Yeah, sure, he's the Dalai Lama and all, so we have to acknowledge that his heart's in the right place. Still thise sounds naively optimistic even for him:
The Dalai Lama said he was counting on young people to created a "happier" century as he celebrated his 78th birthday on Saturday in southern India with tens of thousands of Tibetan exiles.
"The present-day generation can create better conditions and build a world where everyone can live in harmony and in a spirit of coexistence," the Dalai Lama, who fled Tibet in 1959 after a failed uprising against Chinese rule, told the crowd.
"Youngsters of today have an opportunity to build a happier century," said the maroon-robed monk. "For those of us from the 20th century, there is nothing we can do now."
I'm not sure what he means when he says those of us from the 20th century can't do onything now. There are still a few old codgers around who might have an idea or tow and an ounce of energy left. And anything that truly adds to the happiness of the human condition will be a collaborative effort among the generations, as it has always been, not a gift from the young whippersnappers. He is right in in the general sense that that the torch passes. The generation passing it off usually makes the world a little better and screws up here and there, too. This one certainly did, and the next one will, too.
