Ernesto Fernandez Travieso, S.J. was born in 1939 and grew up in Cuba during turbulent historical times. In exile, he entered the Jesuit community of priests and received his formation in different parts of the world ending with the doctorate degree in Spiritual theology which he received from the Gregorian University in Rome. For twenty years he was chaplain and spiritual director for medical students at Creighton, a Jesuit university in Omaha, Nebraska. In 1973 he established the Institute for Latin American Concern (ILAC) in the Dominican Republic, a mission that unites the hard work of poor rural communities with that of volunteers from foreign nations that want to help these communities.

In this book the reader studies, together with the author, the ideas proposed by important philosophers on the subject of happiness...the supposed goal of human life. Taking into account the three levels of human interaction (personal, social and universal) a path that transcends worldly limitations is sought after, one that can be achieved by all who search for it with an open mind and heart. Does western civilization have the answer for the entire world while respecting the plurality of the human race and offering hope for a better tomorrow? Is happiness achievable for all? These questions, essential and full of anguish, are answered in the pages of this book