Alan Watts
You Chose It
Now, you may say, "I need some help in this process
And therefore, I am going to find someone else to help me."
It may be a therapist, it may be a clergyman, it may be a guru
It may be any kind of person who teaches a technique of self-improvement
Now, how will you know whether this person is able to teach you?
How can you judge, for example, whether a psychotherapist is effective, or just a charlatan?
How can you judge
Whethеr a guru is himself spiritually wise, or merеly a good chatterbox?
Well, of course, you ask your friends, you ask his other students, or patients
And they're all, of course, enthusiastic
You have to be enthusiastic when you bought something expensive
If you bought an automobile, which turned out to be a lemon
It's very difficult to admit that it was a lemon, and that you were fooled
And it's the same when you buy a religion or an expensive operation
But what people do not sufficiently realize is that when you pick an authority, whether it's a psychotherapeutic one, or a religious one

[Chorus]
You chose it
You chose it
You chose it
You chose it

In other words
That this fellow, or this book, or this system is the right one is your opinion
And how are you competent to judge?
After all, if you're saying to this other person or other source
"I think you are the authority,"
That's your opinion, so you cannot really judge whether an authority is a sound authority unless you yourself are a sound authority
Otherwise, you may just be being fooled
You may say, for example, I believe that the Bible is the word of God
All right, that's your opinion
I know the Bible says it's the word of God, but it's your opinion that the Bible is not lying
The Church says the Bible is the word of God, but it's your opinion that the church is right
You cannot escape from that situation, it's your opinion
[Chorus]
You chose it
You chose it
You chose it
You chose it

[Outro]
You chose it
You chose it
You chose it
You chose it