Francisco Varela --In Memoriam

"Order without foundation,
A paradox that some call God "
Francisco J. Varela G.
      (1946 - 2001)
Many Talents,  A Big Heart

On the tenth anniversary of his death, a scientist and philosopher best known and admired outside than in his country of birth [This is a pidgin translation from Google, the origianl  article is in Spanish]






Francisco in his life was essentially a scientist, but also a great thinker who transcended frontiers of knowledge. He was educated at a Christian college, but abdicated its principles and beliefs early, completing high school in the late 1960. Dabbled briefly in politics, who also left after a few years.



The above quote, are not pretty or clever words. Epistemology is a subtle and profound, and not mere cleverness or a pun. Francisco said what he thought and did what he said.



From science, Varela said that although everything appears as it is, and things appear to us to "detail", no wonder it appears to us that in all its many details - has a complete substance and solid, which constitutes in itself.



Border of reality, dreams and subatomic worldThat is, in the subtle frontier where reality ends and dreams begin, Francisco could make this "break", mentioned the "coaching", and is similar to the "quantum leaps of electrons, energy the subatomic world.



Things appear as, but not as strong as they seem. This limit, something uncomfortable, is that Varela, early on, learned to distinguish quite lucidly. Not because I consider that certainly I did, but by a direct intuition of what is happening. Was not happy with his intuitions, the investigating.

 Therefore, each time moving towards a union rather odd experience, a kind of border between "reality and dreams." This ambiguity in the know, even the perception - leaves room for that life appears to us so wonderful, and yet so unpredictable and also as ruthless and hard.
Einstein said it --- as a paradox - otherwise, saying: "Light, shadow of God."

 


Varela devoted the last part of his life (1990 - 2001) to a convergence between cognitive science and spirituality.



Fundo, along with the Dalai Lama (Nobel Peace Prize), the "Mind and Life Institute." A fruitful dialogue of scientists with masters of science of the mind, bringing Buddhism, this can be considered a scientific and spiritual.



What is the power of science? Several, in short, are three: is fallible, it is predictive and systematic doubt. At its best side, is fallible not infallible. Another way of stating this is that their conclusions are tentative and provisional. In science nothing is final, you can change, or you can "maybe" better. Everything can be dissolved with a theory, as has happened several times with "phlogiston" in chemistry, the "ether physics" and the "elan vital" in biology.



All were in his time, postulated to name the "mystery" of the phenomena occur, which, in each case - were difficult to explain. After years and countless experiments and thought every one was falling into disrepute scientific and discarded.



However, each nominated for hard times centuries as the geocentric theory of Ptolemy Egypt, prevailed for thousands of years until the European Renaissance.





Varela, who was to a large extent, was a scientist some border, used to feel comfortable in these paradoxes, a mixture of experimental epistemology and science.



Science also is his best side is predictive. Usually uses mathematical models and biological and says, for example, "the probability of rain, in this geographical area, tomorrow is x%.
As for systematic doubt, science, very close to the skepticism, not to believe anything until proven. Varela was in his life debugging this attitude, daring mix of scientific and epistemological openness,


 
Varela began to systematically doubt very early, it also walked away from politics. Once, having read the book called "Dialectics of Nature" by F. Engels said, "would have to write another book, to be called, the nature of dialectics."



Francisco Varela indirectly influenced education because in 1994 he wrote with Fernando Flores, at the time, manager of the company "Web-Com" (and then owner of the school "Altamira" refounded), unpublished article "Education and Transformation: prepare to Chile for the XXI Century. " The article, which is not public and would be a book --- but influenced many people who read it.



In some respects, and locally to Latin America, those who read, saw Varela, without being a futurist, predicted, to some extent - the "digital revolution of the Internet", in years and its impact on culture media.



Deliberate reflection on the possible impact of Varela's work in education with a new paradigm, is the master of Chilean on your blog, Jaime Valdes, a former Director of the College "Altamira" of Santiago, for ten years, at the time Mr. Flores. His thoughts on neuroscience and education, are very powerful. Valdés, reviews the concept of "enaction" Varela leave statement and perhaps not enough to develop.



Another beautiful posthumous tribute originally appeared on the Blog  Alivio y Crecer and Grow Relief 2005, which was reproduced on other sites.



Varela inside the world of spirit, something beyond or more here, of religion. How does spirituality?, Is a search for the truth of life, by various means. Like science, the spiritual seeker is faced with paradoxes (true "dragons" and "monsters"). Both the true scientist, as the seeker doubt what you see and find.

