Ideas in the Wild: Michael Glauser is Bolstering Happiness by Sharing 6 Universal Truths

Life on Earth can be a beautiful experience, but it also comes with heartache, loneliness, and discouragement. Recurring problems cycle through every generation: discrimination, civil unrest, political hatred, and conflicts among nations.

In One People One Planet, Michael Glauser lays out a clear path to help us all increase our happiness and live peacefully on this planet. The six universal truths he presents can help us overcome our fabricated egos, refrain from judging other people, engage in healing good deeds, forgive others for their offenses, share the good fortunes in our lives, and help the needy in our communities.

Throughout the book, Michael shares inspiring stories of remarkable individuals who have transformed their lives from dark despair to authentic joy, then walks us through how we can each apply the same principles in our own lives. I recently caught up with Mike to learn more about why he wrote the book and the ideas he shares with readers.

Why did you write this book?

I believe our life on earth can be a beautiful experience, but I am well aware of the challenges it brings. Along with the beauty and joy we often feel, we all experience heartache, loneliness, discouragement, failure, and troubled relationships.

These experiences can be very painful and difficult to overcome. But what if we had a credible solution that actually worked to help us overcome the human hardships we face on earth? I am excited to share a path with you that can help all of us increase our joy and live peacefully together on this planet — and it works for everyone.

I have seen it work for convicted felons who have transformed their lives from dark despair to genuine happiness and harmony. I have seen it work for people living in poverty around the world who have improved their lives and their communities. Most of all, I have seen it work for everyday men and women who simply want to be happier, healthier, and live more rewarding lives.

This path consists of six enduring principles that have been around for thousands of years. These principles have been shared and taught by our great religious founders, renowned philosophers, and modern science.

It doesn’t matter who we are, where we live, how we were raised, what we believe, or how much education we have obtained. Following these six principles can help all of us experience greater personal joy, more satisfying relationships, and healthier communities.

What’s an idea you share that really excites you?

Many of our world’s great religions talk about karma. For example, the law of karma underlies the Hindu teachings on good deeds.

Karma means “action” and is the universal principle of cause and effect in the world. Every action causes a similar reaction, which becomes the action for another reaction, and the chain continues. Thus, all of our actions, including our thoughts, have consequences due to this web of interconnections. This principle is actually supported by physicists who agree that everything in our world is energy in motion with wavelength properties that ripple around us.

The ancient Hindu writings are full of verses on forgetting ourselves, focusing on others, and doing good deeds continually. If we follow this counsel, we will bring good into our lives, discover great wisdom, and find true peace and happiness.

The Hindu sages also taught that good deeds should be done for the right reason. For example, it would be a mistake to think that donating money will bring us more money. Rather, we do good deeds to make the world better for everyone. Over time, the consequences of our actions help create the world we are meant to experience.

How will following your advice improve your readers’ lives?

All of us can obtain greater light in our lives if we follow the path to get us there. I like to compare this higher level of happiness to the brilliance of the sun. The sun is always shining, but we don’t always see its light — clouds develop, storms arise, and night falls regularly. But if we board an airplane and fly above the earth’s surface, we see that the sun is always shining.

All we have to do is raise ourselves to a higher level to experience its power. Likewise, applying the six universal truths will lead us to a higher level of joy and a much brighter countenance.

Right now, we live in a world that emphasizes differences between people, groups, races, religions, and nations. This fixation on differences has a purpose. It helps us understand our world, where we fit in, and how to behave around certain groups. However, a constant diet of differences can lead to distrust, separation, conflict, and marginalizing whole groups of people.

We share far more similarities as humans than we do differences. Focusing on similarities does not mean we are naive about differences among us, but it produces far more positive outcomes in our lives: it helps us eliminate our biases, develop deeper friendships, collaborate on challenges, and create stronger unity in our communities.

We are one people on one planet — we are all in this life together. My hope is that we can think more about similarities and how to make our experience on earth better for everyone.

As you read the book, you will begin creating your own plan for increased joy and harmony. As the process begins to yield fruit, you will become a brighter light to others. As they follow your example, the principles will continue to spread. Eventually, this can impact families, communities, and nations — which is a goal worth pursuing.