A call for Re-HUMANIZATION

Time for you to answer it.

When technologies and advancements that were originally intended to serve humanity cause us to become BLIND TO HUMANITY, we need to make a commitment to restoring our emotional connection for the sake of human dignity. It’s a top priority.

Awareness of Awareness

Are we even aware of when we have completely lost ourselves to the DARK SIDE?

It all starts when we make a firm decision to GROW…whatever the cost. But here is where it gets tricky: We cannot grow unless we identify the behaviors that need improvement. We cannot identify our behaviors unless we are willing to truly see our shortcomings.

And most of us are not.

Why should I have to behave with kindness and empathy when everybody else gets to be mean and nasty?

Because hate begets hate.

And when you do what everyone else is doing, you are part of the problem.

And it’s an indication that you are on your way to losing the ability to think for yourself.

And you must call upon your courageousness before it disappears forever.

And you have the ability to cultivate a new culture by learning how to eliminate violent communication and practicing a more positive way of interacting with each other.

If you want to know more about how you can be a part of the solution, you will not want to miss the first 10 minutes of the show today.

On Today’s Show

A Zen Legacy, Take 2

You may remember a couple of weeks ago, I had attempted to interview Anne and Joan Watts. Due to some technical audio challenges, we had to scrap the entire interview. =( =(

It didn’t seem right that I keep all the wisdom that was conveyed for only myself…so we’re going for it again today.

As previously intended, we will be getting deep inside the inner-workings of Alan Watts, widely known as the philosopher who first popularized Zen Buddhism and other Eastern philosophies for the counterculture of the 1960s. The brand new, never before published book The Collected Letters of Alan Watts is a treasure trove of letters that was discovered and lovingly curated by his first born children, Joan and Anne Watts.

The book begins with letters Watts wrote home from boarding school as a teenager, highlighting his flowering interest in Zen Buddhism. As Watts comes into his own, foregoing traditional education to create his own “self imposed university” and eventually leaving the priesthood, he corresponds with such luminaries as Joseph Campbell, Henry Miller, Gary Snyder and Aldous Huxley.

About the Book

Philosopher, author, and lecturer Alan Watts (1915–1973) popularized Zen Buddhism and other Eastern philosophies for the counterculture of the 1960s. Today, new generations are finding his writings and lectures online, while faithful followers worldwide continue to be enlightened by his teachings. The Collected Letters of Alan Watts reveals the remarkable arc of Watts’s colorful and controversial life, from his school days in England to his priesthood in the Anglican Church as chaplain of Northwestern University to his alternative lifestyle and experimentation with LSD in the heyday of the late sixties. His engaging letters cover a vast range of subject matter, with recipients ranging from High Church clergy to high priests of psychedelics, government officials, publishers, critics, family, and fans. They include C. G. Jung, Henry Miller, Gary Snyder, Aldous Huxley, Reinhold Niebuhr, Timothy Leary, Joseph Campbell, and James Hillman. Watts’s letters were curated by two of his daughters, Joan Watts and Anne Watts, who have added rich, behind-the-scenes biographical commentary.

Alan Wilson Watts (6 January 1915 – 16 November 1973) was a British-born American philosopher, writer, speaker and counterculture hero, best known as an interpreter of Eastern philosophy for a Western audience. He wrote over 25 books and numerous articles applying the teachings of Eastern and Western religion and philosophy to our everyday lives.

I am pleased to be bringing to the stage, Joan and Anne Watts, Alan Watt’s daughters and the co-authors of the recent book The Collected Letters of Alan Watts, who put together a collection of letters and have both contributed wonderfully written pieces of their own throughout the book. Their fascinating commentary adds so much to their father’s letters, and are guaranteed to be wonderful guests with great stories and anecdotes.

Meet Alan’s Daughters

Meet Joan!

Joan Watts’s art has won awards in juried shows and hangs in many private collections. In addition to her art career, she spent twenty-five years as a successful fund-raiser in the nonprofit world. After retiring, she began, along with her sister Anne, editing her father’s letters for publication and resumed her painting. She is the mother of five successful, happy children and nine grandchildren. She lives in Livingston, Montana, with her husband, Johnny (Montana) Hale, a musician, songwriter, and retired motion picture–industry technician. Most of her life decisions have been influenced in one way or another by her father, Alan Watts.

Meet Anne!

Anne Watts’s philosophies were also strongly shaped by her experience as the daughter of Alan Watts. Anne is a certified hypnotherapist and an educator and counselor in the areas of human sexuality, sexual abuse, family stress, self-esteem, healing the inner child, and financial and aging issues. She lives in Santa Rosa, California, in a deeply loving relationship with her husband, Mark Kupke, who has been her partner since 1984. Find more of her work here—>