Why Be Kind?
In the wake of the US election, filmmakers Jessie Auritt and Alexandra Berger wanted to do something to try and combat the negativity, xenophobia, racism and sexism that surfaced. So they turned their camera on a demographic that hadn't been quite so jaded by the media and current events in the hopes that we might all learn from them and try to be kind and accepting toward other people, despite ou... posted on Feb 12 2017, 7,675 reads

Peacemaking the Navajo Way
Navajos have been using a peacemaking system to resolve conflicts long before contact with Europeans. Built upon K'e, the fundamental idea is to restore relationships and harmony, rather than to assign guilt and punishment, through the use of four foundational values: Respect, Relationship (K'e), Responsibility, and Reverence. Mark Sorensen joined the Navajos as a Phd. student and stayed on for 40... posted on Feb 11 2017, 19,967 reads

Removing Weeds, Tending Flowers: Reflections from a Changemaker
Last month, a remarkable gathering took place in Ahmedabad, India. Dubbed, "Gandhi 3.0" it was a retreat that brought together change-makers from around the world who aspire to drive that change from the inside out, through the power of inner transformation. One of the first speakers at the retreat was Sachi Maniar, a dynamic young filmmaker-turned-social-entrepreneur who devotes a significant par... posted on Feb 10 2017, 13,239 reads

Welcome to Canada: A Refugee's Story
"I think that facing death changes people. Which is what happened with me." Mohammed Alsaleh was a young medical student in Syria, dreaming of one day treating patients with cancer. Under the Assad regime he was arrested three times, held in 5 different detention centers, and tortured for 120 days before being released. In 2014 he was granted asylum in Canada where he began to rebuild his life. No... posted on Feb 09 2017, 3,284 reads

To Heal the Human Heart
The science of empathy is now one of the most celebrated subjects of psychological and neuro-psychological enquiry and it has the potential to transform human society in spectacular ways. For instance, if a human being's central nervous system carries blueprints for empathy, and if the health and vitality of one's empathy circuits depend on one's environment from conception through adulthood, what... posted on Feb 08 2017, 0 reads

Singing to Tomatoes
"Modern biological science has developed highly sensitive tools that perceive the continuous movement of living cells, including plant cells; movement that creates a fluctuating rhythm. This knowledge seems to match the insights of indigenous science, these ancient ways of knowing that also perceive the vibration of plants, their song. But they perceive it through other states of consciousness, th... posted on Feb 07 2017, 14,175 reads

How to Find and Support Trustworthy Journalism
In this world of fast-paced news and the proliferation of news sites-- some reliable and some far less so-- how can we make sure the journalism we rely on to help us learn about the facts and events unfolding around us is reliable? This insightful piece from Shareable.com suggests some ways that we can evaluate the news sources we use and encourage responsible journalism on the issues we care abou... posted on Feb 06 2017, 20,602 reads

Are You A Leader or a Follower?
Whenever we put all our energy into staying focused on the Main Chance or making it to the top of the heap, we miss half of the equation of life. There's taking but also giving; acquiring but also letting go. It's just as important to follow your energy as to put pressure on yourself to get where you want to go. Following is the purest attitude we can have as we move around our world, "taking part... posted on Feb 05 2017, 13,063 reads

It's About Critical Connections Not Critical Mass
Connection to others is important in many aspects of life, from establishing a sense of self to securing basic safety. In this piece, Curtis Ogden shares the story of a couple who discovered this truth while hiking in the mountains of Nepal during the 2015 earthquake and makes a compelling case for why critical connections are a key to resilience and to moving from chaos to order in times of crisi... posted on Feb 04 2017, 27,308 reads

Barbara Crooker: Poetry as a Form of Love
"I believe the way we most fully integrate ourselves with the world, is through our senses. When I teach creative writing classes, I love it when I get a five-day class, so that each day I give them an exercise based on one of the senses. I think the electronic world makes us out of touch with our embodied selves. For me, nature is a huge source. I want to be outside. I want to turn to it. I want ... posted on Feb 03 2017, 11,867 reads