I don't think there are 'good decisions' or 'bad decisions', only 'decisions'. We only see the results of the decision later on after we've made it in hindsight; good results or bad results. People don't intentionally make bad decisions, so every decision made is always intended to be a good one when you make it.
I believe the purpose of life is to find the thing(s) that you enjoy doing so much that you forget time exists. When we are in this flow, we are serving spirit and that’s the most beautiful and meaningful state we can achieve. That feeling of being so united with the experience that you become it and disappear. It can’t be explained, only felt.
That ending quote is my mantra for everything. And when i find myself in a panic attack, i remind myself - Fear does not help me past identifying that something feels off (this part is important because you need to not fear your fear. and the best way (for me at least) is to acknowledge that fear is essential for keeping you safe. But fear is also a helicopter parent 😂). It does not improve anything, nor will it delay or counteract what i am fearing. Fear will cloud my mind and stop me from finding a real solution. Sometimes it takes a lot of repeating. Sometimes reminding myself of these facts as i feel the anxiety tension starting to rise is enough. Sometimes i forget to repeat it, but i do find this extremely helpful. I'm sure many of my fellow anxiety suffers have already come up with a coping strategy like this, i share this in hopes that it might help anyone who is struggling.
Your Watts video "The Illusion of Time, Money and Ego" jump started my journey and changed my life forever. I'm so happy you keep returning to the Watts well, the man's already a genius and yet your art takes his words and provides a whole new context that imaginations can really grab on to...and it takes his elevated concepts and makes them so much easier to understand. I am in grateful awe.
Alan Watts found me in 2011 when my wife was diagnosed with breast cancer. He has been a part of my life ever since. Through my addiction, through my understanding of God, through the end of my marriage and through our peaceful reconciliation and remaining friendship. When he was younger he had a public television series The Man is simply a godsend for Seekers.
Alan Watts is one of the best people any human could listen to for life advice.. in all my searching I would say he is in the top 3 of healthy thinkers of all time.
Decisions are resolved by our conscious mind. Decisions are the resolution of a choice. The idea that we don't know where decisions come from has two malicious aims: it implies that there can be no real choice (because the process is mysterious and, therefore, not controllable) and it ignores the fundamental function and purpose of life (autonomy).
Best thing that I’ve done is telling myself it’s ok to worry. Don’t force anything - including forcing yourself not to worry. Let it happen. Let it play out. Take as long as you like to make the decision. Follow those natural internal and external pushes. It’s surprising how, eventually, you end up just choosing not to worry anyway. When it’s a completely valid option, and you don’t stop yourself, you end up not wanting to do it anyway.
I use to be like that, then I realised I just spent all my time trying to decide what to watch and never actually watching anything, so I would have been better off making a random decision wether it was what I wanted to watch or not, at least I learnt something and I can be more decisive every time I make a decision, you can’t predict what’s going to happen, that’s what’s so exciting
Hey friends. So, I sing. I've sang all my life but it wasn't until the last 6 months to a year where I realized how to do it, and it all has to do with getting myself to sing spontaneously. Short version: we can only consciously concentrate on one thing at a time: thoughts or sensations. Your default mode is focusing on thoughts. But thought makes you predict, and (as Watts said) thought knows it can never predict enough, so there is anxiety. But what if, instead of thinking about thoughts, you simply focus on the one other thing: the sensation of anxiety itself? You know - the buzz. The tingle down your legs. The clench around your heart. Keep your mind on the sensation itself for as long as you can, gently returning to it whenever you start thinking again. You'll notice the sensation of anxiety, when actually looked at, doesn't kill you. In fact, it's not terrible. And then do the thing you need to do (for me, singing) while still focusing on sensation. Try to keep sensation in your mind as you do your task. So, for me it's singing WHILE ALSO feeling anxiety around my heart, or down my legs. It means I can't concentrate too much on the singing. Rather, just the right amount (it seems). And when I get it right (which is happening more and more often), I relax. My whole body resonates with my voice, and my voice has a deep richness to it, because my muscles aren't clenched. The anxiety doesn't go away. Instead, it starts to become a flow of energy rather than a blocked, clenched impediment. And I start to improvise and be playful, singing things and jumping intervals I never knew I could, so long as I keep my mind on sensation and just let it happen. And then the game becomes doing this little trick in most moments in life. Because you realize you can flow when you walk, when you are in conversation with someone, when you eat. Watch how you treat people when keeping your mind on the sensation of your body - when you stop resisting, both mentally AND with your muscles (admit it, you're clenched right now, somewhere). Dare yourself to let go and see what happens. See who you become when you remember to let go by doing the only thing you can do: choose consciously to sit and 'feel' a sensation, rather than think about it. Letting go is feeling. Feeling is letting go. Feel the sensations more. Focus on sensation, instead of thought, while you do most ANYTHING, and there's a good chance that the thing you're doing will start to be done spontaneously, in flow state.
I ABSOLUTELY LOVE this man. I AM SO GLAD to have found him in this world of trying times. A truly great man in the history of life and for all that he does to help the people that are suffering from anxiety or depression or whatever else you might be experiencing. Just listening to his voice will calm me down.
My experience says that any decisions that made with my rational mind, towards an expectation or an desire to achieve something, the most the times creates frustration in our lives. We are here flow and to let go in to the Universal will and wisdom. Blessings
uh.. I feel like this never concluded... It never got to the point. (and by 'it' im not sure if that's Alan Watts or After Skool.. Or perhaps my lack of understanding)
Decision making is such an important skill to have, and managing the anxiety related to decisions is part of that skill, in my very very honest and genuine opinion.
