In My Own Way

This was one of those books that saddened me as I reached the end. Even knowing all things come to pass, I wanted this to go on and on, however I think what I truly desire is just to have met Alan Watts in person. I recommend this read to anyone interested in Alan Watts “the person”, as while he does talk about his philosophies (as they are manifestations of his life), they are not the sole focus of the book. In true Watts’ fashion, he speaks a lot about the people that he loved throughout his life, as you cannot have an idea of Self without the Other. I think what’s truly special about this book is that it has no specifically intended message. His other works seem to focus on a topic that he tries to convey to the reader, while in this autobiography he is given the space (nothingness) required to truly play with whatever he desired in that moment.

PS: I just realized this is the 64th entry in my book-reviews, which reminds me of the 64 trigrams of the I Ching. A satisfying coincidence, or maybe more, I will let you decide.