Alan Watts
The existence, the physical universe is basically playful
There is no necessity for it whatsoever
It isn't going anywhere
That is to say, it doesn't have some destination
That it ought to arrive at
But it is best understood by analogy with music
Music, as an art form is essentially playful
We say, "You play the piano"
You don't work the piano
Why?
Music differs from, say, travel
When you travel, you are trying to get somewhere
Because we simply cheated ourselves the whole way down the line
We thought of life by analogy with a journey, with a pilgrimage
Which had a serious purpose at that end
And the thing was to get to that end
Success, or whatever it is
Or maybe heaven after you're dead
But we missed the point the whole way along
It was a musical thing,
And you were supposed to sing or
Dance while the music was being played
There is no necessity for it whatsoever
It isn't going anywhere
That is to say, it doesn't have some destination
That it ought to arrive at
But it is best understood by analogy with music
Music, as an art form is essentially playful
We say, "You play the piano"
You don't work the piano
Why?
Music differs from, say, travel
When you travel, you are trying to get somewhere
Because we simply cheated ourselves the whole way down the line
We thought of life by analogy with a journey, with a pilgrimage
Which had a serious purpose at that end
And the thing was to get to that end
Success, or whatever it is
Or maybe heaven after you're dead
But we missed the point the whole way along
It was a musical thing,
And you were supposed to sing or
Dance while the music was being played
Credits
Writer(s): Miguel Lopez Beltran
Lyrics powered by www.musixmatch.com
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