The Way to Happiness Association of Tennessee Spreading Calm in Nashville

The Way to Happiness Association of Tennessee has been distributing booklets to households in the heart of Nashville.  

According to website NeighborhoodScout.com, which provides crime statistics and other data for people looking to buy a home, the neighborhood they refer to as Eighth Avenue South/Wedgewood Avenue is the 18th most dangerous neighborhood in America. The website claims that a resident of the neighborhood has a 1 in 14 chance of being a victim of a crime over the period of a year.

So The Way to Happiness Association of Tennessee began its efforts to halt crime in this area, by distributing the Way to Happiness booklets, written by humanitarian L. Ron Hubbard in the early 1980s. These books sparked a movement and have been reprinted and passed hand to hand to a wide variety of cultures and peoples. In Tennessee, The Way to Happiness Association has been spreading its message even further in recent years, and has no plans to stop anytime soon. Why? Organizers for the group say where it is distributed crime rates plummet, as proven by statistics.

"This book is based on common sense principles and acts as a moral compass,” says Judy Young, Director of The Way to Happiness Association of Tennessee, “when people read it, they are able to easily put the concepts in it into practice to live a better life.” Recently, a group of volunteers distributed more than 300 booklets to households in the community.

According to thewaytohappiness.org, “This code of conduct can be followed by anyone, of any race, color or creed and works to restore the bonds that unite humankind.” In the three decades since it was authored, 100 million copies of the book passed hand to hand. For more information, visit twthtn.org.