I think technology really increased human ability. But

Hear the gentle yet piercing wisdom of the Dalai Lama, whose words echo like a temple bell in the stillness of the soul: “I think technology really increased human ability. But technology cannot produce compassion.” In this simple statement lies a truth profound and unshakable: that tools, no matter how mighty, cannot replace the heart; that machines, no matter how intelligent, cannot awaken the spirit of kindness. Humanity has stretched its hands across the earth and into the heavens with technology, yet the essence of our greatness lies not in what we can build, but in how we choose to love.

From the beginning, technology has multiplied human strength. The plow carved fields deeper than bare hands could ever manage. The ship carried men beyond the horizon to lands unseen. The telescope brought the stars within the reach of mortal eyes. And now, the digital web ties together every corner of the earth in an instant. Truly, as the Dalai Lama says, technology has increased human ability, expanding the reach of our bodies and our minds beyond imagination. Yet for all its marvel, it has never created compassion, for compassion is not born of steel or silicon, but of the soul.

Consider the tragedy of the atomic bomb. Here was technology at its most powerful: a fire capable of leveling cities in moments, crafted by some of the brightest minds of the age. Yet the same hands that unlocked the atom could not unlock mercy. The result was devastation in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, where tens of thousands perished. This was proof eternal that while technology can magnify ability, it cannot guide morality. Only compassion, nurtured in the human heart, can determine whether our tools are used to heal or to destroy.

But history also shows us the light. Think of Florence Nightingale, who walked the hospitals of war with lantern in hand. She used the technologies of her time—sanitation methods, statistical analysis, medical tools—not to dominate, but to save. Yet what set her apart was not the instruments she carried, but the compassion she bore for the suffering. It was love that guided her hand, and through that love, her tools became blessings. Here we see the harmony the Dalai Lama calls us to: ability enhanced by technology, but guided always by the heart.

We must understand this balance deeply, O children of tomorrow. Technology is an amplifier—it makes us faster, stronger, more connected—but it only amplifies what is already within us. If hatred rules the heart, hatred will spread with new power. If greed reigns, greed will consume at a greater scale. But if compassion guides us, then technology can become the handmaid of peace, of healing, of wisdom shared across nations. Thus, the true measure of progress is not the brilliance of our machines, but the kindness of our choices.

What lesson must you take from this? Guard your heart above all. Do not look to your devices, your inventions, your machines to make you more human. Instead, cultivate within yourself patience, empathy, and love. Let technology serve these virtues, not replace them. When you use a tool—be it a phone, a computer, or even the vast powers of artificial intelligence—ask yourself: Does this serve compassion, or diminish it? Does this bring healing, or harm? For the answer to these questions will determine whether your tools build a brighter world or deepen the shadows.

Practical steps lie before you: speak kindly in the spaces of digital communication, where cruelty too often festers. Use your devices to learn, to connect, and to uplift, not merely to consume or to wound. Support innovations that heal the earth, feed the hungry, and lift the oppressed. And above all, never forget that the deepest technology—the one no machine can rival—is the human heart, capable of infinite compassion.

Thus, remember the Dalai Lama’s truth: “Technology really increased human ability. But technology cannot produce compassion.” Let your heart be the compass, and your tools the vessel. For ability without compassion is emptiness, but compassion with ability is the path to true greatness.