The Advantages of Mythological Ideas

Picking up from our last episode, Alan elucidates faith versus belief, and how our individual existence is connected with the totality of the universe.

Today's podcast is sponsored by BetterHelp. Click to receive 10% off your first month with your own licensed professional therapist: betterhelp.com/alan

From his houseboat in Sausalito, CA, Alan Watts explores:

• The two great myths which underly our Western sense of identity: the Judeo-Christian myth of an overly intelligent universe founded by a cosmic king; and the material myth of a universe which is mechanical, un-intelligent, and empty
• The problem of “believing” in God, versus the real attitude of faith which is being open to whatever reality is
• Finding out who we are beyond social institutions like time, money, value, language, and survival
• How you as an individual implies by your existence everything else in the universe

“The problem about believing in God, incidentally, is that believing is the wrong attitude. Believing is a form of mistrust, because it’s saying, ‘I fervently wish that you exist, and if you don’t, I don’t know what to do with myself.’ The real attitude of faith is not believing, but simply being open to whatever reality is, and to say you don’t know.” – Alan Watts

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.