The Art of Happiness in a Troubled World

by Dalai Lama XIV

We began our discussion of human happiness within a societal context by investigating the fundamental issue of Me Versus We—separateness versus connection. The Dalai Lama argues that human beings are designed to connect to others, explaining how our capacity for human affection, warmth, friendship, and love are rich and reliable sources of human happiness—like some alchemical process of transmuting lead into gold, the transformation of I into Us, cultivating a sense of belonging, brings rich rewards of human satisfaction, along with better physical, mental, and emotional health. At the same time, connecting with others helps to strengthen the wider community and help build a better society. In fact, whether looking through the lens of the Buddhist ideal of compassion or citing recent scientific evidence, one could reasonably argue that human connection and community bonds, based on a sense of caring, can be the single greatest source of human happiness and satisfaction.