God’s 19 Great
Little Tranquilizers

They are little because they are easy to swallow;
they are great because they work every time

Here is a puzzle: There are 19 tranquilizers that can make everyone feel better, they have no side effects and they are free, except for the prescription. What do you think they are? Before reading any further, please stop and think if you really want to solve this puzzle. But if you are too busy and have little or no desire for self-improvement, you may wish to stop here. If you are curious and wish to learn within a few pages what I have learned in a lifetime, please read on.

When I was in Canada on my vacation, I was asked to give a talk on happiness. On average, I spend a day or two in preparation for a talk. But this time I decided to challenge myself by giving a talk that would excel any other I had given in 35 years. It took me 14 days to prepare it, but, as I found later, it was well worth it. For it helped me put together the many pieces of a gigantic jigsaw puzzle I had uncovered little by little over the span of many years.

I told the Canadian audience that I wished to present 19 points to them. If they used them, two things would happen to them: first, they would be happier—much happier—and second, their moral values would improve. They would become more caring and compassionate.

If we had to choose one word that expressed all our hopes, dreams and desires, what would it be? Happiness! But to have true or lasting happiness, we need something else first: high moral values, best expressed through fairness and compassion. For if we want happiness only for ourselves, we will not try to make others happy; and if others want happiness only for themselves, they will not try to make us happy. We are then all losers. Does this make sense?

Before listing the 19 points, let me digress briefly. I teach psychology at a major university in the United States, and one of my main concerns in the last 19 years has been to help my students learn to reduce stress. I have also tried to help them raise their self-esteem to feel good about themselves. Some of the points that I wish to present to you, I discovered later in my life. I regret not having recognized their value earlier, so that I could have shared them with the thousands of students I may never see again. Knowledge is the light of our life. This knowledge could have prevented dozens of suicides, many more mental breakdowns, and millions of hours of suffering. This light could have made the world a little better and brighter.

If you are patient enough, let me share with you one more idea before getting to the main point. After teaching psychology for 19 years, I have become convinced, more than ever before, that psychology alone is ineffective in solving human problems. It can become effective only if it takes into account what it has tried to ignore—our spiritual nature—namely questions of identity, meaning, purpose, and destiny.

Spiritual questions are traditionally left to religion. But the problem with religion in our age is that it has not kept pace with the changing times. The world has been progressively moving forward, while religion has stood still. Further, it has become entangled with man-made ideas, losing its purity and vitality.

We need to begin with a new perspective and look deep into those universal principles that stand at the very core of religion, and then blend them with the fruits of science. Together and in balance, they can work together like the two wings of a bird. Let me now share with you my Nineteen Little Great Tranquilizers. As you read, please keep these two points in mind:

Be open-minded


Be patient, for the pieces of the puzzle come together at the end.

1. The first question every human being would wish to resolve is this: why am I here? Why did God make me? Now ask yourself: “Why would I paint or write poetry?” “Why would I think or dream or love someone?” “Why would I like to see myself in a mirror?” God teaches us that He has made us for the same reasons. If we are made in His image, then we must be like Him.

   We are here specifically for two reasons: first, God is a creative power, and we are His thoughts and His dreams; and second, He is loving, most generous, and full of grace, and He has given us a share of His own Self. Thus we are both His Dream and Desire, a sign of His creative Mind and a symbol of His infinite Love.

   Understanding and accepting this point gives us the first reason for living. For we recognize that we are wanted, we are not a “chemical soup”—an accident resulting from a chain reaction within a colony of wandering bacteria. This is the first essential basis of our self-esteem. It must be present before anything stable or lasting can be built.

2. We are the noblest that God has ever made, the best that the great Designer could dream. We are His profoundest thought, His fairest love and hope. This realization gives us yet another reason for living. This is another essential basis of our self-esteem.

3. Our perfection or greatness exists only as a potential. Even as a flower is hidden in the seed, so are we wrapped in the seed of our own self. Only through guidance and effort can we bloom into beauty and perfection. This realization provides us with the incentive for striving, seeking, knocking, and searching.

4. We have two natures: physical and spiritual. One nature is made of cells and tissues, the other of ideas, hopes, and dreams. We manifest our physical form in the womb in a physical atmosphere; we must manifest our spiritual form in this world in a spiritual atmosphere. The root grows in the soil; the stem in the air. If we put the stem in the soil, it rots. Can we develop our spirits through physical means? No more than we can develop our bodies through words or wishes. How many millions, at this very instant, are trying to accomplish this very feat: to satisfy their spiritual hunger with food, drugs, alcohol, jewelry or designer clothes? Realization of our twin nature is an essential step in knowing ourselves.

