The Wisdom of Insecurity | The Backwards Law
The search for a guarantee is what produces the falling. The extra lock is the leak.
The teaching
The search for a guarantee is what produces the falling. You turn the key. Then you turn it again. Then you come back from the stairs. The extra lock is the leak. You cannot make a changing life feel solid by gripping it.
Alan Watts called this the backwards law. The chase for a feeling of safety is what makes the hour feel unsafe. Krishnamurti names the same motion: the observer is the observed. The one who keeps checking is not standing outside the fear. The one who checks is the leak.
Ordinary care is not the enemy. Lock the door once and walk. What keeps you on the stairs is the demand that this hour sign a contract. Do not make a method of the unlocking. Notice the second turn, and leave it unturned.
Who this is for
Watch this if you keep checking what is already locked, or if the search for a guarantee has become the thing that will not let you rest.
Questions this video answers
What is Alan Watts' backwards law?
The search for a guarantee is what produces the falling. You cannot make a changing life feel solid by gripping it. The chase for safety is the insecurity.
What does the extra lock mean?
The first turn is ordinary care. The second turn, and the walk back from the stairs, is the leak. The extra lock does not add safety. It is the checking itself.
How does Krishnamurti fit this teaching?
He names the same motion: the observer is the observed. The one who checks is not separate from the fear. The one who checks is the leak.
Does this mean I should stop locking the door?
No. Ordinary care is not the enemy. The demand that this hour sign a contract is. Lock once. Walk.
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