Who are we, and why are we here? These questions are perhaps the most fundamental mysteries of human existence; topics that Don Miguel Ruiz has made his life's work to understand, explore and teach. Dr. Robin talks with Don Miguel, author of The Four Agreements, as he shares insights into the mission of life, being authentic and connecting with others.
Don Miguel says part of our purpose in life is to pursue happiness by being "who we were meant to be." "We were born in this beautiful universe that is already created," he says. "We really don't have any mission or anything to do here but enjoy life, and really the only way is by being ourselves."
Many of our conflicts arise when we allow the outside world to dictate who we are instead of being authentic, he says. "The problem is that we learn how everything should be—we learn all those rules that really go against our own program," he says. "When we finally decide not to believe that anymore and we go through our own truth, we will find out that life is so easy."
As we become more authentic, aware and awakened to the truth, we're able to respect and connect with others more readily, Don Miguel says. Self-respect brings not only inner peace, but it allows all our relationships to flourish as well, he says. "When we respect everybody around us, we are in peace with everybody around us."
