I really liked how Watts discussed the idea of ‘nature’ and ‘natural’ as a human-made concept. He says that we created this idea of nature as being outside of us, as something we are not a part of. We see nature as the birds, bees and the trees and as humans as being something outside of that. Nature often is used to refer to impulses and instincts, which humans look down upon. We are so advanced and so intelligent that we should be able t control these ‘natural’ urges at all times. It really frightens me when people claim they are ‘more of an indoor person’. What are they trying to say? That they are too good for the all-natural, dirty, smelly, always-changing natural world we live in? Must they separate themselves from the ‘outside world’ in order to push it further and further away and pretend that they are not a part of it?

I felt like Watts was trying to say that western ideas push away from nature and feel that they are too good for it. As technology has advanced, the concept of God and religion has been pushed farther and farther to the side. If we can create all these technologies on our own, do we really need a God to create anything for us?

I really like how Watts compared the western ideas to China and India and showed just how different they are. Chinese embrace nature and natural urges. They accept the fact that humans can be selfish as well as selfless. We have a good and a bad, and they admit that. They embrace the spontaneity of nature and trust nature to keep the world spinning, the sun rising, the hair on our heads to grow and the heart to keep beating. They don’t question how and why but just accept it. Indians see the world as a stage and that everything that the body senses and the experiences it goes through are vibrations on the self. Their whole concept of human is that everything has to do with the self. Again, this culture accepts the face that humans are selfish and the world often resolves around the self while westerners are always trying to come up with excuses to avoid admitting to this fact.

Tati’s comments on wars were interesting to me. Watts says when you fight, fight to be selfish. I like how he just says it. We always try to pretend like there is anther motive for many of the things we do but when it comes down to it, everything we do in our daily life involves self-interest. I like how she talks about Iraq and how we claim that we are there to spread democracy but is that really the reason? I am definitely not an expert on the war but some say we are there to show our dominance over them and prove we are powerful. Is America there not trying to help rehabilitate a country but to make a name for us? His comment on how people kill people and fight wars in the name of God really struck me. He came right out and said that you should just admit that you do it for selfish reasons. I think many people may have this view but are too scared to admit it yet he just comes right out and says it.