Attending the Peace Summit to hear the Dalai Lama and Maria Shriver discuss the roles women are playing in peace building was encouraging. Maria explaining how more women are getting into politics, how women are being asked to help mediate serious peace issues and how this is resulting with positive outcomes.  Maria says “I will try not to use the “F” word…………..feminist  (ha),  but women are getting more involved and are effective peace negotiators."  The Dalai Lama was asked if the next Dalai Lama could reincarnate as a female, and if so would she be accepted by the other monks? He responds “Yes, if she would be more useful she will come,why not?” The Dalai Lama and Maria talk about compassion and she asks how the media could express more compassion, the Dalai Lama responds “The media should pay equal attention to the positive things” also further along says that Mother Teresa had great compassion.  Maria stated that there are over 4,000 books on happiness out this year and that a study done, shows that people were happier in the 1970’s, she asks the Dalai Lama his thoughts…. “Make yourself  OK with yourself and everything else will be OK” also, a bit later says “Whenever I meet young people I always leave them with hope.”Later on a panel of six deeply committed people working to fight hunger,poverty and wars, delivered startling statistics on how bad it really is.The Dalai Lama  responds “ People need to present these facts often, and this will change consciousness and attitude will arise”  Panel talked about their up bringing, one man expressed a unique idea of his mother having made sure that he experience all different types of religion while growing up.  The Dalai Lama’s mother was uneducated, very very kind and helpful to all, she had 16 children of which 9 survived. I’ll end with the Dalai Lama speaking of his mother- “We never saw our mother with an angry face, always calm.”