Anxiety is a phycological state, decision is a preference based on logical and phycological maters. There is no direct connection between anxiety and desicion, no skill, it is just the way you act and I wish to continue not to feel anxiety, it is healthy!!!
If you find you can't stop worrying about a thing, I have learned a valuable technique that will allow you to lay the subject to rest. If your mind wants to worry, let it! Go ahead and worry it -- to death! What this means is.. think about the worst possible outcome in your situation. And then ask "ok so what's the worst possible outcome that could result from this?" And, again: "Ok then the worst thing that could result from this new hypothetical outcome?" Eventually, you will reach a place where you have died and so has everyone you know and the foolishness of allowing anxiety to rule over your thoughts becomes apparent. At this point, you can finally shrug off your worries
Alan Watts was a very complicated man and his home family life was not without its issues. That being said. Alan has always been a wonderful teach in my life. Thank you for sharing his amazing work
Setting a time constraint on a task will help you use anxiety to ur advantage. u dont want to take action without thinking first and u dont want to think all day without taking any action. it’s a balance between the two, so if u catch ur self overthinking, set a timer.
I only make right decisions Ty our lord n savior 🙏 ❤️ 💪 Ain't got no mo'time!! Love self Forgive self.. then all !! N love even more !! Feeel better asap.. Glory2GOD!! 💯
In the end the only thing real that we have is each other. Its the only choice that makes us feel whole. All our fears we are taught just separate us and disempower us. Its hard, but fighting it brings meaning to life.
"If children are being told WHAT to learn, WHEN and HOW to learn, 6 hours a day, 5 DAYS A WEEK - no wonder CREATIVE THINKING in children is plummeting, and ANXIETY & DEPRESSION is continuing to rise." ~ Kirsty Lee
I feel like this helps to alleiviate anxiety, but kinda makes depression and/or hopelessness worse. For someone struggling to end or control an addiction for example, hearing "when you make a decision, and it works out alright, I think very little of it has much to do with your conscious intent and control." it might cause a relapse. Why try so hard if it doesn't even matter.
from what i understand alan watts is a strong nondualist which (nondualism) is depressing and brightening in it of itself, so without this thought process it makes sense how thinking like this would make a depressed person feel worse
The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD. Proverbs 16:33, NKJV DRILL DEEPER INTO THAT PROVERB AND WHAT YOU FIND IS THIS: GOD is giving you the choices of your heart, whether they be good or bad. But you say, "Why would God give me something bad?" To be free to make your own choices, requires both good and evil. SOAP BOX TIME: Besides, who alive hasn't regretted a decision they've made? didn't you learn by it? So we find it is to 'discover ourselves' that we are alive. As I've said, 'God created all of us, because He knew how good it would be for all of us, to get to know Him. But for the wicked, the worst thing that will happen to them begins when they enter God's presence, to be judged. Let's put it this way; offending an infinite God merits infinite punishment. Some ask, 'why would a good God send anyone to a Devil's Hell?' Why not ask, why would anyone reject the forgiveness The infinitely Holy God offers thru the blood of His Only Begotten Son? BUT LET'S STOP THERE AND TIE THIS TOGETHER: God would have us discover ourselves. To that end, we have been cast into the Test called Life. The wicked will find their ways are gravest error; infinitely grave error that eternity will not supply enough time to stop regretting. Those who are made righteous by the Blood of the Lamb, see Revelation 12:11, Holy Bible, will continually be happier and happier that they lived 'right.' SO WE SEE THAT LIFE IS TO SEPARATE THE CHILDREN OF THE DEVIL FROM THE CHILDREN OF GOD.
00:00 🤔 Understanding the Nature of Decisions Decisions arise unexpectedly, like hiccups. Anxiety surrounds decision-making, questioning its origin and process. The story of a highly efficient worker facing diverse tasks highlights the challenge of decision-making. 01:06 🥔 Challenges in Decision-Making: The Potato Dilemma Decision fatigue is illustrated through the laborer's quitting over sorting potatoes. The infinite nature of data for a decision is emphasized. Snap judgments often replace exhaustive rational considerations due to the overwhelming data. 03:01 🧠 The Role of Unconscious Processes Successful decisions may be less about conscious intent and control. Forgetting variables that could interfere contributes to positive outcomes. Warriors overthink variables beyond their control, leading to increased anxiety and over analysis.
Appreciate that you didn't add your voice at the end of the video, because I like to download videos from RU-vid and listen to them while doing other things. And in some videos you did add your voice at the end and that ruins a bit the atmosphere/flow (I'm thinking about the video with Bill Hick's speech, by the way). Much better this outro with only music playing.
He had to decide what fence needed mending...So Alan's fine words are meaningless...Just another story to get you to agree with his point of view...We all do this...This os why I am here commenting and the content creator makes their videos....Influence/manipulatiom, depending on your point of view
Alan Watts is inspirational, indeed. After Skool missed the mark on accurately titling this video and I am disappointed. This is inappropriate and undervalues those who do struggle with anxiety on a regular basis if you are truly pushing this as a solution. The video discusses the topic but offers no solution as offered by the title. With so much reliable information on mental health from less reliable sources I will sadly be unsubscribing.
I really don’t anymore the world seems less and less important everyday. And that makes the things I worry about I’m told don’t matter which makes me care even less every day. There’s no real meaningful choices left to make. just really boring ones that don’t seem to matter that much to my interests
"small fish swim in schools; the Great White Shark swims alone." cc. 👀🐡🌊🌊🏝 The great white is able to respond appropriate to the deeper reality of the Mystery before her. Small fish are taught by fearful instructors that the deep is not to be engaged.
