This Library Takes an Indigenous Approach to Categorizing Books
For over a century, the traditional Dewey Decimal classification system has dictated how libraries organize their collections. Yet the way information is sorted conveys a lot about what's prioritized and what's left out. Xwi7xwa Library (pronounced whei-wha) at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada is working to change the way materials on indigenous cultures are sorted in an eff... posted on Apr 19 2019, 5,924 reads

The Skittish Stallion
"There were two horses. One was a quarter horse and the other one was this big black stallion that had been abused. It was quite skittish. You couldnt get close to it. Of course, I was determined to become friends with that horse." Rosemary Peterson shares more in this beautiful piece that speaks to the power of patience and intention in our relationships.... posted on Apr 18 2019, 2,912 reads

Are Social Change and Scale Mutually Exclusive?
"As the clarion call for scale increases in volume, it is worth always asking, what is it we want to scale? And how will it enable social change for those who have been kept at the bottom of the pyramid?" Dr Arun Kumar is the CEO of Apnalaya, an organization that does remarkable work to create self-sustaining communities within the slums of Mumbai. In this piece he shares more about their model, a... posted on Apr 17 2019, 4,097 reads

The Gentlest Thing in the World
"The gentlest thing in the world is an open mind. Since it doesn't believe what it thinks, it is flexible, porous, without opposition, without defense. Nothing has power over it. Nothing can resist it. Even the hardest thing in the world a closed mind can't resist the power of openness. Ultimately the truth flows into it and through it, like water through rock."... posted on Apr 16 2019, 8,274 reads

A Rite of Passage for Late Life
In this TED residency talk, Bob Stein reveals his transition into using a new ritual to mark his later life. He proposes a new tradition of giving away your things and sharing the stories behind them as you get older, to reflect on your life so far, open conversations and connections that might not happen otherwise and move into the next phase prepared for whatever might come next.... posted on Apr 15 2019, 4,538 reads

Quiet Spirituality
Go within and you will find the noise of the world if you don't also allow the quiet of silence to reveal itself. And what we need so very much is quiet to help us skillfully navigate our lives. Many of us yearn for the deep peace that comes from being in touch with the stillness in our depths. By seeking out silence in our daily lives, we are able to find balance within the constant noise and de... posted on Apr 14 2019, 12,281 reads

How to Work with the Bias in Your Brain
None of us is immune to bias. From our education systems to our justice systems, bias exists in many forms. Where does it originate and what can we do to prevent it? The answers aren't simple. In this article by psychologist Jill Suttie, the root causes of bias are explored through the lens of researcher Jennifer Eberhardt's new book, Biased. Suttie considers how our implicit bias is at times adap... posted on Apr 13 2019, 7,000 reads

Discovering the Sacred in Everyday Life
Tuning into the sacred of the everyday takes practice. Things around us don't suddenly become more awe-inducing but our perception of them can change. "When something is recognized as sacred, it is known to have a quality that is beyond the material, physical world. It's not subject to the mind's analysis, judgment, or interpretation." In this article by psychologist Gail Brenner, practices for op... posted on Apr 12 2019, 8,918 reads

Caregiving: A Nascent Social Revolution
Caregivers and receivers are modeling how to integrate health care into daily life at home. They are the innovators, and creators of dynamic communities of support. "Community and care are inexorably linked. Care can never fully be rendered only by expert providers in formal settings but by a growing recognition that care is a democratic act that is about what we 'give', what we 'receive', and wha... posted on Apr 11 2019, 6,697 reads

Mary Webb and the Joy of Motion
Mary Webb, an English writer of the early 20th century was an acute observer of nature and her multi-dimensional splendor.Diagnosed with Graves' disease at the age of 20, Webb soon discovered that nature played a powerful role in her periods of recovery. 'The Spring of Joy'compiles a series of essays on nature, penned by Webb with the aim of bringing comfort to'the weary and wounded in the battle ... posted on Apr 10 2019, 6,086 reads