 This, however, exposes him as the scientific frontier, a sweet and severe "agony" of the "dark night" of the soul ": a world of many questions and few answers, and, of course, not many certainties .Varela dared to walk around it.



Francisco, was a scientist and a seeker of spirit, his whole life, a man of questions a journalist described as "uncomfortable" for the official routine. It was not a conformist or a repeater of ideas, sought to innovate and reach the limits of knowledge.



His first book with the Dalai Lama, titled in English as Gentle Bridges, reflects on the meeting of science and spirituality, from the cognitive sciences (third person) to the sciences of mind (first person), which provides contemplative meditation , from Buddhism. This annual dialogue, went up there today in the "Mind and Life Institute, with different topics.



Varela in the fast life of 54 years, joined worlds as diverse as the Latino culture, Europe, The Asian and North American.



An "eternal present" a time "star."Varela could, in some 25-year career as a thinker and scientist, join the "time clock" that almost all live in a hurry, the finite time, business, a limited life, with the "big time" , or no-time, or time "eternal."

 Sometimes called, "an eternal present," who recognize the spiritual leaders in every wisdom tradition. A kind of non-stellar and cosmic time.





As he matured intellectually and academically, it seemed that Varela lived in a hurry, though, that he knew ten years before he died, I had the years, and prepared very well. I look for a liver transplant patient, who finally won as a French citizen, and said their quality of life improved much until he passed away without wanting to fight with death, but accepting.
In this regard, Francisco, could find in his life and his work "an order without foundation", the paradox that some call God.





Artificial Intelligence and ConsciousnessIn many ways, Varela was an unusual and exceptional human being.Impressive culture, Hababa five languages ​​and wrote in several of them. Leia and assimilated the literature around the world and remarked pleasantly. Concentrated all his professional life in various subjects. What interests us here are two: Artificial Intelligence (AI) and consciousness.



Both areas have been expanded tremendously in the last four century.The development of AI has been swift, stunning, just 10 years after his death.



We can mention the recent emergence of a synthesis in the field of cognitive science border in a book called "The Ego Tunnel: the science of the mind and the myth of the self", the highly respected German scholar named Thomas Metzinger, recently, is something that certainly would have been interested Francisco.





Great scientists are not always great inventors. Varela was a scientist and an epistemological, not a technologist, but also a lot of technology used





One of his lesser-known books is "CONOCER: a mapping of current ideas (" Conâitre "in French). In this book, takes up expands and deepens the ideas that appeared in the 1980's, in one of his first book "The Tree of Knowledge" which he wrote with Humberto Maturana.





In his book, "CONOCER ", reviews the biological basis of knowledge, review the basics of Artificial Intelligence in the light of biology and the philosophy of phenomenology, IA at conferences llaamadas "Macy" (from the 1950 and makes a concise review of the ideas of self-regulation (mechanical and biological). and throwing some theoretical and practical applications.



Powerful AI ideas, are a foundation of systems "cyber" self-regulation mechanism (as the "silent WC" of the house, and thermostats) mimic the natural world (the homeostasis of the bodies of mammals). The book "know", he wrote, apparently as a series of conferences for a consultancy on the knowledge that made him the multinational Royal Dutch-Shell "in London.





Consciousness comes in ScienceThe other issue that interested him was the consciousness that even the 1980 was a questionable issue in the international neuroscience conference, which is only spoken in the coffee-break "



Gradually, journals appeared consciousness, and brain scans, functional magnetic resonance imaging, brain and consciousness (which are different) were validated by the scientific community specialized.



Consciousness in First and Third Person 


Brain research, functional magnetic resonance imaging and EEG powerful automated systems, recorded the brain of advanced meditators. One well known is the French Buddhist monk Ricard Mathiu the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland in 2005 nominated him as "the happiest man in the world", in honor of his great calm and mental and emotional stability. Could inhibit, in the laboratory, the startle reflex (startle response), which is innate. This is one of the indicators of mental and physical control very advanced.

 In it, Varela did not participate, but indirectly influenced the Mind Life Institute under "in the laboratory of Dr. Davidson, in Madison, Wisconsin, who conducted the research and measurement.

Use 10% of the Brain: What about the rest?


If you know, and is a common saying, that humans use 10% of our brain capacity. It is less clear, however, what we do with the remaining 90%. Computers and automated machines seem to work backwards from human use 90% of its chips and software, leaving 10% vacant.The unfortunate thing is that while we have more and more devices partially intelligent humans or stayed behind in cultural evolution or have been fixed on resilience in relation to the progress of the machines.



