Essay Questions

Is the environment symbolically used in The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom by Don Miguel Ruiz?

All through the book, the author has discussed how human beings are limited and the reasons why they cannot be equal. He uses the environment to figuratively represent human inadequacy. There is no single individual who has the power of saying where to be born. If people had the power of dictating where to be born, all people will choose to be born in rich families and stable economies. However, due to human limitations, this is not possible and that is why the environment dictates where one is to be born.

According to Don Miguel Ruiz, why do some people live in denial that they are immortal?

Ruiz explains that some people are not scared of death because they do not believe that it exists. The perception that one is immortal is the avenue to the most evils witnessed in society. For instance, some people are ruthless, corrupt, killers, and sinners of all sorts because they think that they will not die. Ruiz argues that if people knew that life is temporary, no one can commit evil against one another.

What motivated the author to choose the title The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom?

Ruiz chose this title to alert the reader that there is a limitation to human freedom. As many people think that they have the freedom to do anything, Ruiz reminds them that human existence is shaped by the environment. Additionally, he reminds the reader that death is a reality and there is no single individual who will live forever. Therefore, Ruiz concludes that personal freedom is a guide to help people live humanely without disregarding others.