The medical director of the Clínica Baviera, who works as an ophthalmologist surgeon, has published “Así lo veo yo” (Ediciones Vitruvio), overcoming the modesty caused by revealing the corners of his inner life with the idea of offering vital teachings and tools that they can help others. Always keeping his worst enemy at bay -the ego-, in the book Jaime Javaloy deals with more than 80 topics and reflections related to personal growth with a practical approach.
QUESTION: Why does an ophthalmologist write a book on personal development?
RESPONSE: To be honest I never thought to post my notes. During the first year of the pandemic, I was making notes on my mobile phone, reflections that came to my mind in what I consider to be the most lucid and creative moment of the day: the one that follows the time I dedicate to meditating early in the morning. . Hence the title of the book. I gave them to read one day to a friend, who is also my boss at work, and he insisted that he should share them. In fact, the Fundación Baviera has taken care of all the necessary steps with the publisher for the book to see the light.
Q: What is “That’s how I see it” about?
A: Well, it deals with how I perceive the main aspects of life. At first they were just unconnected notes. When I decided to publish them, I tried to give them some common thread in order to present them with a certain order and meaning. In this way, first of all, I present my vision about our main strengths and weaknesses to later link them with other topics such as life itself or relationships with others. In short, it expresses my philosophy of life, a snapshot of my soul at a certain moment in my life journey.
Q: In the presentation of the book, you highlighted some vital experiences that led you to see life in this way from the point of view of failure. Is it better to fail than to succeed?
A: To some extent, yes, because we learn very little from our successes and a lot from our defeats. On the other hand, many of the circumstances that I once considered unfortunate eventually turned into blessings, making me misconception of our irresistible propensity to immediately judge what happens to us as good or bad. Reality is not good or bad, it just is. We are the ones who give it a positive or negative tint depending on what we consider advantageous or inconvenient at a certain moment.
Q: So what does success consist of?
A: Success is leading a life that is in harmony with your life goals. The famous neuropsychiatrist Viktor Frankl managed to survive the horror of the Auschwitz death camp. He observed there that the chances of getting out alive were greater for those prisoners who had a reason to keep going. The current pace of life invites you to run wildly without even considering where the goal is. A meaningful life is a successful life.
Q: Some of the activities to which you have dedicated your life, such as competitive sports or cooperation in Africa, will undoubtedly have something to do with what you reflect in the text.
A: We are the result of the combination of the genetic load we receive and the experiences we live. Sport has given me willpower, discipline, the ability to excel, understanding the importance of teamwork and resilience. Cooperation was, during an important part of my life, a source of adventures, as well as intense human and professional experiences. Today, above all, it contributes to sustaining one of my most important life goals: to make useful things.
Q: You spend many pages talking about the ego. Is the ego really the enemy?
A: Without a doubt, the ego causes most of the suffering in man. It makes us fall into the illusion that we are different from everyone and everything. It is the origin of fear (we fear for ourselves and love for others), greed and aversion. In its collective dimension, the stupidity of considering that one human group is different and therefore superior to another has caused millions of deaths throughout history.
Q: Wars, economic crises, injustices… Do you think you can look at the world with optimism today?
A: Considering the level of wealth achieved thanks to technological development, the world has never been better than it is today. A low-income person in a country like ours has a life that is objectively better than that of a well-to-do bourgeois who lived a couple of centuries ago. It is quite possible that my generation is the first in the history of Spain that has not had to experience a war. Injustice and inequality are rooted in the nature of human relationships, but it is undeniable that today’s world is better than yesterday’s. What happens is that happiness and well-being are boring headlines for the front pages of newspapers.
P: The book is already on the street. And now that?
A: Now to live.
“Today’s world is better than yesterday’s, but happiness and well-being are boring headlines”