Being Aware of the Present Alan Watts

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What is the use of planning to be able to eat next week unless I can really enjoy the meals when they come?

If I am so busy planning how to eat next week that I cannot fully enjoy what I am eating now, I will be in the same predicament when next week’s meals become now.”

If my happiness at this moment consists largely in reviewing happy memories and expectations, I am but dimly aware of this present.

I shall still be dimly aware of the present when the good things that I have been expecting come to pass.

For I shall have formed a habit of looking behind and ahead, making it difficult for me to attend to the here and now.

If, then, my awareness of the past and future makes me less aware of the present, I must begin to wonder whether I am actually living in the real world.

Credit: Alan Watts

Source: The Wisdom of Insecurity


Image Credits: Pixabay (Pixabay)


Warbrook House, Hampshire

Conversational Leadership Workshop
In-person, 7–11 September 2026
Warbrook House, Hampshire, UK

We are living and working in conditions of uncertainty, complexity, and rapid change. This week-long workshop offers a space to practise Conversational Leadership as a shared, lived experience.


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This quotation is part of a  blook on Conversational Leadership. It is one of many quotations that have influenced my thinking on the subject. Parts of this blook have restricted access. You may browse the pages open to you, but you will need to register and be approved before you can login and access the full site. When you register, you may also sign-up to receive a quotation of the day by email.

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