Hamlet Shakespeare and spoke in his famous monologue, saying that "conscience does make us all to be cowardly."





Varela was able to establish what, from what he called the "experimental phenomenology", following the work of French phenomenologist, Merleau-Ponty, is that consciousness "is not a thing", but a subtle process, very interactive and unstable, the world external and internal, "but without being in any circulating in both - in a narrative, or images and feeling, very subtle.



Varela believed and hoped that consciousness can be trained, cultured and clarified. It is here where quiet meditation and intuition (shamatha viipahsyana in Sanskrit) that he practiced at advanced levels for many years (first person).



That "spliced" Varela with the "science of the mind", meditation comes from the ancient tradition of monastic Buddhism.

 Varela was not about dogma, but facts and insights profound. Quiet meditation and mental clarity and compassion, sustained and nurtured as a discipline, says that the qualities of human consciousness, you can "raise" a staggering levels, which glow in health, wisdom and community service.



Therefore, Varela was fascinated not only with machines or digital wonders, he admired, trusted also in humans and our ability to evolve culturally. When the Dalai Lama says he remembers it: "Now I will use the hat Buddhist scientist now wearing the hat," and then laughs. In this example, the Dalai Lama refers to the metaphor of the British Edward  de Bonno, to characterize the different perspectives or approaches that may be the same person.



Hence his interest in working with the Dalai Lama who is interested in the science in all its spectrum in a convergent line, we might call "lucid consciousness."



The machines are spoiled, but not "wrong" are disconnected. To err is human an appropriate adjective. Computer programmers, however it is common mistake. This is another area of ​​knowledge between human intelligence and mechanical, very interesting, that he liked Varela.
The cerebral control of devices and games, is now a reality after 2008, with a helmet or appliance that attaches to the head, to record the EEG brain and transmitted wirelessly to a computer software. This is getting increasingly sophisticated. Varela always interested in all these developments border.





"Cognitivism" radical and subtleWe understand the theories of cognitivism know, there are several.Varela professed a way to know, that was powerful but very subtle and difficult to assimilate. He had said in his second book "The Tree of Knowledge" (with Humberto Maturana) that the brain is a computer.Was exhaustively in this and differed greatly in their field of neuroscience.



To do more subtle, Varela said that the mental construct that we have, we call ideas (experiences, emotions, perceptions) are not "out there or in here," are a sort of circle dance between "reality" and "body."Therefore believed in an "embodied mind," Embodied "and assigned a central role in the body. Similar position was Merleau-Ponty, and other thinkers lucid
An idea "is me" instead of "I have an idea"Going beyond the game of words used to say: I have an idea "and a" mantra recited me "instead of the usual" I have an idea "or" I recite a mantra. " It was not just a witty play on words, is a posture of epistemological border.




Varela, reflected on ethics, by the end of his life. His penultimate book is about ethics. It's called "Ethical know-how, action, wisdom and cognition", apparently not translated yet.





Varela embodied in his life what he thought. Is perhaps his masterpiece, "The Embodied Mind: cognitive science and human experience" which he wrote with the American contemplative psychologist Eleanor Rosch, University of University of California, and the cognitive Canadian philosopher, Evan Thompson, University of Toronto. In this book, Varela makes a thorough and lucid, including first-person meditation and brain neural registers of cognition in the third person.






His influence in the world of Management is reflected in the work developed by Dr. Otto Scharmer of MIT in the U.S., who developed some of the ideas to meet Varela, in his book "Presence", referring to the way of "bringing hand worlds "expressing Francisco.
Scharmer redesign and further develop their own theory and interactional model and calls "implementing the future, as it arises."Dr. Scharmer, founded the Institute Presencing, high prestige, to show leadership at a very high level business





The so-called "Theory U: Leading the future as it emerges" from Scharmer [free translation would be "Theory U: Leading the future as it emerges"] includes experiences of meditation and shows as a form of leadership business.





We see that Francisco Varela, as a human being, was multiple, not stay quiet or science, or epistemology and penetrate to the frontiers of culture. Even promoted a brain model to help epilepsy patients to anticipate their attacks.





He was interviewed on TV several times for your program Eric Goles and Christian  Warnken for "Beauty of Thinking" Fernando Flores ask him a few times and leave records videos. Finally, the Swiss filmmaker Franz Reichle, filmed a video called "Montegrande" where recorded history. Party or the selection appears on You Tube.



