own power.

Complete self-sufficiency, not needing a woman to “complete” oneself, for one is complete.

The ability “bend without breaking” like the reed has helped me endure the inevitable ups and downs of woman-kind.

Letting go of the vise-like grip on the pursuit of women and making it your exclusive focus. When this is done, the DJ material becomes natural part of you. You find yourself suddenly in the company of women, kinoing and vibing the hell out of them and bedding them without even thinking about the “steps”. In Zen, there are no steps.

 

[noway]

for those interested ...there is a long article on alan watts in the latest "tricycle" magazine (buddist magazine) ...not to dis the man,interesting guy but also one with huge personal problems...married several times,lots of kids and probems with alcholism which eventually killed him

 

[joekerr31]

what i find funny is that as much as I think he was a genuis, he himself would scoff and laugh at someone saying that. despite it being clear that intellectually he was off the charts compared to the average person, he nonetheless found nothing special about himself. He was as flawed as anyone else - and yet, unlike everyone else, he had amazing insights into the nature of things.

 

[Last Man Standing]

WOW!! A lot of nothingness - new age babble -- religion is not allowed on this forum!!!

 

[Mr.Positive]

Alan Watts.."Things only become complicated, when we think about them."

However, it's in our human nature to question everything. We're constantly analyzing everything around us, yet if we didn't, maybe..just maybe, we'd have the answers were were looking for to begin with.

Of course, we wouldn't know it. But, ignorance can be bliss..

 

[joekerr31]

watts was a skinny guy, looked a bit like a zen master hippie, but i tell ya this much, the guy is MESMERIZING to listen to.

his voice is mesmerizing, what he has to say is mesmerizing - you stick him in a bar and point out any chic and id wager every penny i have that if he wanted to hed be banging her within 30 minutes. hb 10 or not. the thing is that his technique can't be learned, because it comes from being so unique and intelligent (things you can't mimic).

one of the best techniques i have with women, that isn't talked about much here, is my ability to quickly flush out their personality and then steer the conversation around their personality.

there is nothing, in my opinion (other than if she is already hot to f*ck you), that will get a woman completely absorbed with you more than when you exhibit to her that you understand who she is and what makes her ticks. not in an AFC way - ie. 'oh you like shopping. i think women who like shopping are great." - i'm talking about intellectually, being able to explain to them who they are better than they can themselves! being able to articulate that you see their good points (which makes them think 'finally, a man who can appreciate me') and that you see their bad points (which you neg hit them about - which makes them think 'and he's alpha enough that he'll call me on my bullsh*t and not turn in to some wimpy AFC).

i've done it a million times, and every single time the woman is puddy in my hands afterwards.

but i dont know if its so much a technique that can be taught, because it seems to me more of just a natural ability to read people and having the intellectual scope to impress them with your insights into human nature, life, etc.

and as good as i am at doing that, watts would be the master at it.