A Human Approach to World Peace

Book review on

A Human Approach to World Peace

by Dalai Lama (1987)

Reviewed by Lorimer, David, 1987 published in Network Review No 33

Wisdom Publications, 1987, 24 pp., p/b, free of charge

In this gem of a booklet The Dalai Lama provides a simple focus on world peace. His analysis flows from four principles:

1. Universal humanitarianism is essential to solve global problems.
2. Compassion is the pillar of world peace.
3. All world religions are already for world peace in this way, as all are humanitarians of whatever ideology.
4. Each individual has a universal responsibility to shape institutions to serve human needs.

His promises are straightforward: all human beings seek happiness, anger and violence bring misery, inner happiness does not depend on external factors. Perhaps we need to start from such simple truisms and work outwards from there. One other novel suggestion was that world leaders should meet annually in a beautiful place without any agenda, just to get to know each other as human beings. "Then, later, they could meet to discuss mutual and global problems". Why not?

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