Sunday’s Speculations #14: Where’s the panic getting you?

“The meaning of life is just to be alive. It is so plain and so obvious. And yet, everybody rushes around in a great panic as if it were necessary to achieve something beyond themselves.” By Alan W. Watts

I’m struggling with this one and I know the meaning will evolve for me over time. It fits into my current mind frame of letting go of worry; just be, just do. The struggle comes in relation to trying to understand my procrastination habits. Why would I want to sit and watch TV, for example, instead of making art, writing, working for school or my job, or even the maintenance needed to be done around the house? These are activities I enjoy doing too. Is sitting and enjoying passive entertainment still living? I feel guilty, lazy, unproductive, self-judgemental, etc about it. So, I don’t feel it is being alive. When I imagine being alive, I imagine being active. Doing stuff. There is a distinction and I believe it is starting to get clearer for me. 

There’s no need to waste energy judging myself. I know what being alive is and how it feels. I now need to let go of worrying about outcomes and just do things. Be active. Be alive. 

What does this quote mean to you?