A place to call home, nutritious food, engaging work and hobbies, someone to love, and good company are the essential needs of life. Our ego complicates life by adding wants, most of which have no spiritual value.

Ask 10 people the definition of success and expect different answers. Although success is frequently associated with financial wealth, money is only a small part of success. The definition of success is probably best said by Maya Angelou, “Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it.” Therefore, success can be likened to having peace of mind—to live a life of our own choosing...

Humans are born to be free; to explore, mingle, share, move, express, learn, and grow. These are the inherent natural rights of every Human Being. But humans are also complicated and selfish creatures, thus the state’s need to suppress and deny these liberties. Unfettered liberty culminates in either anarchy or dictatorship. Thus, individual liberties such as freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and freedom to assemble are sometimes suppressed for the common good—carte blanche liberty is detrimental to state security. At least that is what governments tell its people...

Forgiveness is about remedying transgressions against us in the right way. The right way means that the transgressor is punished and we have peace of mind. Although, we do not need to deliver the punishment ourself—the justice system and karma are adequate punishers—there is no peace of mind without justice. However, we do have to forgive the transgressors to attain peace of mind...

There are night dreams and there are daydreams. The conscious daydreams are our vision of what our soul yearns for. However, most of us end up in mediocrity because we fail to pursue our dreams—for fear of judgment, for fear of failure, or even for fear of success. Now we know why it takes courage to pursue dreams.

Suffering is an unnatural part of the human experience, but sometimes it is necessary to teach us lessons on what to do and what not to do. In adults, for the things within our control, suffering is self-inflicted—suffering is the consequence of the choices we make. In children, suffering is inherited through the parents—children suffer as the result of their caretakers’s karma...

In order to truly love someone, we must learn to love ourself first—we can only give to others what we have. When a person is incapable of loving anyone, it means they’re incapable of loving themself. This person needs to learn to accept themself for who they are and be honest with their shortcomings. Remember, no one is perfect, so we should learn to accept our imperfections and quirks. We are unique because of them...

Our time is limited on this Earth—our days are numbered the day we were born. Our thinking about our place in the world changes when we come to this realization. With this acceptance, we begin to prioritize where to spend our time. We make a list of the things that are important and those that are trivial. Then we only spend our time on the important matters, since we have no time for trivialities...

According to the Greek philosopher and mathematician Plato (428 - 348 BCE), the Four Cardinal Virtues are: moderation, wisdom, courage, and justice. Virtue is more complex than knowing the difference between right and wrong, and moral and immoral. Virtue, when taken as a whole, is a set of values and belief system that guides our decision making process—virtues are our guiding light in life. Although political values, economic values, and legal values may shift, the virtues that encompass moral excellence are timeless across cultures...

Many of us seek a spiritual life after prolonged unease and calamity. Many pursue answers in churches, synagogues, mosques, temples, and political affiliations—all of which are unnecessary. The truths and answers to life are not in religion and politics, but in science and self-education.