5. We all need a goal that endures—that lasts not for a few years or decades, but forever. We know we need short-range goals. We know what it would be like, if we got into the car, turned the ignition on, but didn't know where to go. We know what it would be like if we were dressed up but didn't know where to go. But when it comes to long-range goals, we often lose our sense of perspective. We think we can somehow muddle through life. To satisfy our spirit, we need to have a strong grip on a cord that connects our days to a noble and never-ending hope; a supreme goal that attracts us, stirs us and inspires us; a purpose that transcends every other purpose. Without such a cord, our happiness, like a boat in turbulent waters, constantly wavers and wanders; it may even sink in despair. This is how we are made. We can deny it, but at a great cost to our well-being.

   Some people think that they see an enduring goal before them, but what they really see is a mirage, a mere illusion. Once I was invited to speak to two high school classes. At the time of the invitation, I wrote the day and the hour, but failed to record the name of the town. I thought I would remember that. The expected day arrived and I drove about 35 miles to the supposed destination. When I asked the principal about the class, he looked puzzled. After a few seconds, I discovered that I was in the wrong place. I should have gone to another school in another town. You can imagine my feelings of frustration. But I tried to keep my calm. I was early—about 10 minutes—and the principal said that I needed to drive only seven miles. He gave me directions and I proceeded with speed. The starting of my car coincided with the start of an ominous storm, with huge rain drops pouring down. I could hardly see the road. After driving about seven miles, I saw no signs of the school. I stopped, rushed to a store, and asked a man where the school was. He said it was 14 miles the other way. I had come the wrong way. You can imagine the intensity of my anger and frustration! Two failures in close succession!

   I eventually made it to the class, but was late about 30 minutes. I had wasted half an hour—a precious time that could have made a difference in the lives of a group of extremely inquisitive youth.

   This I think exemplifies the way many travel through life. The only difference is that I had time to return to my destination, but life does not always give us this chance. What a loss, what a failure to live for seventy or eighty years, and then, at the end, find that it was all in vain, for the wrong reasons. Can there be a loss greater than this? Can one experience more remorse?

6. Our goal at each stage of development is to attain “spiritual perfection,” to manifest our potential to the highest degree. What is the best thing that can happen to an orange seed? To become the best orange tree it can be.

7. The development of our potential brings us the profoundest and most lasting pleasures. We have a one-year-old son with a spirit full of life—determined, curious, fearless. His best pleasure is to learn something new and try it again and again until he masters it. At the first instant that he could crawl or walk, he crawled and walked. The first minute he could smile, he smiled and even tried to laugh. If he can climb a chair, he does not waste a moment. It seems as if a little clock is ticking in him. When the time comes, he makes the move. He acts according to the nature that God has granted him. When I see him, I often think: what an ideal model his physical nature provides for our spiritual nature.

   A baby is as perfect as anything can ever be. No wonder Jesus said, if we wish to enter the kingdom of heaven, we must become like little children. Of course, this holds true only before we have spoiled them!

8. If growth is the goal, then what force can activate it, what can set this cycle in motion? A seed must draw energy from the sun to grow. Similarly our spirits must draw energy from a source. In the spiritual domain, God stands as the ultimate Source and Goal of all our endeavors. He is the powerhouse. If this Source of Energy does indeed exist, as most people believe He does, then why not try to attune our spirits to His radiance.

   We must initiate or activate our spiritual development by turning to our Creator, even as plants turn to light. Praying is one way of doing this. We must also learn to harmonize our ways with His Wisdom. This we cannot do unless we get to know Him. Almost all the questions covered in this paper are designed to achieve this very purpose. Questions such as: how do we know God exists, and if He does, why did He make us? And what does He want us to accomplish? Is there a life beyond this life? Why is there so much suffering and injustice? All these questions and concerns are about getting to know God as He is, and not as we expect Him to be.

   Many people have unrealistic expectations of God, and when their expectations are not met, they grow impatient with Him. Others become agnostic or atheist. But if we truly learn to know our Creator, we can never lose our trust in Him, in His absolute and infinite perfection. In the state of full knowledge, we adapt our ways to His, instead of trying to change His ways to ours.

