Marian Gerlich

Peace of mind and physical well-being are closely related. Some years ago, a scientist at Emory University told me that continuous anger, fear and suspicion tend to eat into our immune system. Besides, peace of mind and warm-heartedness bring us confidence.

Everybody knows that love and compassion are important. Now the time has come when we’re experiencing the limitations of material values. We’re facing many unnecessary problems. So gradually we’re returning to our basic human values with a new appreciation.

For most of us, our mother is our first teacher. In my own case, it was my mother who first revealed to me the power of compassion. Since they are especially skilled in nurturing compassion and human values, we need women to take the lead in creating a more compassionate society.

Compassion is the basis of our survival, not just a religious matter. Our very life depends on the affection of others, so it's in our interest to take their concerns into account. We must think more about inner values and cultivate compassion in our own lives.

I regard a compassionate, warm, kindhearted person as healthy. If you maintain a feeling of compassion, loving kindness, something automatically opens your inner door, through which you can communicate much more easily with other people — you'll find that they are just like you.

We can learn how to cultivate peace of mind. Then, we can apply our intelligence to extend a compassionate attitude on an individual, family, community and global level. It’s our nature to be compassionate, so education can teach us to appreciate that we’re brothers and sisters.

My dedication is to serve the 7 billion human beings on this planet and the other creatures with whom we share it. If you can, help and serve others, but if you can’t at least don’t harm them; then in the end you will feel no regret.

To achieve peace of mind it’s important to have patience and it’s people who are hostile and antagonistic rather than our friends who teach us patience. It’s not difficult to make your friends smile, but bringing a smile to your enemy’s face is a real achievement.

Wherever you live, try to create a happy community. I pray that every human being, indeed every sentient being, should be happy. So, if you come across individuals facing problems, help them. Share their problems and try to bring them peace of mind.

Violence is not so much about the use of weapons as about the motive we have in our hearts. External disarmament will only be achieved if we first achieve inner disarmament. World peace will only be won on the basis of inner peace — achieving that is our #PeaceDayChallenge

Honest concern for others is the key factor in improving our day to day lives. When you’re warm-hearted, there is no room for anger, jealousy or insecurity. A calm mind and self-confidence are the basis for happy and peaceful relations with each other.

If we have a positive mental attitude, then even when surrounded by hostility, we’ll not lack inner peace. But if our attitude is negative, influenced by fear, suspicion, or helplessness, even when surrounded by our best friends, in comfortable surroundings, we won’t be happy.

To me, all these features that differentiate us, like wealth, position, status, and so on, are secondary. I truly believe we can learn to relate to one another on the basis of our shared humanity. And if individuals can learn to do that, there’ll immediately be a basis for trust.

Education today tends to focus on material goals. We seek sensory gratification in music or good things to look at, taste and touch. We may enjoy watching a game of sport, but once it ends the joy is over. What we really need is happiness that is rooted in the power of the mind.

The real destroyer of our peace of mind isn’t an external weapon or enemy, but our own destructive emotions. Neither our friends nor even the Buddha provide an opportunity to practice patience in the way that a hostile person does. And in so doing, an enemy can become our teacher