You Play The Piano
Tocas el Piano
--por Alan Watts La existencia, el universo físico es básicamente juguetón. No hay ninguna necesidad en absoluto. No va a ninguna parte. O sea, no tiene ningún destino al que tenga que llegar.
Pero se entiende mejor con la analogía de la música, porque la música, como forma de arte es esencialmente juguetona. Decimos, “Tocas el piano.”* No trabajas el piano.
¿Porqué? La música difiere de, por ejemplo, viajar. Cuando viajas, tratas de llegar a algún lugar. En la música, sin embargo, el final de la composición no es lo importante de la composición. Si fuese así, los mejores directores de orquesta serían los que tocasen más rápido. Y habría compositores que solo escribirían finales. La gente iría a los conciertos solamente a escuchar el acorde crepitante…. ¡Porque ese es el final!.
Lo mismo pasa con bailar. No tienes como meta llegar a un lugar concreto de la sala. La razón de bailar es el baile.
Pero no lo vemos como algo que la educación ha traído a nuestra conducta. Tenemos un sistema educativo que nos da una impresión completamente diferente: Todo está catalogado y lo que hacemos es dejar al/ a la niñ@ en el pasillo de este sistema catalogado, con una especie de, “Ven gatito, gatito”. Y vas al jardín de infancia y eso es algo estupendo porque cuando acabas pasas a primaria. Entonces, “Vamos” la primaria te lleva a la secundaria y así. Y entonces sales de la escuela y vas al instituto. Va acelerándose, ya va llegando, luego irás a la universidad…..Más tarde te graduas y cuando acabas saleas a unirte al mundo.
Entonces entras en un juego en el que estás vendiendo seguros. Y tienes que conseguir esa cuota , y lo vas a conseguir. Y todo el rato está por llegar- Ya va allegar, va allegar, esa gran cosa. El éxito por el que estás trabajando.
Entonces te levantas un día como con 40 años y dices, “Dios mío, He llegado. Estoy allí.” Y no te sientes muy diferente a como siempre te has sentido.
Fíjate en la gente que vive para retirarse; ahorrando. Y cuando llegan a los 65 no les queda nada de energía.Están, más o menos impotentes. Y van y acaban en alguna comunidad para ancianos. Porque simplemente nos hemos engañado a nosotr@s mism@s durante todo el camino.
Porque pensamos en la vida como una analogía de un trayecto, de un peregrinaje, que tenía un propósito serio al final, y la cosa era conseguir esa cosa al final. El éxito, o lo que sea que es, o puede que sea el cielo depués de que mueras.
Pero no hemos entendido el camino.
Era algo musical, y se supone que teníamos que cantar o bailar mientras sonase la música.
Por Alan Watts, un filósofo Británico, escritor, y orador, conocido por interpretar y popularizar la filosofía del Este para una audiencia del Oeste.
*en inglés el verbo tocar (un instrumento) es el mismo que el verbo jugar.
Alan Watts, a British philosopher, writer, and speaker, best known as an interpreter and populariser of Eastern philosophy for a Western audience. Excerpt is above Alan Watts from "Coincidence of Opposites" in the Tao of Philosophy lecture series, courtesy of Alan Watts Org.
SEED QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION: How do you relate to living life as playing music? Can you share a personal story of a time you were able to experience life as a "musical thing"? What helps you avoid living a deferred-life plan for future success, and instead enjoy the music being played?
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17 Past Reflections
On Apr 24, 2024 Avenue 17 wrote :
This topic is simply matchless :), very much it is pleasant to me.
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On Feb 22, 2017 Ranjeet Deshmukh wrote :
What an Extra Ordinary Message brought up by NIPUN. I wish every living human should get the message. Awesome and liberating at the same time. Now that it is known to me...the fall out is ......I am going to work at office is changed to I am going to office to work in rhythm with other colleagues and need of the job at hand......The end of becoming is fallen down and I stay afloat on the wave of time.....Thanks - NIPUN once again for marvelous contribution to society...
