Introduction to my new book "One People One Planet: Six Universal Truths for Being Happy Together"

Introduction: Our Quest for Happiness

I believe our life on earth can be a beautiful experience, but I am well aware of the challenges it brings. Along with the beauty and joy we often feel, we all experience heartache, loneliness, discouragement, failure, and troubled relationships. These experiences can be very painful and difficult to overcome. In addition, recurring problems seem to cycle through every generation in nearly every country: intolerance, racial discrimination, civil unrest, hatred among political parties, and conflict between nations. It doesn’t seem like we learn from our history. But what if we had a credible solution that actually worked to help us overcome the human hardships we face on earth?    

I am excited to share a path with you that can help all of us increase our joy and live peacefully together on this planet – and it works for everyone. I have seen it work for convicted felons who have transformed their lives from dark despair to genuine happiness and harmony. I have seen it work for women who have been rescued from the slave trade and are now living lives they never dreamed possible. I have seen it work for people living in poverty around the world who have improved their lives and their communities. Most of all, I have seen it work for everyday men and women who simply want to be happier, healthier, and live more rewarding lives.

This path consists of six enduring principles that have been around for thousands of years. These principles were first introduced and taught by some of the most influential leaders the world has ever known: the Hindu sages discovered them more than 4,000 years ago; Buddha reinforced them 2,500 years ago; Jesus taught them 2,000 years ago; and Muhammad reintroduced them 1,500 years ago. In addition, many philosophers from different countries in different centuries have taught similar principles: Confucius, Plato, Aristotle, Cicero, Aquinas and Locke. In our own time, recent research in the field of positive psychology has shown that these principles actual do improve the quality of our lives. 

These three sources of knowledge – our great religious founders, renowned philosophers, and modern science – have given us a common path we can all follow in life. It doesn’t matter who we are, where we live, how we were raised, what we believe, or how much education we have obtained. Following these six principles can help all of us experience greater personal joy, more satisfying relationships, and healthier communities. This shared path can unite us rather than divide us, which is pretty exciting to me. 

In the chapters that follow, you will learn more about the common life principles of our greatest teachers and the fascinating research that validates their teachings. You will see how merging ancient wisdom with modern science has produced a foundation for joyful living that works for everyone. You will also hear the stories of remarkable individuals I know who have applied these principles to transform their lives from lingering sorrow to genuine joy. Perhaps most helpful, you will discover tools you can apply to nurture the attributes and assimilate them into your life. Before introducing the six principles, let me briefly tell you how I learned about these universal truths, and introduce you to the great teachers who have given them to us.  

My Path of Discovery

You can’t talk about politics and you can’t talk about religion. If you do, it is grounds for termination. How do you feel about that?

I was sitting in an office in Houston Texas, talking with a senior official from the King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM), which is located in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. He was interviewing me for a two-year visiting position in the business school at the university. KFUPM is a premier institution in the Middle East for science, engineering, and business. As a young professor, I was interested in the developing region and the natural resources industry.  

I will be a guest in your country, so I can live with that, I responded.

A few months later I was sitting in my office in Dhahran talking with one of my new Saudi colleagues. He started asking me questions about my religious background and beliefs. 

I’m sorry, but I can’t talk about religion. I replied.

No, that is not true. You cannot talk about your religion, but we can talk to you about ours. How much do you know about Islam?

 I told him I knew a little bit about his faith and that I would enjoy learning more. He arranged for me to meet with a friend of his who was a religious leader in the community. His friend, Muhammad, was a bright and delightful individual. He agreed to tutor me in Arabic and I agreed to study Islam with him. We took a trip to the university book store and I came back with an armful of literature on Islam: the Qur’an in both Arabic and English, The Life of the Prophet Muhammad, The Family Structure in Islam, and others. For the next two years I had a fascinating experience learning about the second largest religion in the world. I concluded that the original teachings of Islam and Christianity, the religion I was most familiar with, are more alike than they are different.       

From that early experience, I became a serious student of world religions and a seeker of truth, wherever I could find it. I have now studied the doctrines and history of Christianity for more than 30 years. I have studied the Holy Qur’an and the Hadith of the Prophet, which are the well-documented sayings and actions of Muhammad. I have done in-depth research on the multi-volume Vedas of Hinduism including the Mahabharata which contains the renowned Bhagavad Gita. And I have read and studied the teachings of Buddha from the Pali Cannon, the most original and complete compilation of the doctrines of Buddhism.  

