My Friends, You Are My Hope For Humanity | The Odyssey Online
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My Friends, We Are The Hope For Humanity

A book review from "A Call For Revolution" by the Dalai Lama — hope for a compassionate, violence-free future for our children and our children's children.

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My Friends, We Are The Hope For Humanity
Alana Charboneau

It has been time for a change in the world. We have been aware of the fundamental problems of society: the rising of CO2 level and sea level, increasing pollution, and the depletion of precious resources. But, we neglect the importance of individual involvement. We are all affected by laziness, relying on the mindset that someone else will begin to fix it and we will all jump on board.

From the very beginning, born in 1869, Mahatma Gandhi sowed a Revolution of Compassion around the world, inevitably hoping for change within the habits of human and non-human interaction. A book I recently read, written by the 14th Dalai Lama himself, has been directed towards us (the younger generation). "We" who have the ability to change the present, to avoid the inevitable of what the past has shown us if we allow those in power to continue to cause tyranny.


Gandhi persists the effort that we are all one with the world. Each human being is connected spiritually, mentally, and physically with the solar system and gravity of the universe. Each decision we make determines how the rest of the world will function. Every choice one makes will have a direct impact on another individual, whether present in actuality or not, time will catch up and the past is not always friendly. We must commit to altruism in order to be genuinely rooted with compassion and the strength to stand beside all and show love. Gandhi repeats like virtue, "the world is your home. Humanity is your family" and with that, we must provide for our family; the world.

Every revolution devised in the past has changed the future in many ways, one in which creates failing interpersonal relationships with different countries and plainly put by the Dalai Lama; "failed to lift the human spirit but instead created violence." We are so set out to fight about things we find unfair or unfit to standards, but in actuality, we are just setting our standards for humanity too high. If cooperation and understanding existed between those who have the power to influence peace, there would be no evil. There would be no anger or resentment, but some were seeking to hold vengeance while others were taught to love one another with pride. Everything that divides us now was created in the past. With perpetual, irrational, and perilous behavior, we will always be divided and never be as strong as we could be together. In which the source of ending violence is finding, spreading, and encouraging a love for all.


The problems of humanity are because of humanity. Luckily there is a way to fix it- now! But only if we begin to care enough about the world, about our people; becoming selfless to approach equality. In the book, he talks a lot about "fraternity" which is where we come together, inspired by a similar initiative or with a movement of inspiration to spread those virtues. Gandhi describes it as, the "importance of love and compassion for others", setting out to be a part of something bigger than just yourself.

"Genuine strength is rooted in love and compassion."

Once you surrender and admit defeat to overpowering anger, you can begin to fill your mind, soul, and heart with love and understanding. You will see the world begin to brighten and nothing will appear the same to you anymore. Your interactions and relationships with other human beings will improve; you will see that behind what makes us our own individuals- we are all human beings, and that is a fundamental similarity we could never change.

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This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
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