One of his last interviews in the video said: "Life is so fragile, and the present is so rich," ("Life is so fragile and this is so full.") The beautiful video swiss Montegrande "collects some of his thoughts.



Francis lived and worked in Chile, USA, Germany and died in France.
He was cremated in France, to rest in Montegrande, Chile, a plot of his grandparents, where he often vacations with his family.



His life, in many ways, was a paradox. Many talents, a big heart.

Realidades Sumergidas

REALIDADES SUMERGIDAS E IGNORADAS

1. El cuerpo como fuente del conocer habitual.

2. La vida domestica, casera, cotidiana

Un espacio ignorado en la cultura es la relación entre el conocer y el cuerpo.

Pasamos un tercio de la vida durmiendo, un tercio trabajando (o en el trabajo) y un tercio en casa , en la vida domestica (compartiendo o socializando)

Parece que (modernamente) solo existe el mundo del trabajo. Producir, rendir, vender...para los mercados globales....

Es común ver en los medios como si no existiera el cuerpo, ni el hogar. O miramos el cuerpo como un INSTRUMENTO (una maquina a reparar o funcionar a plena "adrenalina" para rendir) o un adorno precioso solo para EMBELLECER .

No esta nada de mal cuidarlo, es imperativo. Estupendo. Pero hay mas...también enfermamos, decaemos, envejecemos y morimos (esto no nos gusta, nos asusta, y en la cultura lo negamos...como en la vida personal también)
.

Hace unos 15 años atrás el neurobiólogo chileno Francisco Varela, se asoció en París con un Filósofo "de conocimientos de" frontera canadiense, Evan Thompson de la Universidad de Toronto (Canadá) y una psicología cognitiva en artes contemplativa de la Universidad de California (UCLA) Eleonor Rosh. Juntos investigaron y produjeron la obra, "The Embodied Mind: Cognitive Mind and Human Experience" (MIT Press 1991) . Obra ue fue traducida--al español-- como "El Cuerpo en Persona"(Editorial Gedisa).

En esta obra y trabajos, los tres autores construyeron un puente entre disciplinas diversas: la ciencias del conocimiento experimental del cerebro y el conocer (tercera persona) y las artes contemplativas del meditar de la calma y claridad mental (shamatha y vipashyana en sánscrito) (midfulness-awareness, en inglés). O estar atentos y darse cuenta en español.

CONOCER ESPECULATIVO Y EXPERIMENTAL:

Por siglos existió la filosofía metafísica especulativa: un conocer SIN cuerpo o
COMO SI el cuerpo no existiera. Varela y sus colaboradores, recopilaron una vasta tradición en occidente del conocer CON o a través del cuerpo.

El moverse, el sentir, el oler, el comer, el jugar, el bailar…actividades domesticas y cotidianas despreciadas (u obviadas por la "ciencia oficial" como pueriles) DAN VIDA al pensar que es un FORMA elaborada del conocer, pero no la UNICA, ni tal vez la mejor.

Sin pretender hacer una síntesis de ese libro, en breve Varela y colaboradores argumentan que EL CUERPO es parte indisoluble del conocer. Percibir: oler, caminar son formas de conocer, comer es conocer, soñar es conocer...

El moverse de un insecto, una cucaracha es conocer. El huir del peligro (salvarse) de una animal es conocer, es una muestra de su inteligencia, de coordinación. Cuerpo y "mente" ( o conocer) , se imbrican, se unen, se articulan en una "biología del conocer" como lo señalaron hace decadas Varela y Humberto Maturana en su libro "The Tree of Knowledge" o "El Arbol del Conocer"

LA VIDA DOMESTICA EN CASA

El otro espacio ignorado por la cultura es la vida domestica. Se la ignora como si no existiera. Como si no hubiera aquí o allí sabiduría milenaria

Hay estadísticas cuidadosas y confiables que indican que el trabajo domestico de las “amas o dueñas” de casa ha aumentado a pesar de la lavadora y la aspiradora. El lavar, planchar, ordenar, cocinar, y limpiar que en la década de 1920 tomaba un promedio de 60 horas semanales en los Estados Unidos, ya en la década del 1970 había aumentado a 70 horas semanales a pesar de la lavadora y la aspiradora..!!!

Y en el Reino Unido a pesar que hace décadas el 95% de las casas tenían lavadora, el LAVAR en la década del 1980 había aumentado aun mas en 6.25 horas (¡¡¡Oh Tecnología!!!)

