An unfortunate hallmark of recent decades has been a worldwide rise in ethnic and religious violence, conflict and war. Ranging from tribal conflicts in Africa, to the religious hostilities of the Balkan area, from racism and discrimination in the Western world to acts of international terror committed on an unprecedented scale, our communities have been repeatedly torn apart and the lives of our children and families ravaged by tragic and horrifying acts of malice.

Underlying these hostilities is the fundamental fact that on the level of the individual, man does not practice tolerance of diversity nor seek to understand and live with his neighbor. Far too often he deals with his fellows as stereotypes or objects of unreasoning hatred. The Way to Happiness undercuts this and helps a person see his neighbor as another human being, worthy of respect and decent treatment as a unique individual.

In response to this need—and to succor communities ravaged by such violence—The Way To Happiness International organizes, prints and gets distributed hundreds of thousands of copies of the booklet. For example, tens of thousands of copies were distributed in New York City immediately following the terrorist disaster of September 11; more than 1,000,000 copies were distributed in Los Angeles to assist the healing of the community after the riots of 1992; and thousands of booklets were distributed in communities such as Littleton, Colorado after traumatic events such as schoolroom shootings. Widespread use of the booklet has followed dislocations and upsets due to natural disasters such as hurricanes and earthquakes.

Outside of the United States, The Way To Happiness International has arranged similar distribution programs in response to regional problems. In 1993 some 800,000 copies of the booklet were distributed in South Africa to ease the turbulent governmental transition at the end of the apartheid era. International observers had anticipated that the elections would be marked by violence and, indeed, it was the continued small outbreaks of inter-tribal violence which led The Way To Happiness International to undertake the distribution action. Yet once the booklets were out and the election held, to great international relief, there was no violence to mar the turnover of power to President Nelson Mandela. While no one claims The Way to Happiness was the sole reason for this peace, it is undeniable that it was a factor and that this was precisely the product which the distribution sought to achieve. In other situations of conflict and hostility the booklet has been distributed to help people achieve a better life. In the late 1980s approximately 2,000,000 copies were distributed in Colombia to assuage the rampant violence in that country. Police were trained on the principles in the booklet and distributed it directly to the communities that they served. In 1994, 100,000 copies of the booklet were distributed in Israel following the assassination of President Rabin; and major distributions in Hebrew and Arabic are being carried out to both sides in the current Palestinian/Israeli conflict.