The Way to Happiness provides a point of agreement for people of any faith, or those who profess no faith at all, because it is based on common sense and the desire of every individual to survive well.
With this book, children can learn the difference between right and wrong at an early age, and thereby enjoy worthwhile lives filled with happiness, dignity and accomplishment. And let us not forget that their well-being and success is the key to any nation's future health and prosperity.
In an even broader context, and despite the many differences of national, political, racial or religious hue, each of us must make our own way through life. Such a way can be made better if the precepts presented in
The Way to Happiness are known and followed -- and if one helps others to know and follow them as well.
Imagine a world without crime or war, without lies or corruption, where unemployment is practically zero and conflict and disrespect are things of the past. Civilisation must continue to make strides toward the accomplishment of such aims if it is to truly stabilise itself for centuries to come, and not sink back into the barbarism of the past.
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Respecting all religions, without enforcing any of them on students, The Way to Happiness fills the void left by the lack of moral guidance in schools. Whether youth learn these common-sense precepts through classroom posters, as a result of the book's distribution in markets and city squares, or by reading it at home or in libraries, the benefits are greater trust, honesty and self-respect in the lives of those it touches.
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With the first publication of The Way to Happiness more than two decades ago came a considerable popular response. Individuals passed the book along to their neighbours. Community-minded business people printed tens of thousands of copies and had them inserted in local newspapers as a gesture of goodwill. Merchants kept a supply of books on hand to give away to customers.
Among those to broadly distribute the book were individual Scientologists concerned about the decline of society at large. Yet these Scientologists were, by no means, the only ones to see the value of The Way to Happiness. From the outset, this has been a broad grassroots movement spanning religious, political and socio-economic lines. Regardless of how it arrives in the hands of another, this common-sense guide to better living consistently establishes trust, honesty and self-respect in the lives of those it touches. Its applications have proven limitless, whether handed from one to another or mailed to every household in a country, which recently took place in Guyana. Hamilton Green, the mayor of Georgetown, Guyana, described the distribution of The Way to Happiness in his country as "a breath of fresh air blowing through our land.
"This is one medicine that the doctors and the chemists can't put on a label, 'be careful with an overdose.' Your 'Way to Happiness' is an appropriate prescription -- let us have it dispensed in generous doses throughout the world," he said.
Whether given to a troubled youth, a victim of war or a worried parent, The Way to Happiness has restored a regard for values and thus established a foundation for both personal betterment and social reform. To date, more than 62 million copies of The Way to Happiness have been distributed in 96 countries and 66 languages.
