Small Joys are Essential to Resilience
"For Persians, one of our most precious ways to summon joy is with poetry. I remember one night, in particular, in my home city of Shiraz, Iran, during the war. While sirens blared and the electricity was shut off, warning of an imminent attack, my family and I (feeling especially brave) snuck to our rooftop to watch the anti-aircraft missiles shoot into the air. To my 7-year-old eyes, the brillia... posted on Aug 16 2020, 0 reads

The Church Forests of Ethiopia
Over the past century, nearly all of Ethiopia's native forests have been cleared for farming and grazing. Now it is up to the Orthodox Churches--who for centuries have safeguarded pockets of primary forest that grow around them--to preserve Ethiopias quickly shrinking biodiversity and teach people how to live with forests. ... posted on Aug 15 2020, 2,529 reads

Human Connections in 'This Brilliant Darkness'
"This Brilliant Darkness is a book born of insomnia. It's a collection of snapshots and written profiles by author Jeff Sharlet that take us deep into other people's lives. And by doing that, Sharlet says, he's really trying to tell us his own story. "I originally sort of thought of it as a memoir through other people's lives. It's bookended by two heart attacks, my father's, and then two years la... posted on Aug 14 2020, 3,528 reads

The Soil's Story is the Story of Us
"Thousands of years of taking have caught up with us--and our soil. Approximately 40 percent of agricultural soils worldwide are degraded or seriously degraded; we lose an estimated 36 billion tons of topsoil every year. Scientists warn us that we only have about 60 years of productive soil left. What will happen when the Earth has lost all of its soil and can no longer produce food? While this is... posted on Aug 13 2020, 6,338 reads

Seven Ways to Live in the Direction of Your Purpose
"How do you go about finding your purpose if its not obvious to you? Is it something you develop naturally over the course of a lifetime? Or are there steps you can take to encourage more purpose in your life? Likely both, says Kendall Bronk, a researcher who directs the Adolescent Moral Development Lab at Claremont Graduate University. People can find a sense of purpose organically--or through de... posted on Aug 12 2020, 10,787 reads

Connect & Find Joy While Social Distancing
"Social distancing recommendations will remain in place for months to come, and until there's a vaccine, limits on big gatherings will likely continue. For the elderly or those who live alone, the isolation can be particularly grueling. But, people are finding new ways to interact with each other, even under extraordinary circumstances." NPR offers some strategies to connect with others.... posted on Aug 11 2020, 8,833 reads

Celebrating Wendell Berry
"Wendell Berry has been an Orion contributor and advisor since the magazine's beginnings in 1982. Berry is the author of over forty books of poetry, fiction, and essays, and has farmed in Port Royal, Kentucky, for over forty years." Orion celebrated Wendell Berry's eighty-sixth birthday by compiling their all-time favorite writings from Berry, published in Orion over the past four decades. Check i... posted on Aug 10 2020, 5,864 reads

Finding Balance in an Unstable World
"The present pandemic, which in a few short months has wreaked havoc across our world, is most likely caused by an imbalance in the natural world, as loss of habitat and biodiversity is not only driving animals to extinction but directly causing animal viruses to spread to humans. In response our leaders are using the images of conflict: We are at war with Covid 19, we keep hearing; it is an invis... posted on Aug 09 2020, 15,398 reads

Milford Zornes: An Artist's Life
"When I met Milford, he was 97 and blind. I met him on Friday and on Saturday he was going to give a watercolor workshop. Earlier that Friday, I'd asked his art dealer, "How does a painter give a workshop if he's blind?" "I don't know," the dealer said, "But he does!" I liked Zornes's paintings and asked, "Does he live around here?" Cutting to the chase, three hours later I was at Milford's door. ... posted on Aug 08 2020, 3,367 reads

Breaking Reins
'Breaking Reins' is a 13-minute gem of a film-- cut with precision, and sparkling with the truth of human experience. Epic themes fold into it compactly: Love and loss, grief's stranglehold, Nature's alchemy, and the resurrection of unbridled hope. Directed by a 14-year-old, shot over less than 2 days, and starring a first-time actor who in his day job has worked 1:1 with over 2,000 horses, 'Break... posted on Aug 07 2020, 3,857 reads