Peace and public order were also the goals in South Africa in 1993, where, at the request of the police, volunteers distributed 800,000 copies of The Way to Happiness in townships just before the first post-apartheid elections to help calm tensions.
Chechnya's battlefields have also seen the book's effects. A Russian army major stationed there decided to bring the hope of peace to his region by handing out copies of The Way to Happiness to Chechnyan soldiers. Afterwards, he wrote in a letter: "When I read this book I understood that it really is the way that leads to a happy life, to love and respect between people... therefore I decided that soldiers need to know this book. When I gave it to people and explained why... they became good-willed towards me and some even became friends."
Then there were the inner-city battlegrounds of Los Angeles, where in 1992, rioters set city blocks aflame for miles. Looting and sporadic gunfire gripped hundreds of thousands in fear, yet volunteers ventured into the streets, distributing more than one million copies. Immediate, observable and very positive change resulted. Hard core gang members even joined forces to voluntarily remove graffiti from 130 buildings in their neighbourhoods in the wake of the unrest — while themselves passing out hundreds of copies of the book to neighbours.
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"Over the past year, I have developed a working partnership with a local nonprofit group that is doing something to improve our community.
"During this time, I have seen what they have done to change the community and have been impressed with their diligence and hard work. The project, based on the book The Way to Happiness, A Common Sense Guide to Better Living, has positively impacted several areas of my division. In these key areas, I have seen the project contribute to a decrease in crime, as well as result in positive improvement among members of the community. In one particular area, there was a decrease in crime by over 30% in a six-month period. This group is an outstanding example of an organisation contributing to their community and working to make a difference.
"Anything we can do to raise the ethical stature of the community and build community confidence and spirit will pay dividends in terms of quality of life...."
— Captain Michael Downing, Los Angeles Police Department
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Ten years later in Hollywood,
The Way to Happiness supporters again took the initiative of addressing the condition of gang-ridden neighbourhoods, this time in coordination with the Los Angeles Police Department. Launching a clean-up campaign, children and adults removed bottles, cans, car parts, mattresses and other debris from the area —- and handed out no less than 16,000 copies of
The Way to Happiness to neighbourhood residents and businesses. And with a hundred banners displaying the book's precepts from the lampposts of Hollywood streets,
The Way to Happiness' message spread through the community. The result far exceeded police expectations: Not only did the environment improve, violent crime dropped 30 percent over a period of six months.
