DriftLab

If you practice compassion, whether you believe in a religion or not, you will come to realize the value of compassion for your own peace of mind. Even a small act of compassion grants meaning and purpose to our lives.

When you have a peaceful and tamed mind, life is more pleasant for your friends, spouse, parents, children, and acquaintances; your home is quiet, and all who live there enjoy an excellent sense of relaxation. Upon entering your house, others feel a sense of happiness.

We share this one planet, our only home so we have to take better care of it. We must cultivate compassion not only for our fellow human beings, but also for the other animals, birds and insects with whom we share the world. Concern for others is necessary for our survival.

We can no longer keep exploiting the resources of this earth-the trees, the water and the minerals-without any care for the coming generations. It is common sense that we cannot survive if we keep working against nature. We must learn to live in harmony with nature.

We can’t remove external problems at will, but in terms of our inner world we can develop tolerance, forgiveness and contentment. If we have developed peace of mind, we can remain calm no matter what happens in the outside world.

As a result of material development and modern education, people commonly seek happiness in external things, but neglect their minds. True, lasting happiness depends on our taming our unruly minds. This is not so much about intellectual development as cultivating a warm heart.

Change starts with us as individuals. If one individual becomes more compassionate it will influence others and so we will change the world.

Taking care of our planet, is a matter of looking after our own home. We can no longer exploit the earth’s resources—the trees, water, air and minerals—with no care for the coming generations. I support young people’s protests at governments’ inaction over the climate crisis.

Time is always moving on, Nothing can stop it. The question is whether we use our time properly or not. We can’t do anything about the past, but what happens in the future depends on what we do now.

Optimism does not mean being blind to the actual reality of a situation. It means maintaining a positive spirit to continue to seek a solution to any given problem. And it means recognizing that any given situation has many different aspects—positive as well as problematic.

Ours is a globalized world. Climate change affects us all; no one can hide from it. The global economy means we need to think of other people as members of one global family. This is why we need humane values based on common sense and common experience in our education systems.

When you have peace of mind, it's easier to cope with problems. Real change will come about not as a result of prayer, but of using intelligence and taking action.