The Emotional Life of Animals
Any animal lover knows how intelligent our four-footed friends are, and how many emotions they share with us--especially the positive ones. And now scientific research tells us they have sensory and motor abilities that dwarf ours. Dogs are able to detect diseases such as cancer and diabetes and warn humans of impending heart attacks and strokes. Elephants, whales, hippopotamuses, giraffes, and al... posted on Nov 26 2019, 6,716 reads

Falling in Love With the Earth
"The natural world is one of the most resplendent and consistent sources of generosity in our lives whether we experience it directly moment-to-moment or not. When we allow ourselves to tune in and pay attention, our Earth is perpetually nourishing and providing for us, sustaining life and offering its abundant gifts with a breathtaking and consistent flourish. We are fed, literally and figurativ... posted on Nov 25 2019, 6,705 reads

Between Worlds
What is it like to be a living member of a dying community? Climate change is making this an increasingly common reality. Isle de Jean Charles, a slip of land off the coast of Louisiana is one such place. This island is home to a hundred or so people, members, mostly, of a Native American tribe called the Biloxi-Chitimacha-Choctaw--the BCC for short. For eight generations, the people of Isle de Je... posted on Nov 24 2019, 5,053 reads

Secret to Life
This lyrical video introduces us to Antoinette, who immediately draws us into her welcoming world of nature and a life lived in sync with the rhythms of the natural world. Early in her life Antoinette was called to living in the wild. "This was the fire that ignited my soul." Antoinette's passion and wisdom are conveyed in her simple words that are poetry to the ears while speaking directly to the... posted on Nov 23 2019, 3,694 reads

Lily Yeh: Fire in the Darkness of a Winter's Night
Lily Yeh was a successful painter and professor at Philadelphia's University of the Arts when she returned to Beijing in 1989 to display her artwork. While there, she witnessed the tragic events of Tiananmen Square and came to realize that, "being an artist is not simply about making art...It is about delivering the vision one is given...and about doing the correct thing without sparing oneself." ... posted on Nov 22 2019, 3,270 reads

Complicating the Narratives
"Complicating the narrative means finding and including the details that don't fit the narrative -- on purpose. The idea is to revive complexity in a time of false simplicity. 'The problem with stereotypes is not that they are untrue but that they are incomplete,' novelist Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie says in her mesmerizing TED Talk "A Single Story." '[I]t's impossible to engage properly with a place... posted on Nov 21 2019, 2,124 reads

Ben Quilty: Artist Activist
Ben Quilty is one of Australia's best-known artists. Internationally acclaimed and award winning, he is described as "complex, flawed, obvious, messy, courageous, funny," and an activist. An official war artist in 2011, he produced work for the Australian War Memorial's National Collection. The book, Home: Drawings by Syrian Children is the result of his experience visiting refugee camps in Greece... posted on Nov 20 2019, 4,988 reads

Paying It Forward: An Interview with Nipun Mehta
"For more than 20 years, Nipun Mehta and his parents have been opening his doors to friends and strangers every Wednesday evening, creating a space for people to sit in circle together, meditate, share thoughts, and enjoy a meal. The invitation is to "wake up to wisdom in stillness and community," a simple gesture of service and connection that now takes place in people's living rooms across the g... posted on Nov 19 2019, 7,894 reads

No Impact Man's Guide to Activism
"In 2006, I started a project where I lived as environmentally as possible for a year--with my little family, on the ninth floor of an apartment building in the middle of New York City--to attract attention to the world's environmental, economic, and quality of life crises.I had no experience as an activist. Yet suddenly my project caught fire. My book and film, both titled No Impact Man, ended up... posted on Nov 18 2019, 6,531 reads

I Vow Not to Burn Out
Mushim Patricia Ikeda felt she was on a path toward burnout as she sought with others to "engage with systemic change, grow and deepen our spiritual practice, and also care for our families" when there seemed to be no time or space for deep rest. Yet in spite of it she found a path of hope. She asks us, "How can you make your life sustainable--physically, emotionally, financially, intellectually,... posted on Nov 17 2019, 5,396 reads