Journalists are, of course, expected to be impartial, fair and objective. But I'm also an idealist, and although I am not religious, the Buddhist doctrines of kindness and compassion have always resonated with me. I also care deeply about human rights; the fact that China is systematically decimating the Tibetan language and culture is so blatantly unfair that the idealist in me was sure there could be a way to harness the power of truth to bring justice. I wanted to craft the perfect story to show how bad things are, and then people would surely want to do something about it—right?

An interview with the Dalai Lama is not supposed to be that hard to pull off. If you go to Dharamsala, India, the seat of the Tibetan government in exile, any group of 10 or more requesting a meeting can usually get one, but the trick is to catch him when he's there. So for the next 10 years, although I traveled to Tibet, China, and even Dharamsala, I never was able to get that interview that was going to change the world.

Of course, as any Buddhist will tell you, the things we desire most come on their own inscrutable schedule.

Sure enough, the one time I was able to meet with him, His Holiness was in my backyard—Long Beach to be exact. So there I found myself, in a long line behind the curtains of the convention center stage waiting patiently behind David Crosby, Sharon Stone, and a few choice representatives of the Tibetan community in exile, all hoping for a glimpse of their living god. By the time we were able to set up our microphones, I was only able to ask two questions—one about the current Chinese government and the other simply asking for words of inspiration and wisdom: How do we not lose ourselves to cynicism when the world seems to be falling apart?

The only answer he gave was not quotable or even sharable. He just laughed that famous chortle of his, looked me right in the eyes, and squeezed my hand. I knew he could see the best of me in that moment. When my editor decided I didn’t have enough “quotable wisdom” to publish an article I felt that I had failed in my attempt to tell a story that would usher in a new era of peace and understanding for all of humanity. But now I realize that the Dalai Lama’s message of light, laughter and kindness has become the through line to every interview and every story I've been honored to tell since.