¿Para quién nacemos y para quién vivimos?
Todos los seres humanos, desde la infancia, necesitamos que nuestros padres nos quieran, nos demuestren afecto y nos acepten tal y como somos. Y digo “necesitamos” porque de lo contrario no podríamos sobrevivir. Si nuestros padres no nos quieren, no nos cuidarán y si no nos cuidan nuestras necesidades básicas no quedarán cubiertas y estaríamos en riesgo de morir por negligencia. Pero una vez…
Many moving to Japan may think that the very nature of the country will change them. And in part, they are right. After all, adapting oneself to the different environments one will encounter in life is not only a skill but a necessity. But we in the West tend to see Japan portrayed as this super technological hub in which robots are everywhere. Far from the truth. For example, you won’t find a…
What I learned from horse riding in Mongolia
When talking about going beyond our comfort zones, we often refer to an intellectual way of doing so: to challenge ourselves in a way that requires our brains to learn new things. But in this case, I want to talk about physical comfort. To go beyond your physical comfort is to arrive at a point in which being physically uncomfortable becomes, paradoxically, comfortably enough. This past July I…
Why are we in social media? Is it really to be in touch with our friends? Or to compare others’ lives with ours and see if we are scoring more than them? Is it because we want to give our time and attention to our friends? Or because we want their time and attention without giving anything back? Are we there for the likes? Are we there to pretend? To build a persona that is half true? Why are we…
Do you think you are helping the environment?
Some people think they are saving the planet by consuming many things but throwing away none. But while there’s so much they might need, there is no limit to the excuses they give to buy a new version of the same thing they already have. We can always come up with reasons why we need a new car, a new pair of shoes, a second house or new furniture. But the underlying cause it’s our status anxiety.…
For some, life is about accumulating material things and reach the social status that comes with them. For this people, a good life is about living with comfort and the respect of others, even if it’s fake. To this people, Buddha would say: The Value of a Person The value of a person has nothig to do with status, fortune, or occupation. Appraising a person just on the basis of learning or…
You don’t have to choose between Buddhism and Humanism
Though Humanism is a secular philosophy, many would be surprised to know that Buddhism and Humanism have much in common. The following is what the American Humanist Association has to say about this commonality: Buddhism is different from many other faith traditions in that it is not centered on the relationship between humans and a high god. Buddhists do not believe in a personal creator God. In…
The common aim of critical thinking and meditation
Do you think critical thinking -the most important skill in science, and meditation -the basic practice in Buddhism, have nothing in common because they belong to the never-ending debate of “Science vs. Religion”? Well, think again, since both, critical thinking and meditation, have their primary aim in common: To understand reality as it IS! Meditation is for Buddhism what the scientific method…
Miedos que hacen vomitar y respuestas que hacen llorar
Este artículo me ha recordado a uno de mis mayores miedos: Morir sin saber qué hacer con y en mi vida. Dinero Siempre supe que no quería perseguir el dinero en sí mismo ni a como dé lugar, pero fue más tarde que descubrí que quería emprender para el bien social. En una sociedad y hogar en el que se valoraba el status y el dinero, en lo absoluto se me ocurrió pensar que una opción de vida eran las…
Abrir la boca para decir estupideces no es, para Emiio Lledó, un buen uso de tu libertad de expresión. Y estoy de acuerdo. ¿Qué tiene de creativo abrir la boca con el fin de repetir los mensajes del status quo? Si lo que vamos a hacer con nuestro cuerpo y nuestro pensamiento es reproducir la vida que se nos dice que hay que vivir -nacer, trabajar y morir- y repetir los mensajes que se nos dice…