La prestigiosa revista Scientific American hace unas tres décadas dedicó un trabajo al tiempo que se gasta en labores domésticas en casa: TIME SPENT IN HOUSEWORK, un estudio de campo sociológico del trabajo domestico. Los eruditos han comprendido que la gente del siglo XXI se cambia mas de ropa, ensucia más, USA mas recursos que hace 60 años atrás…la mujer ("dueña de casa" ) NO se ha liberado del trabajo domestico…incluso en los países que llamamos civilizados…Trabajan --en tareas domésticas--- aun mas que en 1920....ayudemos... (los varones, machos u hombres) somos la otra mitad del planeta (los hombres) . En India han creado un banco solo para mujeres. Algo es algo.

Bueno…los dejo pensando

Francisco Varela: Creador de Puentes de Confianza (Gentle Bridges)

Chile tierra de poetas, músicos y de científicos y emprendedores, crea espíritus nobles, algunos se quedan y vuelven a Chile, otros son famosos y residen en el extranjero.

Somos un país pequeño y remoto del mundo, de excepcionales talentos artísticos y unos cuantos científicos. Se nos conoce por ser acogedores (en el exterior) y por ser ingratos (en nuestro propio país = "chaqueteros" decimos...por envidiar el  trunfo y el exito rapido) hacia nuestros genios.

Ver video tributo de Dalai Lama a labor de Francisco Varela /ingles/  pique -aqui:


El pianista Claudio Arrau, el gran pintor Roberto Matta, el poeta Vicente Huidrobro, Claudio Bravo pintor que vivió en Marruecos , Claudio Naranjo (psiquiatra transpersonal), Ramón Vinay, Verónica Villaroel (cantante de ópera), la poeta Gabriela Mistral , el psico-mago y escritor  Jodorowsky , la escritora Isabel Allende, el cineasta Raul Ruiz , que murió en Francia, y tmabien  Francisco Varela son ejemplos de los talentos geniales que Chile no pudo (o no supo) retener y viven y triunfan y a veces mueren en el extranjero.

Violeta Parra, Pablo Neruda, Nicanor Parra, Pablo de Rohka, José Donoso, Raúl Zurita, Claudio Bunster (Teittelboim) ,Joakin Bello (músico), Roberto Bravo ( pianista),Humberto Maturana, y muchos más son los que vuelven o viven en Chile.






Hay un precioso DVD en varios idiomas del cineasta independiente Suizo Franz Reichle, llamado Montegrande, que recomendamos


Francisco fue más conocido a nivel internacional que en Chile Murió a los 54 años con una inmensa obra científico, del conocimiento y fue un creador de muchos PUENTES DE CONFIANZA (valga la metáfora). A los 17 años Francisco se había leído todo Ortega y Gasset a los 17 años, aprendió francés e inglés en una pocas clases, recordaba el idioma alemán de lo que aprendió en enseñanza Media y a los 18 años, leía y comprendía a Theillard de Chardin, el antropólogo jesuita pionero en la evolución de la conciencia por su "Fenómeno Humano" y del punto Omega.

De sus muchas obras temprana destacan "Autopeisis: de Maquinas y Seres Vivos" , y "El Arbol del Conocimiento", que escribieron en conjunto con Humberto Maturana. Varela construyó UN PUENTE DE CONFIANZA (valga otra matáfora) entre la neuro-ciencia (o neuro- feneomenologia) y la meditación contemplativa. El primer peldaño fue su libro "La Mente en Persona" ("The Embodied Mind": (MIT Press, con H. Reush una psicóloga californiana y E. Thomas un filosofo canadiense).

Hacer un encuentro de la mente desde las perespectivas de la ciencia y de la meditación contemplativa budista ue una labor de décadas de búsqueda, estudio y contactos y relaciones culturales al mas alto nivel.


Luego produjo varios encuentros científicos-meditativos con el Dalai Lama en reuniones de una semana en India, Dharamsala, con científicos (meditantes) budistas y lamas tibetanos de muy alto nivel. Todo se grababa en video y lentamente se transcribía. Luego era editado por Francisco Varela en forma de libro. La obra fue continuado por otros eminentes pensadors entre ellos Daniel Goleman (del New York Times..."La Inteligencia Emocional" autor reciente del libro "Emociones Destructivas" un encuentro con el Dalai Lama sobre las mociones aflictivas con cientificos meditantes y lamas tibetanmosq ue se someten a pruebas de Resonancia Magnetica del cerebro en Estados Unidos.

