As Said by His Holiness, the Dalai Lama by Abigail

As Said by His Holiness, the Dalai Lama by Abigail - February 2014 Scholarship Essay

If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.
-Dalai Lama

Time and time again, in a stressful life of ever increasing responsibility, the Dalai Lama's simple yet powerful words astound me. I know I shall never be in tune to the world's suffering as he is but I take his words to heart with the hope of opening myself to others pain and joy alike. I try to do well by him every day, one small act at a time. Constantly I refer back to the quote above, whenever I am plagued by any negative emotion or feeling powerless.

I have discovered a life of giving, of compassion, of altruism, is more fulfilling than a life laden with objects, silver and gold. When I see others in distress, in need of a friendly soul, I accommodate. There is nothing as sacred as a genuine smile from a kind deed. That smile, no matter the source, is a gift. It is a precious trace of altruism, a strong symbol of every good thing life may be or become.

The Dalai Lama is my hero. He lives a pure life of constant contemplation, always so open and accepting, all the while not taking himself too seriously. He meditates on the act of kindness for hours a day, he is the personification of genuine caring and love, and yet he is only mortal. I realize that I we are all mortal beings and I wonder what is the point to hoarding, why hide and why stow all beautiful things away? If we have but a short life on this Earth with these objects, why not share? Why not enjoy things with others while we can rather than locking them away?

Humans are built to love and give and to be loved. We are social beings and by tuning out to others we only harm ourselves. We have so little to lose at times and so much to gain. Consider love, the ultimate symbol man. When we are kind and compassionate the reward is the greatest feeling, it fuels an ever growing passion to support and care for this person. When you close yourself and shut off however, love becomes stressful, strained and battered. This is repeated with most interactions between humans. Kindness breeds more kindness and hate breeds hate. Openness inspires, closed emotions oppress. This is the conclusion I have come to when living by these words.

By taking these words and truly living by them I have become a better person, and I have made those around me prosper. I feel as if I have attained some peace in this world by doing so, less stress, less anger, and i just genuinely feel like a happier person. Those words are a simple truth that all would do well to keep in mind.