   What happens after we get to know God? We begin to love Him. What else can we do? How can we not love a Being who is Love? And when in His wisdom He does not give in to our demands, we don’t complain because we understand and trust His judgment.

   What happens after we learn to love God? We begin to emulate Him. Why do children emulate their parents? For the same reason.

   The cycle of spiritual development always begins with knowledge. It is impossible to truly love God without knowing Him. Without knowledge, our love grows blind. It can slip and stumble by the force of a tiny grain of sand. With knowledge, it can move a mountain.

   To repeat: the more we know God, the more we can love Him, and the more we love Him, the more we emulate Him. God is light, and we are like a mirror. As we mature spiritually, we learn to reflect Him more and more: we become light-like, bright and beautiful. We are also as seeds planted by His mighty hands. From Him we gain the power to turn the lowly soil into blooming flowers, to change our sadness into joy, our apathy into hopes and dreams. Through His bounty, we can become as perfect as “floating fragrance”—unburdened, detached, pure, and heavenly.

9. Each stage of our development is intended to prepare us for the next. While here, we need to acquire the virtues that we will need in the hereafter. We should constantly remind ourselves that we are not permanent residents of this planet. We are only here as guests of honor. Sooner or later we must leave. But while here we have a goal: we must prepare our souls for our permanent home.

   This world is primarily the place of planting, and not of harvesting. We reap some of the harvest here, but we do not reach the peak season during our earthly life. What can help us reach that season is patience and trust in the great Gardener, a sense of certainty that whatever has not been reaped here, He will repay in full measure in the hereafter.

   In our mother’s womb we prepare our bodies for this world. Here in the womb of the earth we must likewise prepare our souls for the next world before “the veil is lifted.” If you were a teacher, and you told your students to study and they didn't, would you base their grade on what they knew before the test, or after the test, that is, after seeing all the answers? Wouldn’t you say, “Sorry it is too late, the exam is over”? Yes, this life is a test. The earth is God’s crucible; it is His great touchstone with which we are put to the test. Death will finally lift the veil and reveal all the answers.

   At the point of death we will find ourselves surrounded by people like us, by souls spiritually as pure and prepared—or impure and unprepared—as we are. Some of us will find ourselves in exquisite and exciting Palaces and Banquets; others in the most boring of places. God does not invite or accept unprepared guests into His Banquets. Even if He did, they would feel ashamed, embarrassed, and out of place. How would you feel at a splendid wedding wearing dirty street clothes? Would you not feel embarrassed? Would you rather not leave?

   Heaven is finding oneself with spiritually advanced and noble souls in the most beautiful meadows and gardens; hell is finding oneself with the spiritually impoverished and impure in a desolate and lonely land. Many who live in mansions here will find themselves in shacks in the hereafter. And many who live in shacks here will find themselves in mansions in the hereafter. As Jesus said, “Many who are first shall be last, and many who are last shall be first.”

   Before we make our journey into the beyond, before we lose the chance to shape our destiny, we should remind ourselves every day, even every moment of our lives, that we live here for just a little while, that our days are numbered. But what we make of ourselves and what we do during those few days in this world will determine the degree of our joy and happiness in all the worlds of God, not for a billion or even a hundred billion years, but for all eternity. Once we become fully aware of this fact, once the light of this knowledge embraces us, our soul suddenly awakens. It can never sleep again.

   The Voice of Wisdom constantly sends this urgent message:

   Your days are gifts from God. Cherish them; they are so precious! Would you exchange them for all the wealth of the world? Why then do you waste them in pursuit of the worldly, in search of what you must leave behind? Turn your life into a most glorious Gem; make it a gift worthy of God. That Gem is your soul. Let it become radiant, pure, precious, and heavenly. At the point of transferring from this world, that gift—the Gem within you—will be suddenly unwrapped. You will then see yourself as you really are. Prepare yourself for that moment, so that you will be proud of yourself—rather than ashamed—when you see your soul unwrapped and exposed. Devote all the days of your life to make your soul—the real you—worthier and still worthier of the Gift Giver, of His blessings and His glory.

10. The qualities we acquire in each stage of our development manifest their usefulness mostly in the next stage. While in the womb, we develop eyes and ears, yet we can’t use them there. The womb has limited capacity. So it is with this world. The spiritual virtues that we gain here are mostly invisible in the earthly realm. This world does not have the capacity to reveal their full glory. We do not and cannot appreciate their true worth until we arrive at a spiritual realm, where our true essence becomes evident. A diamond is invisible in darkness; only light can reveal its beauty.

