I Often Think We're Most Happy When

[the Dalai Lama] Told Me Some Years Ago, "i've Made Every Concession To China, And I've Been As Open And Tolerant As I Could, And Still Things Get Worse In Tibet." If You Look At It From One Point Of View, As He Himself Says, His Monastic Position Of Forbearance And Nonviolence Hasn't Reaped Any Benefits. And Yet, He's Thinking In Terms Of The Long Term, Of Centuries.

I'd Spent Thirty Years Visiting The Dalai Lama, And Twenty Years As A Journalist Going To Difficult Places, War Zones And Revolutions From North Korea To Haiti And Beirut To Sri Lanka, And The Question Came Up: What Does This Man Have To Offer To This World Which Seems So Torn Up And So Attached To Conflict?

I Think Of The Dalai Lama As A Doctor Of The Mind Offering Medicine And Specific Counsel And Cures In The Way A Great Doctor Would.

Not Many Years Ago, It Was Access To Information And Movement That Seemed Our Greatest Luxury; Nowadays It’s Often Freedom From Information, The Chance To Sit Still, That Feels Like The Ultimate Prize. Stillness Is Not Just An Indulgence For Those With Enough Resources – It’s A Necessity For Anyone Who Wishes To Gather Less Visible Resources.

My Christmas Present To Myself Each Year Is To See How Much Air Travel Can Open Up The World And Take Me To Places As Far From Sheltered California And Japan As Possible.