The Meaning of Happiness

Deep down, most people think that happiness comes from <em>having </em>or <em>doing </em>something. Here, in Alan Watts&rsquo;s groundbreaking third book (originally published in 1940), he offers a more challenging thesis: authentic happiness comes from embracing <em>life as a whole </em>in all its contradictions and paradoxes, an attitude that Watts calls the &ldquo;way of acceptance.&rdquo; Drawing on Eastern philosophy, Western mysticism, and analytic psychology, Watts demonstrates that happiness comes from accepting both the <em>outer </em>world around us and the <em>inner </em>world inside us &mdash; the unconscious mind, with its irrational desires, lurking beyond the awareness of the ego. Although written early in his career, <em>The Meaning of Happiness </em>displays the hallmarks of his mature style: the crystal-clear writing, the homespun analogies, the dry wit, and the breadth of knowledge that made Alan Watts one of the most influential philosophers of his generation.