11. What are the virtues we will need in the next realm? First, in relation to our Creator we need:
    • To know Him as much as possible.
      
    • To love Him more than anyone or anything else.
      
    • And to have faith in Him, in His Wisdom and His Justice.
    
    Second, in relation to ourselves, others, and the world, we need to:
    • Purify our heart from every evil (ourselves).
      
    • Engage in charitable works (others).
      
    • Become unselfish, loving, even self-sacrificing; like a breeze that passes through a rose garden, we must spread joy, peace, and happiness everywhere (others).
      
    • Remain detached from this world and all its glamour; recognize that we are on a journey to a life far richer and nobler than this one (the world). Just like a guest, we must always be ready to say farewell and leave.
Nothing in our lives counts ultimately as much as acquiring these Seven Virtues. They will eventually determine whether, during our earthly life, we were winners or losers. They should be portrayed in gold and placed on every wall to remind us every day of our purpose for living:
12. What is the most glorious reward for acquiring spiritual virtues? It is nearness to God. The purpose of everything we do is to grow, to evolve, to become better and better. And the ultimate purpose of growing is to elevate our spirit, to gain the strength to draw nearer and nearer to our Creator.

13. God is the Source of the noblest and most abundant joys, pleasures, and perfections. The nearer we grow toward Him, the greater our peace, the deeper our joy. Moving toward God is like moving from darkness toward light, from the state of a dull stone to that of a radiant gem.

14. When we pass on to the next realm, our goals and objectives do not change. The virtues we gain here will contribute to our greatness in the hereafter. They will help us mature spiritually, and to rise to higher horizons. No gain, no act, no effort, however small, will ever be lost, even if it is showing kindness to an ant.

15. Spiritual goals are within the reach of every human being. In the world of virtues, no one is disabled, unless he decides to be. The material realm, unlike the spiritual, always sets limits to our potential. How few are those who can win in a lottery. But in the world of virtues, everyone can be a winner, everyone can attain riches beyond measure.

16. God wishes us to be happy, to be full of joy and zest for life. Yet He has made suffering a real possibility for us. This is the kind of suffering that comes to us despite our best efforts.

    The ultimate remedy for suffering and adversity is spirituality. First, by being spiritual, instead of hurting each other, we share our joys; and second, as we grow stronger, we learn to endure more without breaking down.

    The prime purpose of this paper is to harmonize or attune our souls to spiritual spheres, to raise us to higher dimensions of joy, where adversity cannot reach. (Please review The Seven Virtues of Spiritual Perfection advocated earlier, and see how they transform our souls and help us overcome suffering.)

    To summarize: adversity has the potential of becoming evil, but in itself it is not evil. Some people drown in water. Should water be blamed for this? Even as skilled swimmers, we should learn to swim across the turbulent waters of life, and if we fail to complete the cycle, then we should blame ourselves, not the stars.

With a spirit enlightened by the knowledge of God, strengthened by His love, and guided by His wisdom, we begin to see everything in a new light: from God’s positive. We recognize that suffering:
• Teaches us sympathy and empathy.
  
• Helps us appreciate the joys of life.
  
• Tests our strength and sincerity.
  
• Makes us more resilient.
  
• Brings us closer together. (At times of disaster, neighbors begin to talk.)
  
• Makes us more spiritual. (When adversity strikes, we pray harder.)
17. God is love and joy and perfection. We should be inspired and motivated by our desire to be like Him, and not by our fear of being punished by Him. We should be attracted by love, not be driven or dragged by fear.

18. Death is noble if it comes naturally. It is the fulfillment of a potential; it is the birth into a higher and brighter realm. A baby feels secure in the womb, but when the time is ripe, his parents want him to leave his secure surroundings. They know that once he experiences the light and warmth of their love, he will never wish to return to the dark and lonely world of the womb. The same holds true with birth into the next life.

19. We understand and embrace truth in two ways: first by evidence, and then by faith. Before the advent of electronics, no one had seen a picture of electrons and protons. Yet scientists believed they existed. Their belief was sustained by both evidence and faith.
What evidence is there for God and the afterlife? The world of dreams gives us the most visible clue concerning the afterlife. While we dream, we see without sight and hear without sound. Is this not an evidence of another sphere and another “essence,” something that experiences “reality” without physical means?

