Each of us can be, and should be, deeply happy. What do I mean by “deep happiness”? I mean the kind of happiness that touches your spirit and connects with your soul. Some people call it self-fulfillment, or self-actualization, or being centered. Others call it living their passion, or following their bliss. For people of faith, it’s about finding the divine will for their lives, and then living that will.

Each of us should be deeply happy so that we will be at our best, and will be able to help others to be deeply happy and be at their best as well. When we experience deep happiness, we become more loving, more giving, more patient, more enthusiastic. We become a gift to others. So we should be deeply happy for their sake as well as ours.

At present world affairs are being shaped by three major forces: industrialization, the reaction to industrialization and emerging post-industrial views, values, structures and technologies. Although stories about the rapid expansion of the consumer society and its battles with Islamic traditionalists have dominated the news for decades, environmental problems will increasingly shape national and global events.

This is because resource shortages and failing ecosystems will not only limit the ability of the global economy to expand, but cause it to contract. The result will be growing economic and social crises, which will in turn provoke more local, regional and international conflicts. As a consequence the industrial system will weaken while both pre- and post-industrial forces will strengthen.

As the economy continues its downward spiral, more and more Americans are becoming rattled and unnerved by their financial position. A recent Gallup “Well Being” Poll (September 25) showed that only 40% of Americans are thriving economically, a drop of over 10% in just one month, while 53% of Americans are now struggling, with their basic needs just barely being met.

It seems like now more than ever the value of creating wealth and financial freedom is paramount. But what to do? The real question should be: “What are you here to do?”

We all have a burning desire in us, something that we are meant to do. An obvious example is Donald Trump, somebody who just can’t keep from doing Real Estate. He’ll never retire because he’s in love with the whole process. And of course his success reflects that.

Women can lead the way from the survival of the fittest to the survival of the connected.

The 1994 genocide in Rwanda left the country in tatters, its future fraught with uncertainty. Of the more than 800,000 people killed, most were men and boys. Rwanda’s remaining population was 70 percent female.

Fast-forward to the present day: The economy has revived and is holding steady. Major road arteries between cities and outlying villages, which were destroyed, have been rebuilt. Today, the Rwandan lower house of Parliament is nearly half female, the highest percentage of women in any parliament worldwide. Girls are attending school in record numbers.