A Force for Good

Book excerpt: For decades, the Dalai Lama has travelled the world, meeting with people from a wealth of countries who differ greatly in their background, social status and viewpoint, bringing them his own individual wisdom and compassion. In his encounters with everyone from the inhabitants of shantytowns in S�o Paulo and Soweto to heads of state in Davos and Washington D.C., the Dalai Lama saw similar problems: a set of values that have helped the very rich to advance beyond the multitudinous poor, a disregard for the environment that could lead to global catastrophe and governments in paralysis, bereft of positive, progressive policies of any sort. Now, as he turns eighty, having built up a profound knowledge of the world we live in today, as well as a penetrating grasp of its scientific context, the Dalai Lama gives us his vision for a better future. Challenging what he sees as a general mixture of cynicism and self-interest, he offers a radically different perspective and a vision that can be assimilated by people around the globe. From cultivating early on a capacity for caring that transcends religious, ideological and national boundaries, to creating an economic system that applies principals of fairness and which values fulfilment, his argument focuses on what is urgent and why it should matter to each of us. In his unique manifesto, the Dalai Lama presents perspective on the world that can bring hope to millions, that will endure beyond the present day and that has the potential to reshape humanity as we know it.