History has proven time and again that it only takes one powerful idea, and dedicated individuals to spread it, to change conditions around us. The only trouble is, of course, finding that one powerful idea, and finding it quickly enough to halt a moral decline that is not only robbing individuals of their health and happiness, but indeed even their lives. Luckily, The Way to Happiness is that powerful idea, and it is designed to be able to do exactly this.
The Way to Happiness is, simply put, a commonsense moral code that gives individuals workable solutions to everyday problems. The twenty-one precepts contained within this booklet can guide individuals into living healthier, happier lives and into helping others around them do the same. When an individual who is dedicated to changing the conditions around them realizes the potential of this booklet, everything can change, as Colonel Prado has already discovered.
Improving an Entire Country
Colonel Ricardo Antonio Prado has been part of the Colombian police force for more than two decades. When he first joined the police his intention was to serve his community and help the people of his country. The question he was constantly faced with was how he could effectively do this. Along with other members of the Colombia police, Colonel Prado had felt all alone and without the tools he needed in order to successfully perform his duties. He became tired of the constant struggle to reduce crime rates without actually being able to do so. He came to realize that the citizens of his country didn’t actually care about what was happening, about people around them, or even about themselves. There were many police officers that not only failed in their duties, but actually became part of the corruption in the country.
Colonel Prado was first introduced to The Way to Happiness at a presentation that was held for the Bogota Police Department. He had been working with young individuals all over the country, attempting to introduce the basic ideas of moral values in the children of today who would be the leaders of tomorrow. He was seeking to empower them with the basic ideas of ethics, morality and respect, but he needed the tools by which to do so–tools he was given through The Way to Happiness. In reading this booklet, Colonel Prado realized that change began with himself. He then began to help his family and others around him. He found that he actually had the courage to protect his environment and his community, and he was able to help the police become more efficient and more competent. This allowed them to take the necessary actions and decrease crime rates across Colombia.
In introducing The Way to Happiness to others around him, Colonel Prado begins by explaining how important this booklet actually is. He has come to realize that this moral code helps different individuals in different ways, and its power actually lies in the individual’s ability to recognize how it can be useful to their life. Along with other supportive members within the police force, Colonel Prado delivers seminars in schools, malls, stadiums and farmer’s markets. They have held theater nights, parties and exhibitions. They show The Way to Happiness film and then discuss the precepts, answering any questions that arise along the way. At the end of every event, Colonel Prado and his team ask the participants to make a commitment to practice the twenty-one precepts in their own lives, and also share them with their family members. He notices that people’s attitudes change, and they begin to care more about themselves and others around them. Like ripples in a pond, people begin to do those things that they need to do in order to live happier lives; they obey the law, become more united with their families and experience prosperity.
Under Colonel Prado’s leadership, the Colombian police have delivered The Way to Happiness seminars to roughly three million citizens, and distributed copies of these booklets to approximately twenty percent of the total population. The results are nothing short of miraculous, as crime rates in the country have dropped an amazing fifty percent and tourism has increased to eight times more than any other Latin American nation. Colonel Prado’s dedication and efforts have proven beyond a doubt that there is great power within this “simple” little booklet, and that it only needs to be spread to others to effect wonderful changes in even the most dire situations.
