5 Invitations: What Death Can Teach About Living
Over the course of thirty years, those who were at the end of their lives shared their insights with Frank Ostaseski, the co-founder of the Zen Hospice Project, a holistic residential care facility. In his article, 'Five Invitations: What Death Can Teach about Living' Frank shares the five 'invitations' to connect with death in order to live a more full life. The five invitations he has gleaned fr... posted on Aug 02 2017, 52,591 reads

War Childhood: Finding Light in the Darkness
Jasminko Halilovic grew up as a 'war child' in Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina. Even though the war ended years ago, its effects linger in the atmosphere, the buildings, and the people. Between 2010 and 2013, Halilovic interviewed people online and in person about their experiences being children of war, and in 2013 published his book War Childhood: Sarajevo 1992-1995. From this book, Halilovi... posted on Aug 01 2017, 7,195 reads

How One Man Created A Forest Bigger Than Central Park
For more than 30 years, one man planted trees in a remote, northeastern region of India. As a teenager, Jadav Payeng noticed the effect the environment was having on Majuli Island, which is home to about 170,000 people and has lost 70 percent of its landmass over the last century. He decided to plant trees, creating a forest in the process. But after a while, Jaday also realized he had to protect ... posted on Jul 31 2017, 14,035 reads

Power My Learning
PowerMyLearning is an educational non-profit organization focusing on improving results for low-income students by using technology to encourage them, their families, and their teachers to work together to ensure student success. This collaboration fosters an atmosphere of learning, whereby children who may not otherwise be able to reach their full potential can thrive. Elisabeth Stock is the co-f... posted on Jul 30 2017, 68,645 reads

The Boy & Dog Who Changed Each Other's Lives Forever
Jonny Hickey is a young boy with autism who had trouble making connections with other people and interacting with the family's pets, had limited vocabulary, and would isolate himself, even with family members sometimes. That is, until Xena walked into his life on her four paws, and brought him out of his shell. The Hickeys adopted Xena, a rescue dog who had been previously so severely abused for m... posted on Jul 29 2017, 5,176 reads

How To Give Away A Billion -- Or Not
Best-selling author David Brooks was asked what he would do if he had a billion dollars to give. In his recent NY Times op-ed piece, he answers: "Only loving relationships transform lives, and such relationships can be formed only in small groups. I'd seed 25-person collectives, a group of people who meet once a week to share...Each collective would have a curriculum, a set of biographical and ref... posted on Jul 28 2017, 10,165 reads

Music, the Brain & the Secret Language of the Heart
When was the last time you heard a song that brought you to tears, or reminded you of a favorite place? Music has the power to shape our moods, our minds, and even our memories. Barry Goldstein, a producer, composer, and music researcher, shares the incredible ways music can enrich our experience on conscious and subconscious levels. Through engaging in activities like singing or chanting, we can ... posted on Jul 27 2017, 76,820 reads

Life Lessons from Masterchef Nun Jeong Kwan
"Jeong Kwan is a Buddhist nun and renowned cook who brings people home to themselves in her kitchen and garden. Anyone who refers to her garden as my playground and to the plants as her children has a perspective on gardening, cooking and life that resonates deep within me. Kwan resides at the Chunjinam hermitage of the Baekyangsa temple, 169 miles south of Seoul, South Korea where she cooks vega... posted on Jul 26 2017, 17,678 reads

Free Art -- A Conversation with Dickson Schneider
Seven years had gone by and suddenly I knew it was time to give Dickson a call. It was time to find out what had happened with his free art project. It was a radical step and when I first heard about it, I thought, "If he's still doing it in five years, its going to be seriously interesting." And now more than five years had passed. I gave him a call. "It's the best thing Ive ever done," he said. ... posted on Jul 25 2017, 2,385 reads

Telling the Right Story
Bollywood screenwriter Gazal Dhaliwal has lived with deep prejudice and fear in her life that few of us can even imagine. She was born with gender dysphoria. Imagine having to live a facade, to pretend that you are a boy -- when you know with your every fiber that you are a girl. These experiences have given fuel for her life and she is on a mission to tell the story of misunderstood characters --... posted on Jul 24 2017, 2,407 reads