[taneq]

All you need in order to be happy is to be treated like a minor demigod by all around you. Sounds legit.

My favourite example of this (albeit not one that's always been at peace) is the Dalai Lama. Dude goes around talking about love and acceptance and whatnot, which is great and he seems like a great guy, but his experience as someone with an international organisation dedicated to looking after him is maybe not 100% relevant to the life of some random pleb in a Western country.

[jonnybgood]

Curious. Is it avoidable? If you’re trying to teach people to be better and happier through a spiritual context, and they feel they are better and happier, how do you avoid being seen as someone divinely inspired?

I don’t think the Dalai Lama is a great example. He doesn’t do it out of choice but out of duty. It’s what a Dalai Lama is expected to do. They are believed to be the reincarnation of an enlightened person who represents compassion. He’s also the head of the exiled Tibetan state, so he probably will have people looking after him whether he likes it or not.