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On Feb 21, 2017 Koriander wrote :
At 59 yrs. old, I am sometimes faced with the fact that I'm not a "professional". I not a "this" or a "that". When I was a kid and people would ask me "What do you want to be when you grow up?", my typical answers were, "A renaissance woman" or "A Jack-of-All-Trades" (We didn't have Jills-of-all-Trades back then!). I held to that commitment throughout life; playing many different melodies, dancing different movements. I see many people in my age group, and even much younger, are doing this thing that Alan writes of. They are running for the end of something, thinking THEN they will be contented, successful, happy, loved, etc. They imagine that, when they retire, they will have another 20 vital years to do everything they've put off! Sometimes they are aware that they've bought into something, a career, job, relationship, ideology, that has turned them into a slave. But they no longer have the resiliency to break out. They've ... [View Full Comment]
1 reply: Elizabeth | Post Your Reply
On Feb 19, 2017 david doane wrote :
The best and happiest of living is like playing music in a way that is enjoying each note, not playing to get to the end of the piece. I suppose improvisational music or jamming is the ultimate playing music to enjoy the process of playing. I remember a book called Finite and Infinite Games, out of which I got that it's important to live life as an infinite game played for the joy of playing, not a finite game played to win. Life is an infinite game, at least for most creatures except for us screwed up humans. As an experiential psychotherapist, I have opportunities every day to experience time with others as playing music, responding to what is happening as it happens, being spontaneous, focusing on process and not outcome, operating out of my guts as well as and sometimes more than out of my head. What helps me avoid living a deferred life plan for future success and enjoy the music is my knowing that happiness is in the way of living, learning to keep ... [View Full Comment]
2 replies: Mary, Me | Post Your Reply
On Feb 17, 2017 Jagdish P Dave wrote :
Living is an art like music and dance. The art of living fully in the moment is the way of living.When our mind is occupied by the future we miss the existential unfolding beauty and joy of the present moment. A mind that is present enjoys the present of presence. The mind that is absent misses the present of presence. When we are fully engaged and absorbed in the present, we are in the flow, in the being zone.
I have been practicing mindfulness, the art of being fully present, attending to what is happening inside and outside without being hijacked by the past or the future. It has been a great blessing to me. This way of living is enriching my life personally and relationally.I have been able to appreciate the gifts coming from nature and people, feeling my heart with gratitude.
I am 91 years old and I am accepting my aging mindfully and gracefully. If I compare myself with the past, I am sure I will make myself impoverished and miserable. If I worry about th... [View Full Comment]
1 reply: Annette | Post Your Reply
On Feb 17, 2017 Rajesh wrote :
This is a beautiful passage. Humorous and yet pointing out deep truths at the same time. That we "play the piano" and not "work the piano" is such a wonderful point. Indeed, to be a good "player" in daily living is such a hard thing. Ironic but true! Points to the fact that perhaps what is needed is Unlearning of patterns. As we unlearn, play comes naturally.
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On Feb 17, 2017 Kristin Pedemonti wrote :
oh my yes! Enjoy the journey each day even with the smallest actions or words or dance or song or story. Today I needed this reminder. it's been an intense work week preparing to present at MIT and I got caught up in the feeling of pressure. I live in Washington DC an intense city with many intense people who have a challenge relaxing. Well, I have learned that life is a musical... we can choose to enjoy a bit of song, dance, and music or we can get bogged down in a storyline. <3 Today I just booked a massage over lunch. Last night was enjoying sacred songs in the cathedral, and Wednesday was 600 people drumming in the cathedral. All for JOY and to live the journey. Valentine's Day I dressed in the pink heart onesie I sewed myself (it's far from perfect, but it's warm and fun) and I took my Free Hugs sign and walked down to the Columbia Heights metro stop and I just offered hugs. It turned the day around for me too. I've been doing Free Hugs since 2008 and V Day is now one of my fa... [View Full Comment]