In this podcast episode, I speak about the meaning of life as described by Alan Watts. It has to be one of my favorite subjects to speak about – life and death and why being truly alive matters so much.
Podcast Content
- My favourite Alan Watts’ quote
- The never-ending loop of accomplishing
- Being truly alive is the only thing that matters
- Without us, the universe is non-existent
One of my favorite quotes of Alan Watts that always keeps coming back to me is – “The meaning of life is just to be alive. It is so plain and so obvious and so simple. And yet, everybody rushes around in a great panic as if it were necessary to achieve something beyond themselves.”
Why Being Truly Alive Matters So Much
When I was younger, I believed that I shouldn’t be allowed to live. Because I couldn’t get into med school, I thought I was a failure to society. I felt like I wasn’t accomplishing anything.
But it doesn’t have to be that way. Being truly alive is all that matters. If you’re present in the moment, you’re aware of everything around you, and you’re happy, then you’re truly alive.
Humans are in this never-ending loop of accomplishing things every day. We think, “if I just do this one task, I’ll be fine”. But then we don’t stop there. The list goes on, and we end up running around all the time.
As a result, most of the time, we’re in a panic. Sometimes, we have to remind ourselves that this is not the reason we’re alive.
According to society, the person who does the most is most important. The person who does the least is least important. But you have to remember that you’re not a human doing. You’re a human being.
The universe needs us to be more conscious. Without our consciousness, the universe does not exist. Without us, the universe is non-existent.
Can you see how significant you are? Just by being, or just by being alive, you’re contributing to the existence of the universe.
