"If we cling to belief in God, we cannot likewise have faith, since faith is not clinging but letting go."
This applies to anything, not just religion. Take out 'in God' and it still makes a perfect point. I have it written on a sticky note on my refrigerator (because I'm going to see it more there than anywhere else). I have trouble letting go. I constantly revisit mistakes I've made, particularly in relationships, and have that desire we talked about before to fix things. But even when I resign myself to not fixing the relationship, I still cling to the memories of the relationship in a destructive way. And I really don't have an answer as to why or a solution on how to fix it. Some days it's good, other days not so good. I feel really confident after reading a new chapter of this book or skimming old chapters. It reminds me to be present and let go of the past. I suppose it's just a bad habit that will take more effort to break.
"Under the pressure of so much strain and futility, it is no wonder at all that men seek release in violence and sensationalism, and in the reckless exploitation of their bodies, their appetites, the material world, and their fellow men."
I read that as...'it is no wonder that people like the UFC and boxing, news stories revolving around catchy titles or violence, football, bodybuilding, powerlifting, etc...' It's amazing how incredibly accurate Watts was in his era and how it still applies today.
We've all heard 'Life is a dance.' I never understood that. But Watts states, "It is a dance, and when you are dancing you are not intent on getting somewhere. You go round and round, but not under the illusion that you are pursuing something....How long have the planets been circling the sun? Are they getting anywhere, and do they go faster and faster in order to arrive? How often has the spring returned to the earth? Does it come faster and fancier every year, to be sure to be better than last spring?...The meaning and purpose of dancing is the dance."
We're here to dance. Not to save up and wait for the right dance. Not to save up and wait to dance with the right person. Just dance (it'll be OK #ladygaga) and you will figure it out along the way. That's my advice. And for once I'm going to heed my own advice.
Watts jumps back to death, but brings up a great point about why you should live in the present instead of having hope for the future:
"While there is life there is hope- and if one lives on hope, death is indeed the end. But to the undivided mind, death is another moment, complete like every moment, and cannot yield its secret unless lived to the full...Nothing is more creative than death, since it is the whole secret of life. It means that the past must be abandoned, and the unknown cannot be avoided, that 'I' cannot continue, and that nothing can be ultimately fixed."
You have to live in the moment. You have to enjoy the bad the same as you enjoy the good. It doesn't make any sense when you put it into words, but words are just that...they are not the experiences. I've put unnecessary strain on past relationships by not putting myself out there. In turn I've hurt people that I loved and didn't deserve to be hurt. It's a learning experience. I'm still learning how to dance.