Alan Watts reflects on the separation of human civilization and the natural world, discussing the beauty of life on the waters, the rhythms of nature, the transformation of forms, and the spacious environment of the ocean.
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Quick takeaways
Alan Watts reflects on the separation between human civilization and the natural world, highlighting the fallacy of perceiving ourselves as separate from nature.
Watts celebrates the timeless, rhythmic quality of the ocean waves and emphasizes the transformative and unifying power of the ocean environment.
Deep dives
The Movie of Me to the Movie of We
Raghu Marcus and Duncan Trussell have released an audio book called 'The Movie of Me to the Movie of We,' using their own lives as examples of the self-centered perspective and exploring the possibility of transforming into a more interconnected perspective.
Alan Watts and the Love of Waters
Alan Watts recorded a talk on the waterfront in Sausalito, California, celebrating his love for the ocean and the timeless, rhythmic quality of waves. He contrasted the non-urgent rhythm of waves with the march of human civilization and reflected on the interconnectedness of all life. Watts observed the transformative nature of the ocean environment and the peace and wonder it evokes. He also pondered on the human tendency to object to the inherent cycle of life and death, while animals and insects seem to embrace it without moral judgment.
The Fall of Man and the Unity of Nature
Watts explored the fallacy of human consciousness in perceiving itself as separate from the world, proposing that our extra circuit of self-consciousness is merely a part of our being, rather than our essential self. He emphasized the importance of recognizing our deep connection to nature and understanding that we are part of the larger pattern of the whole. Watts highlighted the ocean as a powerful environment that reconnects us to our roots and reminds us of the inherent unity in the world.
In celebration of the waters that bring life to all things, Alan Watts reflects on the separation between human civilization and the natural world.
This series is brought to you by the Alan Watts Organization and Ram Dass’ Love Serve Remember Foundation. Visit play.alanwatts.org for full talks from Alan Watts.
Today's podcast is sponsored by BetterHelp. Click to receive 10% off your first month with your own licensed professional therapist: betterhelp.com/alan
In this unique and experimental recording, Alan Watts discusses:
The beauty of life on the waters in Sausalito, California
The rhythms of nature
Time and timelessness
The transformation of one form into another
The separation of man from the natural world
Objecting and Objectifying the world
Identity and being able to know knowing
The spacious environment of the ocean
“Although the rhythm of the waves beats a kind of time, it’s not clock or calendar time, it has no urgency. It’s timeless time, because I know I am listening to a rhythm which has been just the same for millions of years.” – Alan Watts