The Power of Placebos
"Since the 1800s, the word placebo has been used to refer to a fake treatment, meaning one that does not contain any active, physical substance. Today, placebos play a crucial role in medical studies in which some participants are given the treatment containing the active ingredients of the medicine, and others are given a placebo. These types of studies help tell researchers which medicines are e... posted on Feb 12 2022, 5,152 reads

Hargila: A Story of Love & Conservation
In an age of massive global extinctions, a remarkable wildlife biologist in Indias Northeast shows the life-saving impact of simple, direct local action. When Dr. Purnima Devi Barman decided to dedicate herself to the survival of the Hargila, Assam's resident greater adjutant crane, the local population in Guwahati was a mere 20 nests. The scruffy, prehistoric bird was detested and routinely kille... posted on Feb 11 2022, 2,053 reads

Trauma, the Body and 2021
"When Krista Tippett interviewed the psychiatrist and trauma specialist Bessel van der Kolk for the first time, his book The Body Keeps the Score was about to be published. She described him then as "an innovator in treating the effects of overwhelming experiences on people and society." She catches up with him in 2021 -- as we are living through one vast overwhelming experience after the other. A... posted on Feb 10 2022, 7,317 reads

The Gurukul System of Training: An Indigenous Pedagogy
"It all began with a simple yet deep dissatisfaction when I was 20. On the first day of my first job, I spurned the possibility of how my time would be spent. With a clear intuition that I did not want to engage in commercial work whose end was just financial transactions; an inward journey had unknowingly begun. The discomfort, which was actually a yearning for something more than the perceivabl... posted on Feb 09 2022, 2,712 reads

Alicia Doyle: Fighting Chance
"My boxing career doesn't have the typical fairy tale ending. I quit after my first and only professional match. I never won a world title or a championship belt in the pros. The crescendo of my story doesn't end with my arm raised victorious in the ring. My wins came after I left the roped-off square, when I had a chance to contemplate the lessons I learned in the fight game. These lessons, which... posted on Feb 08 2022, 2,645 reads

The Cloud Appreciation Society
"Gavin Pretor-Pinney is the founder of the Cloud Appreciation Society (CAS), which aims to foster understanding and appreciation of clouds, and has over 50,000 members worldwide from 120 different countries. He has also written several books, among them The Cloudspotter's Guide, The Cloud Collector's Handbook and, most recently, A Cloud A Day." In this interview he discusses his fascination with c... posted on Feb 07 2022, 3,095 reads

Practicing Rehumanization as We Move Into Uncertainty
"This is a powerful practice that was shared with me by John Paul Lederach. John Paul is a sociologist and specialist in conflict transformation. He has served as a peacebuilder in Nepal, Somalia, Northern Ireland, Colombia, and Nicaragua around issues related to direct violence and systemic oppression. He has dedicated his life to exploring and implementing alternatives to dehumanization and viol... posted on Feb 06 2022, 4,390 reads

From the Oldest Forest in Montana
"I had to go into the old forest seventy times before I heard it speak, and then it was only one word, 'urgency'. Each time, I had been listening, hoping I'd hear something, as I walked carefully across the rotting spines of fallen giants, which lay in dizzying geometries atop older fallen giants, which lay upon other now buried giants -- still holding their carbon, deep down into the earth, deep ... posted on Feb 05 2022, 4,262 reads

You Are the Kind of (S)hero We Need
This inspirational video of the song "Hero" by the Makepeace Brothers shines a light on the qualities of (s)heroes, both those who are famous and those lesser known, who live their lives inspiring those around them. The affirming anthem gives us hope that we can each be that kind of (s)hero: "You are the noble, you are the wise, you are the human, you are the kind of hero we need."... posted on Feb 04 2022, 2,280 reads

Thich Nhat Hanh: Ten Love Letters to the Earth
"Dear Mother Earth, I bow my head before you as I look deeply and recognize that you are present in me and that I'm a part of you. I was born from you and you are always present, offering me everything I need for my nourishment and growth. My mother, my father, and all my ancestors are also your children. We breathe your fresh air. We drink your clear water. We eat your nourishing food. Your herbs... posted on Feb 03 2022, 11,280 reads