The Wisdom of Insecurity

Alan Watts's 1951 argument that the pursuit of psychological security is itself the source of insecurity — and that accepting impermanence and uncertainty is the only path to genuine peace — drawing on Zen Buddhism and Western philosophy.

Provides the clearest Western articulation of Zen non-attachment — Watts's argument that 'the desire for security and the feeling of insecurity are the same thing' captures the paradox at the heart of anxiety-driven striving.