"Fabien: It seems that when you take Prozac, you stop clinging to the idea that daily reality is negative. It dampens your anguish. What is your opinion about such means of dealing with fear and suffering?
"Dalai Lama: Wait. So, essentially people take these drugs to lessen their feelings of mental discomfort, but the result is that they just become less sensitive, less alert? This phenomenon reveals that most of our problems, inside and out, arise from our intelligence. It is the source of our anxiety and mental suffering.
"It seems quite foolish to try and eliminate our anxiety by dulling our intelligence. That is really silly! Intelligence is a unique attribute of humanity. There is nothing wrong with intelligence itself. Problems arise when it is not properly guided. Fear, doubt, hatred, and other destructive faculties all come from delinquent intelligence. But why damage the intelligence itself? There are other ways to reduce anxiety and fear. Believe the more attention we give to genuine compassion, the less space there is for fear. Let's develop love and kindness. We will have more self-confidence, more peace of mind.
"Fabien: Can you suggest some simple techniques for daily life?
"Dalai Lama: A technique that could apply to everyone? I don't know. Peace of mind can be developed through training and daily awareness. It is a question of becoming accustomed to mental training. It takes time. The present generation, as we said, is already polluted because its time has been spent catering to negative emotions. It is difficult to go back in time. Intellectually, people may understand that compassion is very good, but how do they make it an integral part of their mind? How long will it take? Fear, doubt, and anxiety have been there for along time, and the entire society we live in supports the negative side of our intelligence.
"People have more opportunities to develop the positive capacities of their intelligence when they are children. We must give young people more opportunities to realize the value of positive intelligence and encourage them in this capacity. While the intellectual side of their personality is developing, a powerful good heart should also be nurtured. When the two are combined — intelligence and a good heart — there is no problem."
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