Beg your pardon, Alan...

I've been doing a lot of reading, on a whole lot of subjects, from music, to philosophy, to psychology, to environmental concerns, to economics. So many books, not enough time. It makes me value the time I have to read and the quality of what it is I choose to read. And it ensures that I read critically, not simply a sponge, but a selective sponge. Reading more and more, I've come to find that its a myth that we only use part of our brain. Maybe they meant, at one time, but in any case, our entire brain is utilized. In that case, its precious real estate and I want to make sure what I'm storing in there makes sense to me so it sticks.

So when Alan Watts says, "We are in a hurry about too many things...account of someone's day: The person got up in the morning and made some coffee, and I suppose it was instant coffee, because that person was in too much of a hurry to be concerned with the preparation of a beautiful cup of coffee. Instant coffee is a punishment for people who are in too much of a hurry." I ask him, Alan, ever consider what I'm going to do once I've got my coffee? I'm going to sit over there on my couch and read your book. If I sit there lovingly pouring a perfectly proportioned milk to sugar ratio for that coffee, I've got less time to read. And in the spirit of living in the moment, which your statement implores us to do, one is of the understanding that its because time, life, and love are transient. And I love coffee just as much as you appear to Alan, calling it a beautiful cup of coffee, its clear we are on the same page there, but you can be assured that I'm not rushing through something I enjoy to do something I enjoy less...only to get to something I value more. So maybe he wasn't talking to people like me, but instead to the masses who rush through life missing out on all the little beauties and things there are to appreciate, the people who live for the cliched milestones they are "supposed to" get excited for. I hope so, because instead of making some kind of three course elaborately prepared dinner for myself, I'm feeding my brain and soul during the time I'm saving, and I like it that way.

So when the philosophy is to realize that now is all we have and to not wait and leave things for later, to make the most of every present moment because there is no future, how can I be criticized for doing something unimportant quickly to allow for more enjoyment of that present?