In honor of last week's World Peace Day, let me begin this column with an excerpt from the UNESCO website: "Since wars begin in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that the defense of peace must be constructed."

Last week's celebration brought a multitude...

Just days before the 10th anniversary of the mortifying September 11 attacks, a plane crash off the coast of Chile rocks a nation, and here in Uruguay we are all reminded of the pain and sorrow of loss. It reminds us of the unpredictability of life, how every day surprises...

For most of us, the search for the ideal partner has become an obsession: the principle goal in our quest for love. Yet our relationships often peter out after the brief fireworks of romance. Then the false hopes of the mind are exposed for what they truly are -- an...

For most of us, our mother is the earliest and most significant influence in life. She is likely our first encounter with unconditional love. The service and selfless giving that mothering universally represents are qualities that we all must learn to emulate on our journey to self-realization.

In order to...

Are you a rigidly structured person? Do you feel trapped within your own ideas, as if you were in a box? If so, the big question is, are you ready to change?

Just becoming aware of this rigidity within yourself is a very good thing; until you are aware of...

In order to free ourselves from fear, we must leave behind that which we understand and face what lies beyond: we must make the unknown, known.

If we stay within the confines of knowledge, we can never experience our full capacity. Even Einstein was aware of the limits of the...

Over the last few weeks, catastrophe and conflict have jostled for attention on newsstands around the world. It has been a periods of great confusion and uncertainty, but also a reminder of just how connected we all are. When tsunami alerts reached the coasts of so many different countries, it...

In life, attitude is everything. The circumstances that have shaped our lives are as unique and individual as our personalities -- no two are the same. Yet our ability to grow as individuals, to evolve into more compassionate, loving and conscious people, depends not on what has happened to us,...

When shyness overshadows our talents, we miss out on opportunities to grow and advance. We become trapped in a vicious circle of insecurity and frustration.

Shyness is often masked as disinterest or indifference, yet its root is much deeper.

If we go deep into the feeling of shyness, we will...

We are never completely satisfied with what is happening in this moment. In fact, the idea that we need something that is not present right now is the root of our discontent. Even when we achieve everything we always wanted, we feel there is something missing. Why? Because we are...

The disparity of giving and receiving is often the cause of conflict in a relationship. There is almost always one who gives, gives, gives, and then is disappointed when nothing comes in return, and another who takes, takes, takes, but cannot truly appreciate what they are receiving. Resentment ensues, and...

The modern world is an uncertain place. Sliding stock markets and new technologies transform society at a dizzying pace, and no one can say what tomorrow will bring. Of course, this has always been true: the future has always been marked by uncertainty; such is the mystery of life. But...

Our mothers influence us more than anyone else in our lives. Even in adulthood, as the years go by, their legacy lives on within.

Some of us adore our mothers, others fight or compete with them. Some are attached, others cannot bear to even speak to them. But no matter...

We all have desires. If we are on a spiritual path, what attitude should we take towards them?

Many spiritual traditions interpret desire as counterproductive, something that must be conquered in order to experience realization.

Other schools of thought, such as positive thinking, consider the fulfillment of desire...

Have you ever got to a point in your life where you felt you had everything, yet there was still something missing? In my twenties, my external success should have been enough, yet I wasn't happy. The things I had accumulated, my social status and professional achievements, all seemed too...

Emotions are a natural part of human life. If we are working towards a healthy relationship with ourselves, it is essential that we learn to embrace them. Most of us from an early age have learnt that certain emotions are "bad" or inappropriate: maybe we were told not to cry,...

The last weekend of Chile's summer vacations has become a time of mourning for some and gratitude for others.

Spending time with the Chileans who are stranded in my centre here in Uruguay, I have become aware that everyone is affected, those close to their loved ones and those who...

As adults, we have so much fear of losing approval. We pretend all the time in order to be accepted by others, creating a false image that we present to the world, hiding our true feelings behind a rigid mask.

But when we do this, we are abandoning ourselves. Other...

During the years I have spent giving seminars on inner growth, I have encountered many people with insomnia. People who have not been able to sleep for decades, people at their wits end.

Insomnia is caused by our inability to switch off. We spend so much time focusing outwards on...

With the news of the Haitian disaster comes a profound sense of vulnerability. When faced with catastrophes of this scale, we are left feeling exposed, without answers. The explicit images shown in the media remind us how transitory everything is in life, and how the material security we strive so...