In a recent interview with The Gazette, the spiritual leader of Tibet shared his opinion on the impact brought on by today’s economic crisis calling its effects ‘tragic’, on individuals and spirituality:

“Hopefully, this [crisis] will provide us with food for thought when assessing our priorities and set of values. If nothing else, it has revealed that materialism is just too fragile a foundation on which to build one’s vision of life.”

He explains that a simpler form of lifestyle, void of materialism, is based on “contentment and [is] much more in tune with a responsible attitude toward nature.”

Whether you are religious or not, I highly encourage you to attend this speech. Unfortunately, it may be too late to get your hands on a ticket to this sold-out event. For his public talk at the Bell Center, entitled ”Educating the Heart: The Power of Compassion.”, the president of the Tibetan government-in-exile since 1959 will primarily discuss promoting the teaching of ethics through the education system.

“The problem is that our society is so dominated by consumerism, and people judge their level of happiness purely in terms of materialism.”

“They forget that the genuine source of happiness comes from within.”