Five years before my mother passed away, I had a dream in which I received a letter that read, “Your mother will live to be 86.” Five years later she died at the predicted age of 86. Do not events of this kind point to another dimension, where past, present, and future lose their separation and identity as we know them?

Dr. Kübler-Ross, a noted authority on death and dying, has studied six thousand cases of near-death visions reported by children who got as close to death as anyone can ever get, without actually dying. After revival, they all reported to have seen dead—but not living—relatives or friends. Why? If they were hallucinating, it would be far more reasonable to expect them to see a living person with whom they closely associated and identified—most likely their parents. This is what happened to a relative of mine who almost died on the operating table. The only person who came to comfort him was his dead uncle, and not his anxious parents.

I could cite countless cases pointing to the survival of the soul. The evidence discovered by scientists within the last few decades pointing to a life beyond this life is overwhelming. All we need to learn the truth is a little curiosity, an open mind, and a sense of wonder.

The study of this subject is immensely rewarding. For nothing can change our life as drastically as an absolute certainty in our own survival. Would a thoughtful person spoil a long and peaceful vacation by not tending to the brief tasks at hand?

What about God? Is He a reality or a fantasy? We need not look far for an answer, because everything in the universe points to a Designer. We may ask: can the elements come together by chance to make a perfect watch, one that would tick for billions of years without ever failing or faltering? If that is possible, then the motion of the planets with flawless perfection can also be possible by chance. One might say: but the motion of the planets is by the force of gravity. Then we will say: who made the gravity with such purposeful consequences? Nature itself does not have intelligence to create such a force. The earth with its incredible weight and size moves with such precision that we can predict its exact location at any given second.

Not only the laws of gravity, but all the laws of nature function with perfection. They never deceive us. Who made this possible?

Another piece of evidence: Could the greatness that we find in humans come from electrons and protons, the building blocks of nature? If we fill a cup from a pitcher, can there be elements in the cup that do not exist in the pitcher? Can there be intelligence and creativity in us, while nature itself is deprived of them?

As it has been said “God is the most hidden of the hidden, and the most visible of the visible.” To see Him in His full glory, we need to raise our vision. Why look down, and not up? The consequences are enormous.

In spite of all the evidence, both our Origin and our final Destiny are wrapped in mystery. And that is the way it should be. For mystery excites our imagination, keeps it healthy and alive. If we knew everything, we would soon lose our sense of curiosity and wonder. What would it be like if we knew everything about our relatives or friends? Everything that passed through their minds?

Knowledge is a lamp, and faith the courage to walk up to, but not beyond, total darkness. If we walk in total darkness, then we have allowed blind faith to conquer us. That is what has always caused religion to decline, to become contaminated with superstition, fanaticism, falsehood, prejudice, division, and even war.

Religion, like everything else, should be judged by its fruits, by what it produces. If it does not raise our moral values, if it does not enhance our well-being, and if it divides us, instead of uniting us, then it would be better to live without it.

A story is told about three religious leaders, a rabbi, a priest, and a mulla (a Muslim clergyman). As they were sailing in a boat, the rabbi stood up for a few seconds, prayed to Moses, and asked Him for the power to walk over the water. Then he stepped out of the boat, walked safely to the shore and turned back. The priest did exactly the same. The mulla was left with no choice. He too had to prove the powers of his own prophet to his skeptical but smiling friends. So he turned to Mecca, prayed, and stepped out of the boat. But he soon sank. His friends came to his aid and helped him climb back into the boat. The mulla was immensely embarrassed, wondering why his Savior had not saved him. His two friends could not stop laughing. At last they decided to break the news, to save the mulla from his misery. So the rabbi told the priest: “Please show the mulla where the rocks are!”

Yes, sometimes the stepping-stones are invisible, but with courage and persistence we should be able to find them. Without searching, without walking in the twilight of mysteries, we can never hope to discover the truth, whether it relates to matter or to mind and spirit.

A Brief Review

We have studied some of the most vital and urgent questions every seeker of truth would wish to ask; questions whose resolution, more than anything we can ever imagine, can enhance our lives, can contribute to our contentment; concepts that form the building blocks of human life and are the backbone of religion. Can anyone who lives by such principles feel hopeless? Can his life lack purpose and meaning? Can he fear death? Can loneliness or depression uproot him? Can he consider suicide an alternative? Can he avoid good deeds? Can you think of a set of principles that would give us a more positive perspective on life? Do not these “great little tranquilizers” provide more healing power than massive amount of drugs marketed and sold to desperate people who try to calm their spirit by altering their body chemistry? Can you find a healthier prescription for living?

