| Everyone puts him- or herself first. Therefore, people do not associate with others if they do not find the association to be advantageous to themselves. Whether people judge an association to be advantageous or not depends on whether it satisfies their own desires and a sense of superiority. Modern societies in which free competition is practiced have opened the way for the advancement of civilization, but have also bought about deeper confrontations by making the difference between oneself and others greater. There is also a growing tendency of people taking it for granted to ignore the weak. Civilization has made our lives rich materially, but mentally it has rendered human relationships weaker and increased human stress. Developed countries, unlike developing ones, have witnessed a sharp increase in the number of people who suffer from mental illnesses. This is because even within their own families people are apt to seek selfish advantages. The reality is that mankind has not yet discovered a solution to these problems. To solve these problems is to discover something more valuable than such selfish "advantages." Love is what people consider to be most valuable. People are willing to sacrifice themselves for love. Because of love, people can feel happiness through self-sacrifice. If human beings had not given the ability to love to, they would have been no better than monsters that pursue only self-centered advantages. Nothing is so dreadful as to be self-centered. In recent times, many people believe that happiness means having superiority over others, or the fulfillment of selfish desires. This idea is nurtured in the environment in which they are raised in childhood. All-encompassing love will not develop until we study fully how to teach people to love each other so that we learn how to give compassionate love widely and also accept it. Today, who is teaching the values of love? The most important challenge for mankind from now on is to remove the barriers between oneself and others and to tighten the bonds between each other by opening our hearts. |