More than 75 percent of the world population is affiliated with and influenced by these four major world religions: Christianity (2.4 billion), Islam (1.9 billion), Hinduism (1.2 billion), and Buddhism (500 to 600 million). Another billion people are affiliated with hundreds of smaller religions, many of which have been influenced by these four. This represents approximately 90 percent of the world’s total population. Throughout our lengthy history, we have never had a group of leaders who have had such a major impact on the world; millions of people have been influenced by their teachings in every millennium.    

Obvious differences exist among these four major faiths on things we might consider mystical or supernatural – premortal life, the nature of God, life after death, and others. However, if we study the original texts and mark all the verses about how we should live and treat each other on earth, their teachings are nearly identical. This is where we find the six principles for increasing our happiness, improving our relationships, and strengthening our communities. 

In addition to studying these four major faiths, I have examined the writings of renowned philosophers as a second source of enlightenment on human happiness. The word “philosopher” comes from a Greek word that means “lover of wisdom.” Throughout history, thousands of philosophers have written millions of pages about our human experience. I have focused on a handful that promote key virtues and morals for living a happy and fulfilling life.

Of particular interest is the field of Perennial Philosophy, developed by Italian scholars during the European Renaissance. Perennial Philosophy purports that a single source of knowledge enlightens the world with universal truths about the human condition. Perennial wisdom is therefore timeless and continues to reappear in various civilizations on earth.    

In more recent times, the philosopher Aldous Huxley popularized the concept of a single source of enlightenment in his 1945 publication The Perennial Philosophy. Huxley argues that we can discover universal realities to transform our mere human condition into a much higher state of happiness. This single source of knowledge – whether it be God, a supreme entity, or an energy field – provides consistent responses to those who seek to improve their lives. Hence, if we seriously search for ways to find lasting joy and live peacefully together on earth, we should all get the same answers. It makes sense that Muhammad, Jesus, Buddha, the Hindu sages, and many philosophers have taught similar principles for human happiness.  

Another reason for these common teachings is that we as humans all face the same questions throughout history: What is the purpose of life? What does it mean to live well? How do we become truly happy? Yet, it has only been a few decades since scholars began studying happiness as a legitimate scientific discipline. For many years, the primarily focus was on understanding mental disorders and how to cure them. In addition, researchers were not interested in studying religious concepts they believed to be spiritual and mysterious. More recently, the growing field of positive psychology is examining how we can all become happier, healthier, and live more fulfilling lives. As a result, hundreds of studies have been conducted on the same six principles introduced by our religious founders and philosophers. The outcome of this research is clear: these ancient principles really do make our lives better.

 The Great Teachers

Here is a brief introduction to the great religious founders and philosophers who have given us the six principles for joyful living. This quick review will help you better understand who they were, where they lived, how they discovered their insights, and how influential they have been in our history.

The Hindu Sages

Nearly five thousand years ago, a multitude of sages in India began exploring the purpose of life and the nature of human consciousness. Their quest was to find a set of changeless principles that would remain constant in our ever-changing world. This process of inquiry was called Brahmavidya or the “supreme science” and was intended to discover a true and infinite reality that underlies our external world.     

The fundamental question asked by these sages was, “Does anything remain the same in the vast array of human experience?” Their exploration led to an immense body of teachings that were passed down orally for many generations. Somewhere between 1,500 and 500 BCE, the teachings of these anonymous sages were written and organized into four works called the Vedas, meaning “knowledge” or “wisdom” in Sanskrit.

An additional volume of Hindu teachings, the Mahabharata, is important to mention. It is a vast epic of history and moral law that was compiled between 500 BCE and 100 CE. Within the Mahabharata is the popular Bhagavad Gita or “Song of the Lord.” It tells the story of Prince Arjuna who is going to battle against a branch of his own royal family, which meant many of his friends and relatives would be killed. The Bhagavad Gita is a dialogue between Arjuna and his enlightened Charioteer, Krishna, who is an incarnation or avatar of God.

The Bhagavad Gita has been translated into every major language around the world and contains the loftiest Hindu teachings; some compare it to the Sermon on the Mount in Christianity. It is a guide for moral conduct that has influenced many renowned world leaders such as Mahatma Gandhi, Henry David Thoreau, Carl Jung, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Aldous Huxley. 

