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Givataim is a suburb of Tel Aviv, Israel, where booklets were distributed in households through most of the 22,000 buildings and apartments in the area. The municipality called and said they want more booklets to be able to distribute to all the apartments and divisions in the municipality. A school principal decided that he wanted to have an "Educator Hour" for all the students in his [Israeli] high school concerning The Way to Happiness booklet. Seven hundred booklets were distributed to his school.
His listeners waited anxiously every day to hear the next
precept.
He says, "Many people called me and said the booklet gives them
a feeling that they are not alone in the world and that peace can be
reached."
"An Arab lawyer blessed us for our activity and asked to get 1,000 Arabic
booklets. Our distributor [an Israeli] in Gaza [a Palestinian area] started to
give booklets to people in the streets of Gaza—he distributed 7000 booklets
this way. On his way he saw two policemen [Palestinians] and gave them the
booklets. They liked it very much and invited him to drink coffee with them in
the police station. The Chief got his copy, too."
"A college from Bait Lahem [Bethlehem] asked for booklets in Hebrew,
Arabic and English. The same day the Dean of Wingate Institute [the national
sport institute of Israel] called us and expressed his willingness to help us
on this project. Mr. S. N., the head of the Democratic Institute [hosting
Jewish and Arabic children] and the chairman of the secretaries in Israeli
courts, have started to hand out the booklets."
"The owner of one of the [Israeli] newspapers that distributed the booklet
talked to one of her friends and told him that he must buy and read the
newspaper that week. The friend thought the request was so that the newspaper
could earn more money. The owner responded, 'I don't care about the
money! This week there is an amazing booklet that you must read!' "
"After we saw the smiles on the faces of people that received the
booklets—strengthened, we have the confidence that it should arrive at all
of the people in each place in any direction. We must spread the booklets in
far villages and towns and camps." Results—Bringing Peace and Understanding All Over the World
"A teacher from the Arab village of Kaka El Jarbeya, Israel reported that he
gave the booklet to his students. The day after the books were distributed the
teacher asked the students to paint. The students used bright colors of hope—they said that
The Way To Happiness gave them hope. It stopped them from
thinking and talking about the pain and fear and darkness, and they started to
feel happiness for the first time. The teacher said that the effect spread
through the entire school, making it a much calmer environment. The incidence
of property damage decreased considerably, and physical and verbal violence
vanished almost completely. The children in the school drew up a code against
violence and they all signed it."
"At my sister's housing project there were a lot of problems between
tenants, disputes, lack of respect and a LOT of crime. I told the building
manager about the books, and then she gave them out at the monthly tenants
meeting. She told me that as a result she noticed a significant change in the
way they were treating each other --- a very positive change. And the crime
rate was going down too. This was from the book." "You can take credit for the fact that since you have done the program for the 4th grade children, there is no violence in the 4th grade classes. There was no fighting, no violence and no trouble, a complete reverse of what had been occurring before." ---Headmaster, Tel Aviv, Israel
"First of all, I would like to say that this program helps the staff
tremendously because of its calming effect on the juveniles involved. These
minors became noticeably less hostile to each other and the staff, and no
longer lose their tempers. They began to speak to us (the staff) with much
more respect than before. I highly recommend this program. In my opinion it
should be mandatory for all minors who come to Juvenile Hall."
"Your interest and care for the welfare of the taxi drivers and their
passengers is very much appreciated. After reading the book we realized that
this is the exact tool we need to give the taxi drivers, a common-sense guide
to a safer existence for themselves and their passengers. As this booklet is
non-religious and non-political, it is acceptable by all our drivers."
"I introduced The Way to Happiness to the Center after I saw it mentioned
in a professional journal. As part of the Harlendale program, the students
study each precept of The Way to Happiness. It is written in a style that is
very simple and clear. It gives the children enough understanding to overcome
peer pressure and environment or familial situations that would have them
otherwise make the wrong decisions."
"After I had handed out more than one thousand booklets, I noticed some
positive changes, like the police were not coming around every day and I
didn't see the teenagers hanging out on the street corner like they used to.
Then, last week the Miami Herald had this headline: OVERTOWN CRIME RATE
DOWN/ECONOMY UP."
"We have decreased the violence by 70%-80% over the school year. We have
decreased disrespectful attitudes toward teachers, decreased vulgar language
and gestures. Kids are now more apt to sit down, calm down, think about what
to do and set a good example. It's not 100% but it's 100% improvement."