Is it not easy to see the sense of deep and enduring happiness that comes to us by knowing that we have a Creator who loves us, who has shared with us His own Self, who will not destroy us and our loved ones, but rather elevates us to a world of infinite light and glory? And are we not inspired by both our love for Him and by the hope of being near Him to reflect in our lives His glory and grandeur? What else can compare with God in inspiring hope, joy, and peace? What nobler gift is there to give to our youth in search of identity, purpose, and meaning? The prescription for living presented here is not a mere philosophy or an unreachable dream. I have seen thousands who have made it the backbone of their lives. I have seen many who should have cried but laughed, who should have been depressed but were full of joy, who should have felt low, but found themselves high in the heavens—embraced by peace and happiness.

The Alternatives

Let us see what alternatives there are. Let us see what many people do to gain happiness.
• Money. For many people, money is the object of their lives. A man who wins a million dollars in a lottery is the envy of almost everyone. For most people money comes first, before God. Sometimes it replaces Him. They believe that the dollar is almighty; it can get them everything they want. Instead of worshiping God, they worship gold. They work far beyond what is necessary to accumulate wealth.
  
• Food. Many people try to gain happiness from eating, especially if they could make the calories go away! I was surprised to hear from my students that some of them eat their favorite pastries and then make themselves vomit. A national conference is held every year for chocolate lovers who come in the thousands to try new concoctions of chocolate.
  
• What else do many people do in search of happiness? They resort to alcohol, drugs, sex, or gambling; they join cults, escape from society, worship sports, lose their identity in television, keep moving all the time, or become workaholics.

All of these actions are used to numb or inactivate the instinctive urge in the human soul that keeps murmuring:

I am unhappy. I am tired of monotony, of eating and sleeping, of spinning with no vision of the future. Search for something better; look beyond into higher horizons where love, hope, faith, and knowledge of a higher destiny merge like the embrace of a glowing rainbow in blazing glory and splendor.

We instinctively know that no worldly pleasure can bring us deep and lasting joys. Consider this analogy. Compare our body to a house and our spirit to the occupant of the house. Let us assume that the occupant is sick, sad, lonely, tired, and thirsty. We enter the house and ignore him. We devote all our energies to the house. We redecorate it, repaint it, rearrange its furniture, while the patient is suffering.

The Spiritual Prescription offered in this paper is intended to help us see what other choices we have, so that we may rearrange our priorities, so that we may place the owner before the house.

As a rule, we encounter two alternatives. One teaches that God is fiction, the spirit is fantasy, and religion is the opiate of the weak. What matters is here and now. The other glorifies God, religion, and eternal life, but wraps them in clouds of superstition, contradiction, narrow thinking, and blind faith.

I have shown that there is a third alternative. One that leaves out divisive dogmas, rituals, and superstitions, and looks beyond the surface into those eternal spiritual truths that stand faithful to reason.

There are millions who enjoy religion, but avoid religiosity, who love God, but resent the bickering of believers over dogmas and doctrines. This paper should be especially helpful to them. But I hope it will be of value to anyone endowed with a seeking mind and a sense of wonder.

Now please return to the 19 principles and see if they all make sense. If they do, try to integrate them into everything you do, make them part of yourself, and see how they brighten your life. See if your self-esteem rises, if your sense of wellness sharpens, if you find yourself becoming less and less selfish, if your relationship with people changes for the better.

If you can find or think of any other alternative that can enrich and enhance your life as the one advocated here, you deserve a great prize, even bigger than what you may win in a big lottery. In 35 years of searching, I have not known or heard of anyone who could win this prize.

Would you like to give yourself a challenge? List as many of the 19 principles as you can remember on a piece of paper. Read this paper a second, a third, and even a fourth time until you can recall all Nineteen Principles.

References

References to the 19 principles presented in this paper can be traced to the teachings of the world’s great religions:


Bahá'í Faith	Islam
Buddhism	Judaism
Christianity	Zoroastrianism
Hinduism


Thank you for reading this paper. Please send your comments to the author:
hugh@globalperspective.org

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