En Castellano el primer libro es: "Un Puente para Dos Miradas" ("Gentle Bridges") y luego "Soñar, Dormir y Morir" ("Sleeping, Dreaming and Dying") . Su ultima obra en castellano fue El Fenómeno del Vivir. Varela pudo formar una legión de discipulos científicos y meditantes. Fue entrevistado en dos oportunidades en ARTV por Christian Warncke en "La Belleza del Pensar" y hay una película de "Imago Producciones" sobre su vida.

Francisco tuvo una crisis espiritual en 1972 cuando estaba en un seminario cultural en Cuenavaca, México tuvo una revelación mística que no comprendió. Luego de un sueño revelador, despertó y estuvo tres o mas horas en éxtasis meditativo sin proponérselo y SIN pensamiento y total lucidez de conciencia. Una experiencia que no comprendió entonces. Estuvo a punto de renunciar a la ciencia.

Tanto fue el impacto emocional de su lucidez meditativa inexplicable y espontánea: hasta entonces Varela era un racionalista, un positivista y se movía en el pensamiento que hoy llamamos cartesiano-newtoniano, con una búsqueda y pasión constante de saber y conocer (Por qué estoy yo aquí!”). Durante el gobierno militar de Pinochet en Chile, Varela se refugió en Costa Rica un año primero y luego viajó a Boulder, Colorado USA, donde conoció y se hizo alumno del maestro de meditación, poeta y sabio budista Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche. Con él sentaron las bases de las ideas germinales de un puente de confianza entre la neurociencia (tercera persona observadora) y la auto conciencia (primera persona) de la meditación. Años después y después de intentos fallidos, Varela llego a crear los seminarios "Ciencia y Vida" con el Dalai Lama. Lo que hoy es el Mind and Life Institute

Recientemente Peter Senge y Otto Sharmer de SOL o la Sociedad para el Aprendizaje Organizacional han publicado Presence: Human Purpose and the Field of the Future (aun no traducido) que podría traducirse libremente como El Arte de la Presencia Cognitiva. Este libro reflexiona sobre la aplicación de las practicas meditativas a la agitada vida de las organizaciones y de las empresas. En lenguaje sencillo Otto relata entrevistas a mas de 90 lideres de negocios, ciencia y cultura y hay una fuente inspiradora en Varela y el impacto de su pensamiento en las organizaciones.

Hacia 1994, Varela y Fernando Flores escribieron un “paper” intitulado "Educación y Transformación: preparemos a Chile para el siglo XXI".

La intención era un libro que no se concretó. El año 1994, Fernando Flores invitó a Varela desde Paris a Chile a dictar el seminario Hermenéutica Pragmática en el centro de Extensión de la UC (que fue filmado en video) . Luego Flores invitó a Varela a presentar los rudimentos de la meditación contemplativa a sus “coaches” jóvenes en la Universidad ARCIS de Santiago.

Varela en cierta manera no deja su obra inconclusa, su hermano Andrés y otros que estuvieron junto a su lecho de muerte en Paris dicen que murió en paz.

Varela fue un ciudadano del mundo, aunque amaba el Valle del (rio) Elqui y en el pueblo de Montegrande (Chile) donde su abuelo dejó en herencia una parcela.

Sus cenizas creamadas reposan ahí. Hace unas semanas, Fernando Flores y la Cámara Chilena de la Construcción inauguraron en el pueblito de Paihuano cerca de La Serena en Chile una escuela con su nombre. Sus restos mortales reposan ahí en esa tierra del Valle del rio Elqui, lejana de Paris donde vivio los ultimos 10 años , en Montegrande, Chile la tierra que el tanto amó y donde regresaba año a año. La misma tierra que vio nacer y crecer a Gabriel Mistral, la poeta premio Nobel de literartura.

Jaime Valdés, educador y Director del Colegio Altamira de Chile ha escrito un lindo homenaje a Varela en su Blog

Su reputación de fama mundial se nutrió, entre muchos otros de lo que algunos llaman “La Escuela de Santiago de Chile ”. Junto a la Escuela de Stanford de Paul Watzlavik ha influenciado interactamente la terapia sistemica post racionalista del fallecido pensador y terapeuta italiano VittorioGuidano.



Tal vez hemos sido débiles como nación, poco visionarios y envidiosos de la cultura Europea y mas recientemente de la de USA.

Así y todo..."Puras brisas te cruzan también...y tu campo de flores bordadas. es la copia feliz del Edén... y ...ese mar que tranquilo te baña...te prometen futuro esplendor:" Dice el himno nacional. Cuando se fundó Chile hace unos dos siglos (solamente)