The Wisdom of Insecurity

Alan W. Watts, a Western authority on Eastern thought who specialized in Zen Buddhism, examines how people look to religion and philosophy for psychological and intellectual certainty. He frames the inquiry around the saying that whoever would save his soul shall lose it. Watts contends that insecurity results from trying to be secure, and that sanity and salvation lie in admitting there is no way for people to save themselves. Drawing on Eastern philosophy and religion, he holds that only by accepting what cannot be known can anything worth knowing be learned, and he urges living fully in the present. It first appeared in 1951.

Antonio Eram, founder of NETOPIA mobilPay, put it on his list of books for young people hoping to follow his career path.