The Meaning of Happiness by Alan Watts - A 300-Word Book Review
The quest for freedom of the spirit in modern psychology and the wisdom of the East
Rating: 9.5/10
Pages: 212
Time To Finish: 4 days — 50 pages/day
Where To Purchase: Amazon
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What is it about?
Happiness is a tricky thing to explain. Alan Watts does it by diving into acceptance, self-knowledge, and unity rather than a constant pursuit. He emphasizes that those who pursue it never end up finding it.
Alan explains that the illusion of separateness is needed to be fully present, and being fully present is needed to be happy. Going inward and accepting both light and darkness will break the illusion.
My favourite parts
Alan Watts pushes on gratitude for happiness. He says your life should be an expression of your gratitude and that it is one of the 3 elements of happiness alongside freedom and wonder.
To explain the vicious cycle of life and the duality that exists in the universe, Alan briefly explains Hinduism, Taoism, Buddhism, and Zen. During the explanation, you start to see similarities. It shows how similar different people think — How we come to similar conclusions.
Who should read it?
I would say that those who are seeking happiness should read it, but I don’t believe they would fully understand what he is explaining. This book may be better suited for those who want to understand how Eastern philosophy can positively affect their lives.
Additional thoughts
This book was written when Alan was only 24. If you enjoy his work, this one will particularly stand out because you can see how it must have led to some of his more popular later work.