Buddha

As the Hindu teachings were being compiled, Buddha arrived on the world scene. He was born as Siddhartha Gautama to a royal family in northern India between the 6th and 5th centuries BCE. As a prince in a noble household, Siddhartha’s father expected him to become a great king and kept him secluded in the palace where he only saw the luxuries and pleasures of life.

At the age of 29, Siddhartha became restless and left the safety of his home for the first time. Buddhist tradition teaches that he had four significant encounters known as the “Four Sights” which significantly changed his life. First, he saw an old man who showed him the challenges of aging. Second, he saw a sick man who showed him the disease and pain in the world. Third, he saw a corpse which revealed the final state for all of us. Fourth, he saw an ascetic who was looking for answers to human sorrow. 

Siddhartha spent the next six years searching for ways to eliminate human suffering. He tried meditation, fasting, and other methods for achieving enlightenment, but nothing satisfied his quest for truth. Finally, at the age of 35, he sat down under a fig tree and determined not to leave until he understood the true meaning of life. According to Buddhist texts, he sat there for 49 days until he received the enlightenment he so desperately sought. The tree became known as the “Bodhi” Tree or “Tree of Awakening,” and Siddhartha became the Buddha. 

Initially, Buddha was reluctant to share his new found knowledge, but realized it was his responsibility to do so. He spent the next 45 years until his death teaching his principles for eliminating suffering and increasing human happiness. His words were memorized and transmitted orally for nearly five centuries before they were written down by Sri Lankan monks in the Pali language. The “Pali Cannon” is believed to be the oldest set of texts that represent the actual words of Buddha.

Jesus Christ

Jesus was the next great teacher to present a plan for peace and happiness to the world. He was born nearly 500 years after the death of Buddha in the 1st century CE. He was raised as a Jew during the Roman occupation of Israel and became a carpenter like his father Joseph.

When Jesus was 30 years old, he went into the desert to fast for 40 days to gain enlightenment. Following his fast, he was tempted by the Adversary prior to beginning his ministry. He was encouraged to turn stones into bread to satisfy his hunger; he was offered the great kingdoms of the world as his own; and he was told to jump from the pinnacle of the temple and ask God to save him. These three temptations symbolize major obstacles to human happiness: the lusts of the flesh, the love of material possessions, and the pride of self- importance. Jesus resisted all three temptations and began his ministry.

The most famous sermon Jesus gave was the Sermon on the Mount, which summarizes his teachings, much like the Bhagavad Gita summarizes Hinduism. This sermon includes numerous topics on moral conduct including humility, doing good, caring for the needy, not judging others, and forgiveness. Jesus simplified his gospel with two great commandments – to love God and to love our neighbors as ourselves – which he believed encompassed all of the teachings of all the great prophets.

Jesus was tried and crucified for blasphemy and treason just three years after beginning his ministry. His teachings were communicated orally for several decades, and then written by various authors 40 to 80 years following his death. The 27 books that comprise the New Testament today were organized into one volume sometime during the 5th century when the various churches at the time finally agreed on what should be included in the Christian canon.

Muhammad

Muhammad appeared on the earth 500 years after Jesus. He was born in Mecca in 570 CE. His father died before his birth and his mother died when he was six years old. He was raised by his grandfather for two years, and then by his uncle. During these early years, Muhammad accompanied his uncle on trade caravans and eventually led caravans throughout the region.

During Muhammad’s trading days there was no central government in the region, and there was frequent fighting among the various family tribes. Many people practiced idolatry and were cruel to the weaker classes, including women and children. Muhammad was a very pensive and compassionate individual and would often retire to a cave outside of Mecca to reflect on these current conditions. In 610 CE when he was 40 years old, the angel Gabriel appeared to him and told him to “Read in the name of the Lord.”

Muhammad continued to receive revelations from Gabriel during his life and taught what he learned throughout the region. His mission was to restore the original teachings of the former prophets which had been altered, lost or tainted over the centuries. His teachings included the stories of numerous biblical prophets including Adam, Noah, Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, David, Solomon, and Jesus – who he believed was one of the greatest prophets of all.

Since Muhammad was illiterate, his followers would memorize his words and write them down. It is believed that 29 different scribes recorded his teachings. Muhammad continued to teach the revelations he was receiving for more than 20 years until his death in 632 CE. The following year, his successor, Abu Bakr, ordered that all the uncollated writings be organized into a single volume, the Qur’an, which means “the recitation” in Arabic. While the Qur’an is the supreme authority in Islam, the Hadith of the Prophet are also part of the Islamic canon of scripture. The Hadith, which means news or story, are well documented sayings of Muhammad that were retold by his followers.

