A Three Year Road Trip Documenting Kindness
Do you see the world as a place of hope and optimism? Understandably, many people don't as the barrage of bad news hits the news feed every day. Mary Latham is not one of those people though. Instead of withdrawing from the world after the loss of her mother, in 2016 she began a journey to find and create kindness as she traveled across the US. Over the past years, she says she's found nothing but... posted on Sep 07 2019, 2,775 reads

The Bad Kids
Vonda Viland is a mother figure, coach, cheerleader, and counselor. She has to be. As the principal of Black Rock Continuation High School on the edge of California's Mojave Desert, Ms. V--as she's known to her 121 at-risk students has heard countless stories of personal or familial alcohol or drug addiction, chronic truancy, and physical and sexual abuse. Over 90 percent of the school's students ... posted on Sep 06 2019, 5,493 reads

How Space Can Heal What Divides Us
The Overview Effect is the experience many astronauts describe after seeing the Earth from space. "There, devoid of territory lines and set in the vast backdrop of the universe, this spectacle gives them a new perspective on our need to come together as a global society. For most, it is profoundly life-changing." Two years ago, MaryLiz Bender was so inspired by this phenomenon that she sold her be... posted on Sep 05 2019, 2,314 reads

My Small Moment of Mending Brokenness
"I used to believe that I was a very accepting person. But a few weeks ago, something happened at my workplace that made me recognize my own brokenness -- it helped me see the disconnect between my values, and how I respond in certain moments. I work at the front desk of a hotel. On multiple occasions over the past couple of weeks, a sex-worker reserved a room on our property. Sitting at the front... posted on Sep 04 2019, 7,377 reads

Send Silence Packing: A Mission of Hope
Sometimes things fall apart in a way that we simply fall silent. Sometimes there simply are no words we can say or hear to help us deal with our trauma. Such quiet time can provide the buffer necessary to absorb the impact. Staying here too long though can bring the necessary healing process to a halt, both for ourselves and others suffering in similar ways. Read this story of how one woman decide... posted on Sep 03 2019, 3,644 reads

The Friendship Bench
Globally, more than 300 million people suffer from depression, according to the World Health Organization. Depression is the world's leading cause of disability and it contributes to 800,000 suicides per year, the majority of which occur in developing countries. Yet those suffering from depression have few options due to a dearth of mental health professionals. In brainstorming how to tackle this ... posted on Sep 02 2019, 3,011 reads

Look With Your Heart: Lessons from My Time with My Grandmother
In 2003 theater artist Mia Tagano relocated to California from NYC to be with her grandmother who was living with dementia. Over the next sixteen years she would navigate the poignant territory of loving and caring for someone she could not build shared memories with, someone who would open Mia's heart to life's deepest lessons, someone she would learn to love tenderly, diligently, and uncondition... posted on Sep 01 2019, 50,280 reads

Wendell Berry on Caretaking
"In 2018, Helena Norberg-Hodge sat down with Wendell Berry for a far-reaching discussion. The two are giants of the local economy movement. Berry is a poet and activist, an author of over forty books. Norberg-Hodge founded Local Futures, which works to renew ecological, social, and spiritual well-being by promoting a systemic shift toward economic localization.Together they touch on human nature, ... posted on Aug 31 2019, 4,892 reads

A Wall that Brings People Together
"Memphis Rox is one of the only facilities like it in the country: a climbing gym aimed at introducing disadvantaged urban youth to a sport that its founders hope will challenge them physically and mentally -- and keep them in school and off the streets. To lower the barriers, Memphis Rox has a pay-as-you're-able model that differentiates it from the standard membership-only setup. Opened in March... posted on Aug 30 2019, 2,775 reads

Who Decides History's Future?
"The West is wrestling with its colonial heritage in the most literal sense: its museums teem with treasure taken on conquests abroad. Crowns and swords, books and bones. The breadth of culture ripped from its home is hard to comprehend, as is the sheer scale of it: ninety percent of Africas art is held on other continents. Imagine the Liberty Bell gone, Versailles stripped of its Hall of Mirrors,... posted on Aug 29 2019, 4,753 reads