"I am writing you to confirm that I have received the wonderful book The
Way to Happiness. Please accept my most sincere gratitude for that. While
reading it I found it as one of the most moving and touching ways to speak
about life and the horrible senselessness of the war. My suggestion would be
to print as many copies of the book as possible in all languages and
distribute it to the widest groups of people all over the world."
"It is truly a common sense guide to living a happy and productive life.
The day-to-day challenges we face often seem insurmountable. However, honesty
and kindness are contagious. The sharing of these traits will make our world a
better place."
"The goals, and the patterns, and the methods of The Way to Happiness
seem to me to be about as dramatic a response to the prayers of the
forefathers as could possibly be contrived...ways to improve the moral, the
physical, the intellectual aspects of the culture in which we live."
"I use
The Way to Happiness
booklet with my family, friends and
colleagues and I invite you to do the same!"
"We found lots of useful and instructive information. In a concise form
it states the wonderful qualities of man, it gives very useful advices and
instructions."
"This little book is a moral and ethical miracle that we will drop in the
middle of our society hoping that its message is transmitted to all social
layers and every corner of our homeland. It is not a religious or political
message but it is a universal message. In all parts of our country we find
passions, selfishness and ambitions tending to take us away from The Way to
Happiness. If Colombia applied the teachings of this book, it will become
another peaceful, honest and respectful country. And we wouldn't be fighting
this bloody war."
"I love your organization's booklet entitled The Way to Happiness. I've
read it three times already and have shared it with others. Its philosophy
parallels mine so closely it is unbelievable." "I
want to give my sincere thanks for the seminars given to the 180
police officers covering the 21 precepts of ethics and morals from
The Way to Happiness. These seminars have given us a good
lesson and an understanding of the importance of being a police
officer---which means setting a good example for the community and
society." Successes of Arabs and Israelis "The booklet opened me a new light. It is all the time in my bag. I am now more interested in life. I am more calm and more relaxed."---Oshrit, a policewoman from the detective department from the Negev region, Israel
"I thank you for your efforts. What you do is of great value to our
region."
"Another newspaper owner, who distributed 2000 Arabic booklets, called up
and apologized because he kept a few dozen copies back and did not put these
into the newspaper. He said he wanted to keep these for himself so that he
could distribute these to close friends, family and associates. The workers of
the printing house where the Arabic booklet was printed were also so impressed
with the booklet that they asked to keep some copies that they, too, could
give to friends."
"After reading the booklet The Way to Happiness, I felt that the book and
I communicate. It is guiding me to the right way."
"I like the phrases and the paragraphs of the book which pointed to the
good deeds and gave me a sense of responsibility. The booklet is very good and
I think everyone learned something from it."
"You won't believe what happened to me this week... I found the booklet
by chance, a friend gave it to me. I received it for free. A simple booklet,
which could be reprinted in millions, and it's not related to any religion,
and everything in it is based on common sense. It helps man to survive better,
and the only reason man has to follow the rules is that it helps him. The
booklet is called The Way to Happiness. And of course I know for sure that
this booklet will bring peace."
"The booklet reminds man of its true nature, which is good."
"It is very kind, what you do and what is written, not religiously but
from the aspect between men."
"A change that occurred to me reading The Way to Happiness booklet -- it
made me care for the person I love more. I thank the writer of the booklet and
I wish him the best, and for all the readers of the book as well. A person can
plan the way he wants to live his life. It taught me to respect my parents.
These are a few of the points I learned from the book, The Way to
Happiness. I
have learned a lot from it."
"Anyone can find in it something positive for himself and for peace
around the world."
"I learned how to deal with life in a successful manner. Some of the
things I learned are: (1) to be productive and active. (2) To forgive others.
(3) Moral behavior leads to joy and happiness. (4) The person himself decides
how others deal with him. (5) To be trustworthy. (6) To be a protector for the
environment."
"The man who sends such a thing can only be a man with good intentions. I
feel happy to be the owner of such a beautiful and valuable gift."
"The booklet is amazing....I want lots of booklets - it helped me in my
life through a difficult period. It teaches about life."
"I would really like to help you."
Large-Scale Distributions to Bring Peace and Understanding
Cincinnati, Ohio, during 2001 race riots—10,000 booklets Other news from the Middle East |
© 2003 Association for Peace & Understanding in the Middle East. All rights reserved. THE WAY TO HAPPINESS and the "Road & Sun" Design are trademarks owned by L. Ron Hubbard Library in the USA and in other countries (trademark registrations issued and other registrations pending) and are used with permission.