Dalai Lama On Terrorism: We Need Action, Not Just Prayers

Image by Christopher Michel @ Flickr / CC BY 2.0

By Sukh Singh, Associate Partner, Lighthouse International

“If we start...now, there is hope that this century will be different from the previous one.”

- Dalai Lama

We have all seen and felt the savage destruction in Paris, Beirut, Baghdad and Mali (let alone the atrocities of the world we don’t see), but many of us are often left asking ourselves... What am I meant to do about this?

The Dalai Lama has recently spoken about how we all need to respond to terrorism and the answer will amaze you. It is a breath of fresh air...

“People want to lead peaceful lives. The terrorists are short-sighted, and this is one of the causes of rampant suicide bombings.

We cannot solve this problem only through prayers. I am a Buddhist and I believe in praying. But humans have created this problem, and now we are asking God to solve it. It is illogical. God would say, solve it yourself because you created it in the first place.

We need a systematic approach to foster humanistic values, of oneness and harmony. If we start doing it now, there is hope that this century will be different from the previous one. It is in everybody's interest.

So let us work for peace within our families and society, and not expect help from God, Buddha or the governments.”

Responsibility - The Fundamental Principle of Legends

The Dalai Lama is reinforcing one of the most important principle at the core of every legend’s success and their impact on the world. Rather than feeling incapable when tragedy strikes, legends choose to respond and say “I am going to figure out what I can do about this.” That means they are more in control of their own life and can actually influence the world around them, instead of just looking on. Remember, as the Dalai Lama says, this doesn't happen alone, we need to work together to achieve it.

You Can Start Now

This doesn’t mean that you need to try and rally your country together like Gandhi! The principle of responsibility applies everywhere in life. Instead of watching the TV in the evenings, you can choose to spend more time talking to your family and get to know them more. Or instead of counting down the clock at work, you could find ways to support your colleagues because you want the company to do well. Every single positive thing we do to build stronger families, companies, sports teams and communities dismantles the conflict, hatred and barriers that terrorists feed off.