An Appeal to the World: The Way to Peace in a Time of Division by the Dalai Lama. 

5/5 rating. 128 pages.

Book #32 of 2020. Read May 20, 2020.

This was an incredible book of a discussion between the Dalai Lama and Franz. I think this should be a must-read for everyone these days where differences in opinion have turned into vitriolic fights.

The Dalai Lama has so much wisdom that he shares about the need for secular ethics and the six principles of: nonviolence, tolerance, accepting religious differences, being good stewards of the earth, patience, and death and rebirth.

I think that the below quotes are the best way to sum up this book. Just remember that this is the leader of a global religion asserting that religion is only important if we care about people first:

“Ethics are more important than religion. We are not members of a particular religion at birth. But ethics are innate.”

“It is more important for schools to have classes on ethics than religion. Why? Because it’s more important for humanity’s survival to be aware of our commonalities than to constantly emphasize what divides us.”

“The past century was the century of violence. This twenty-first century should be the century of dialogue! We can never change the past, but we can always learn from it to create a better future.”

“Compassion and love have been neglected far too much in education. We can and must change that now.”

“As a human being, my first ambition is to help other people. That’s what true friendship and humanity are about: relieving other people’s suffering.”

Additional Quotes:

“On some days I think it would be better if there were no religions. All religions and all scriptures harbor potential for violence. That is why we need secular ethics beyond all religions.” 

“The tea that we drink is made mostly of water, but it contains other ingredients as well – tea leaves, spices, perhaps a little sugar, and, at least in Tibet, a pinch of salt – and that makes it more substantial, more lasting, something we want to drink every day. Yet no matter how tea is prepared, its main ingredient is always water. We can live without tea, but not without water. Likewise, we are born without religion, but not without the basic need for compassion – and not without the fundamental need for water.”

“I see with ever greater clarity that our spiritual well-being depends not on religion, but on our innate human nature, our natural affinity for goodness, compassion, and caring for others. Regardless of whether or not we belong to a religion, we all have a fundamental and profoundly human wellspring of ethics within ourselves.”

“Children should learn morals and ethics. That’s more important than all religion.”

“Intolerance leads to hatred and division. Even our children should grow up with the idea that dialogue, and not violence, is the best and most practical way to solve conflicts.”

“The real meaning of our life, which we all pursue, whether with or without religion, is to be happy.”

“If all seven billion humans first considered what unites them and not what divides them, they would have less stress and less anger. We should learn that we are all friends. As I see it, I don’t have any enemies, only people I haven’t met yet. The young people of today have many more opportunities to get to know each other globally – and they should take advantage of them to work on improving the world. Compassion and love have been neglected far too much in education. We can and must change that now.”

“The more strongly people believe that other people also act altruistically, the more likely they are to act that way themselves. Altruism simply makes us happier!”

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