The Philosophers

The teachings of philosophers throughout the ages have been vast and varied. However, when we focus on what they taught about happiness and peaceful living, we find many similarities, which supports the notion of perennial wisdom. Here are a few of the most influential thinkers who have had an impact on the world.

Confucius lived in China around the time of Buddha and is considered the epitome of Chinese sages. He emphasized compassion, humility, forgiveness, generosity, positive relations, and kindness to all. He was the first to introduce a version of the Golden Rule, “What you do not wish for yourself, do not do to others.” The teachings of Confucius have influenced billions of people and become part of the fabric of life in China, Asia, and other parts of the world.

The great Greek philosophers lived between the time of Buddha and Christ, the big three being Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. Socrates didn’t record his teachings, but we learn about them through Plato, his most prized student. Plato was the founder of the first institute of higher learning in the Western world, and he authored hundreds of manuscripts, 250 of which have survived for more than 2,400 years. Aristotle was one of Plato’s students and is considered one of the most influential philosophers of all time. His teachings were accepted by early Christian and Islamic scholars and had a major impact on European philosophers of later centuries. A major emphasis of all three of these Greek philosophers was “Eudaimonia” which is generally translated as happiness, well-being, and flourishing in life.

The Roman philosophers Cicero and Seneca lived closer to the time of Christ. Cicero wrote extensively but is best known for his book “On Duties,” which he wrote to his son just before he died. This book summarizes his preeminent principles on how to live – similar to the Bhagavad Gita and the Sermon on the Mount. Approximately 700 original handwritten copies of this work still exist today, and it was the third book ever printed on the Gutenberg press, the first being the Guttenberg Bible. Seneca followed Cicero and championed what is known as the Stoic Philosophy. He taught that happiness is the ultimate goal of life, and that we obtain it by developing our true potential as human beings. Our challenge in life is to close the gap between who we are now and what we are capable of becoming.

The writings of the Greek and Roman philosophers had a huge impact on scholars and philosophers of later centuries. For example, St. Thomas Aquinas spent his life merging Aristotle’s philosophies with Christian doctrines. Marsilio Ficino, a founder of perennial philosophy, translated the writings of Plato from Greek to Latin. And John Locke was heavily influenced by Cicero’s writings on equality and human rights. It is interesting to note that Thomas Jefferson borrowed Locke’s most lofty concepts when writing the Declaration of Independence – concepts that originated with Cicero.  

A Path to Happiness and Civility

The six universal principles introduced by our great teachers provide a strong path to happiness and civility in our lives. Following this path leads to joy, peace, and satisfying relationships. If we veer from this path, we are more likely to experience sorrow, unhappiness, and troubled relationships.   

As you learn about the six principles, you will see that happiness and civility are inseparably connected. The principles produce greater happiness, and also greater civility in our relationships. Civility cannot be legislated, mandated or enforced by governments – it comes from internalizing civil values in our lives. In other words, as we become happier we also become more civil, and becoming more civil reinforces our happiness.

Although we will discuss the six principles in more depth in the following chapters, I will briefly review them here so you will understand what they are and how they fit together.

1.   Give Up the Ego

We all possess “two selves” in this life. One is our “true self” which has tremendous potential to learn, grow, and obtain genuine happiness. The second is our “ego,” which develops based on our experiences, feedback from others, successes, and failures. In other words, it is a fabrication we carry around with us that isn’t who we really are or could become. This “egoic self” sets bounds and limitations on our lives and can highjack our happiness. Giving up this artificial ego opens our lives to greater growth and more authentic joy. 

2.   Refrain from Judging

We construct images of other people in the same way we construct images of ourselves. These perceptions are often based on rather superficial cues: color, race, nationality, physical features, education, livelihood, place of residence, etc. The problem is, our perceptions of others are often inaccurate and sometimes dead wrong. These biases we develop can lead to personal alienation, divisions between groups, and tension in communities. Overcoming our tendencies to judge leads to more satisfying relationships and greater happiness. 

3.   Do Good Deeds Daily

As we give up our egos and refrain from judging, we are more inclined to engage in good deeds in our relationships and our communities. Good deeds obviously benefit the receivers of the kindness, but they also benefit the givers. Numerous studies show that serving others can significantly improve our emotional health, physical health, and even our longevity. In addition, doing good deeds helps us realize we have value and something to contribute in the world, which increases our feelings of self-worth and overall life satisfaction.

