Annie Dillard: Living Like Weasels
Annie Dillard tells us we could learn from weasels "something of the purity of living in the physical sense and the dignity of living without bias or motive...open to time and death painlessly, noticing everything, remembering nothing, choosing the given with a fierce and pointed will...yielding, not fighting. A weasel doesn't "attack" anything; a weasel lives as he's meant to, yielding at every m... posted on May 25 2017, 36,940 reads

The Vibrations of Conflict
"Cole Porter clearly got it right. But what exactly is it that changes from major to minor when we say goodbye? What permits music to express and stimulate our moods so precisely? How does it ignite or dampen our spirits, make us feel romantic or cynical, lighthearted or blue? Why do simple sequences of musical notes or complex symphonic strains cause us to weep with sorrow, waltz with elegance, m... posted on May 24 2017, 8,851 reads

Thomas Ponce: On Behalf of All Living Beings
Thomas Ponce is a 16-year-old animal rights advocate and a citizen lobbyist from Casselberry, Florida. He is the founder of Lobby For Animals, the Coordinator for Fin Free FL, and founder of Harley's Home, which is used as his school-based animal rights club. A vegetarian at age of 4, he began writing about animal rights at the age of 5. Soon after, Thomas's parents realized that his advocacy for... posted on May 22 2017, 18,790 reads

Sergeant Helps Abandoned Animals in Afghanistan Find Homes
While Staff Sgt. Edwin Caba served in Afghanistan, a litter of puppies born on his base brought a sense of much needed joy and relief to the soldiers. Many didn't want to part with them once their tour ended. Enter Nowzad Dogs. Since 2007, the nonprofit has reunited more than 700 soldiers with the animals they cared for on duty. As the only official animal shelter in the country, it also helps fin... posted on May 21 2017, 2,013 reads

Why Stories Matter
"Storytelling, recognised in every society as a way of making sense of cultural roots or social reality, is an elaborate form of metaphor, and memoir is its masterpiece: life stories enable us to share insights and enhance mutual understanding in a social, political, psychological and spiritual sense. Memoir is revolutionary precisely because, when shared, it's a way towards the truth." In this es... posted on May 20 2017, 0 reads

A Conversation with Carl Cheng: The John Doe Company
"My grandfather was the mayor of Canton and on my mother's side there were even more distinguished figures." All that was wiped in the Cultural Revolution and when Carl was five his family emigrated to the U.S. taking up farming in the San Fernando Valley. Cheng's story is fascinating. He now focuses on public art. "The potential of public art is to make us value what we have." He calls himself, t... posted on May 19 2017, 2,435 reads

Gratefulness: An Opportunity to Practice
Each moment as we go through our day, we are practicing habits of mind and being. Too often, we unconsciously end up practicing habits that are unhelpful for us. Resentment, fear and projection become habits that end up being hurtful, but with a change in perspective, gratefulness can be incorporated into our day as a practice. Br. David Steindl-Rast, Benedictine monk and teacher of grateful livin... posted on May 18 2017, 21,807 reads

Kay Pranis: The Art of Holding Circle
Kay Pranis, a facilitator of peacemaking circles, believes that each of us is inherently good, wise, and powerful. This, along with the remaining six core assumptions, form the foundation for her practice and way of using circle processes. Based on an indigenous tradition, circle allows for individuals to unite around a common cause or conflict, and address it openly so each participant feels deep... posted on May 17 2017, 22,169 reads

More Than Your Average Cup of Joe
A popular coffee shop in Denver is making a difference, and not just through their drinks. The Purple Door Coffee Shop, founded by Madison Chandler and Mark Smesrud, helps support youth coming out of homelessness by offering them jobs behind the counter, and teaching them skills such as customer service and budgeting. Moved by the overwhelming number of homeless youth in the region, Chandler and S... posted on May 16 2017, 2,505 reads

Teri Delane: From Addiction to Academy Founder
How did a law-breaking, heroin-using, 9th-grade dropout go on to earn two Masters degrees and a Ph.D? By learning about trust and community at a critical time in her life. At the Delancey Street Foundation in San Francisco, Teri Delane received the support she desperately needed, and the tools to succeed. It made such an impact on her that she decided to give back. "My heart and soul has always be... posted on May 15 2017, 9,671 reads