- .. .. . • V " • • • • • • , • • " • • • • . ... • ·- • ' l • Je • "' , I • • ;u • .0 .. • � , ' • • • • ; • • . • nsecurtt , - • • ,..., I • • f ..... • . , • • , • • yv. byA LAN WAl�Tr ' S t • • • • • • • - • • .. .; ., - ' .. • • • - • VINTAGE BOOKS • A DivisoifRao nnd omH 0>11se ,, " New YDTl • • - I • • ... • . , • , - • • , • .. ... - • ,,- \ .. / • • • .. ., ., • • • • • •• • • • .. • ' • • • ., • • • • • , ' - • • 4''" • • • • • • f • ... • ' • • • • - •• • ac., Copyri1�t. 1951, by Pantheon All right, racned under lntanational and Pan-Amerk:an Copyright Convmt:ion1. Publilhed in New York by Pantheon • Book1, a division of Random Hou.e, Inc. and in Canada by Random Houae of Canada l,haited, Toronto. • I Ma,au/«tu,wt ht the Vmud S,.,a o/ dnaerb .. • - • • • • .. . ,, • • • .. • ... • • ) • • • • • • - • • • ' CON1'ENTS • • • • .. .... - • ' • , • 9 Preface 15 The Age of Anxiety • • • 19 Pain and Time D • m The Great Strearn 59 The Wisdom of the lk>dy .. 55 IY 75 y On Being Aware • • • • • • 8g The Marvelous Moa1ent YI • .. 10 The Tnnsfo1111ation. of Life· 5 YU • 119 Creative Morality YID ' • • • 15 lleligioo R.eriewed 5 IX • \ • � • • • . .,,. . • • • • • • • " • • • • • • • ... • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • r • ' .. � • • I • • • .. .. .. • • • • .. .. ... t • 'l { • .,. • • • • • • • • • • I ' • ' • • • • • ••• .. .x 4- � • .. • • • • • • • -, " ' . • • • • . ' .. � • • • • f f • • • ,,. - •.. • ... • .. 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' • • • • • - • ..... • ' • • • , • • • • • • • • • • • ... • • • • • • • • • • • • • - PB!EFACE - • • • • I haw always be fAscinated "1 the In, of f'evnsetJ en eDon. Sometimes I call it the ., bacltwards law.• Wh en ,au try to stay on the su,tace of the watn, 1ou sinlt; but ' wh ,ou try to sinl 1•e>U /loal. Wh 1ou hold 1our en en .. bf'ealh 1ou lose it which immediatel1 calls to mind an - ancient and much negle.,ted sa,ing, 11Whosoevn would ave his soul shall lose it. . • . • /' This bool is an expl01ralion of this In, in relation to man's quest for psycholo,gical securit1, and to his eDons to find spiritual and in,t�llectual cntaint1 in religion . and philosoph,. It is umitten in the conviction that no theme could be mOTe app�opriate in a time wh human en li/e seems to be so peculi:arl1 insecure and uncertain. II maintains that this inseci,rit1 is the result of trying to be , ucure, and that, contrariiwise, salvation and sanit1 con­ . sist in the most radical rercognition thal we haw no wa, of saving ourselves. This begins to sounci lilte something from Ali ce Through the is00king Glass, of which this bool is a sort of philosophical equiwu'ent. For the f'eadn will fre­ quentl1 find himself in • topsy-tun,y world in which the nonnal ordn o/ things se,ems to be completel1 revnsed, and common sense tume,d inside out and upside down. · · Those who have read sonae of m1 foman bools, such as Behold the Spirit and Tl1e Supreme Identity, will find .things thal seem to be total contradictions o/ much that l haw said be/ore. This, however, is true onl1 in some . • � I • • • • • • - • • • I • • • • . ' . ' ' • • THE WISDOl� OP INSECURITY ' minoT respects. FOT I h"roe discovered that the essence and crux of what I was trying to say in those boolts was seldom understood; the· frameworlt. and the context of my thought of ten hid tht� meaning. My intention hne is to approach the same rriaeaning from entirely diDerent ;remises, and in ternas which do not con/we thought with the multitude of in�elevant associations_ which time and tradition have hung.upon them. In those boolts I was conce,, aed to vindicate certain ;,inciples of religion, l>hilosophy, and metaphysic b1 • reinterpreting them. This was, I thinlt., lilt.e putting legs on a snalte-unneces.sa,y and con/wing, becawe onl1 doubt/ ul truths need d,e/ense. This boolt., however, is in the spirit of the Chiniese sage T-00-tzu, that -master of the law· of reversed eD01rt who declared that those who 1 jwti/y themselves do nc,t convince, that to lcnow truth one mwt get rid of lt.notA1Jledge, and that nothing is more powerful and creative tla1an emptiness-from which men .. shrinlt.. Here, then, m:, aim is to show-baclt.wards­ /ashion that those essiential realities of religion and metaphysic are vindicated in doing without them, and manifested in being destroyed. It is my haptr, duty tio aclt.nC'wledge that the frtepara­ tion of this boolt. has bt�en made possible by the gener­ osity of the Foundation established by the late Franlt.lin .. ]. Matchette of New Yo,rlc, a man who devoted much of his life to the ;roblenas 1of science and metaphysic, being one of those somewhat rare bwineu men who are not wholly absorbed in the vicious circle of malt.ing money to malt.e money to malt.e· money. The Matchette Founda- tion is the,:e/OTe dedicated to the pursuit of metaph,si- • 10 \• • - • • .. • • • • • • • •• • • I • • • • l»R.EFACE • r • • caslt udiaensdn,,e edlteosa� 1,,i tis tom ea s igonfi • n .. sigahntdi maginaotiti,aho enpi arr tth atth ehya ve been . willitnoig n tertehsetn uelvseo"s c oinnt raanrya •t>- roactho m etapihca.ltln owledge. ys • • • \ • • • • ' • • • ALAN\ V• WAJIS. • • ,r# San Francisco. ... • • .. • Mtry 19,1. • i , ... ... • • • I • 1- • • ,•., • • • I .. -- • • .. l • ... \ ; • . •• ' • • • • I • • • ' ' .. • • JJ .; - • ., I I .i,l • • I • .. .. • • / • • • • - • • • • • • • • • <' . .i • • • • • • • ,. - • .. • • - • • r 4 • • , .. • • • • .. ' • .. • • • • • • ,.,. • • • p • • • • - • .1 • • - • ·l" • II • • • • .. • • • • • I • • • • ' • ..- .. .... �· • • • • .. ... • • - • • • • .. • • • • • - • • • • - • ( • • • • .. • • • , • • , • • - • • • • • • • • .. • • - • � • • • • f,\ . ' ... '* • I ' • - • .. • • .. " • • • • ' "· ... .. .. • •• • • • • , .... • • • , • - • ' .. • • • • • • • • • • •