4.   Forgive One Another

The more relationships we develop in life, the more likely we are to offend and be offended by others. Making mistakes is a normal part of our human experience. Holding grudges against people who harm us, however, can canker our souls – it’s like drinking poison and waiting for the other person to die. Forgiving one another is a critical component for healing ourselves emotionally and increasing our personal peace.

5.   Share Our Good Fortune

Craving for possessions can lead to sorrow when we don’t have them, but obtaining them creates a different set of problems: attachment, greed, hoarding, lust, and fear of losing what we have. None of our great sages taught that having material possessions, even great wealth, is wrong. What is wrong is an intense attachment and love for these things. Research confirms that attachment to material possessions can produce stress and frustration, while generosity is related to vitality, self-esteem, and overall quality of life. 

6.   Care for Our Needy

We are all connected as a human family and our actions cause ripples of reactions around us. Hence, if we take care of the needy, we are taking care of ourselves and our communities. When we mentor the poor in basic principles of self-reliance, household income goes up, nutrition improves, children are able to go to school, families are happier, and the economy of the community improves. Also remarkable, when the poor start developing modest means, they often become generous givers themselves. 

When we strive to apply these six principles in our lives, we find that they build on each other. As we give up our mortally constructed ego, we are less judgmental and more open to others. As we refrain from superficial judgments, we are more inclined to do good deeds for people. As we devote time to serving others, we are more forgiving when offenses occur. As our relationships grow stronger, we are more likely to detach from our possessions and share what we have. As our capacity to share expands, we find those among us who truly need our assistance. If we continue to cycle through this process, the principles become a more permanent part of our lives. Our challenges will not go away, but we will be happier, have greater support in life, and be more resilient when hardships arise.  

The Promise

The Hindu sages, Buddha, Jesus, Muhammad, and various philosophers taught what they believed to be true principles. However, they didn’t ask people to take their word for it alone. Rather, they asked their followers to practice the principles to see if they work. In other words, just do it and see what happens.

All of these leaders promised that our lives will start shifting from darker to brighter days as we implement their teachings. In Hinduism and Buddhism, this movement to greater light occurs through the law of karma. The underlying assumption is that everything in our world is connected and in constant motion. Hence, all of our actions eventually produce equal reactions in kind. Harmful deeds yield negative consequences (dark karma), and good deeds yield positive consequences (bright karma). Jesus and Muhammad taught a similar concept of “reaping what we sow.” Good deeds bring forth good fruit, while harmful deeds bring forth corrupt fruit.

In addition to karma, Hinduism teaches that greater light comes as we move through three mental states called Gunas: (1) Tamas is the lowest level of ignorance, insensitivity, unhappiness, and darkness. (2) Rajas is a state of striving that can be positive or negative depending on our actions. (3) Sattva is the highest level of goodness, harmony, and light. The Hindu promise is: “When sattva predominates, the light of wisdom shines through every gate of the body.”

All of us can obtain this greater light in our lives if we follow the path to get us there. I like to compare this higher level of happiness to the brilliance of the sun. The sun is always shining, but we don’t always see its light – clouds develop, storms arise, and night falls regularly. But if we board an airplane and fly above the earth’s surface, we see that the sun is always shining. All we have to do is raise ourselves to a higher level to experience its power. Likewise, applying the six universal truths will lead us to a higher level of joy and a much brighter countenance.   

In conclusion, we live in a world that emphasizes differences between people, groups, races, religions, and nations. This fixation on differences has a purpose. It helps us understand our world, where we fit in, and how to behave around certain groups. However, a constant diet of differences can lead to distrust, separation, conflict, and marginalizing whole groups of people.  

We share far more similarities as humans than we do differences. We have common physical attributes, we share 99 percent of the same DNA, and we have similar emotions and aspirations for ourselves and our loved ones. Focusing on similarities does not mean we are na?ve about differences among us, but it produces far more positive outcomes in our lives: it helps us eliminate our biases, develop deeper friendships, collaborate on challenges, and create stronger unity in our communities.

We are one people on one planet – we are all in this life together. My hope is that we can think more about similarities and how to make our experience on earth better for everyone. As you read the chapters that follow, you will begin creating your own plan for increased joy and harmony. As the process begins to yield fruit, you will become a brighter light to others. As they follow your example, the principles will continue to spread. Eventually, this can impact families, communities, and nations – which is a goal worth pursuing.