6 Ways More Nature in Our Lives Can Reduce Violence in Our World
In some settings the natural world has the power to heal human hearts and prevent violence. That statement isn't based on modern Romanticism, but on a growing body of mainly correlative scientific evidence, with a tight focus on the impact of nearby nature. Read on to discover six reasons why meaningful relationships with nature may -- in concert with other approaches -- bolster mental health and ... posted on Nov 14 2016, 18,887 reads

Community, Conflict and Ways of Knowing
"I argue that the relation established between the knower and the known, between the student and the subject, tends to become the relation of the living person to world itself." In this beautifully articulated piece Parker Palmer reflects on how we should be thinking about the nature of community in modern higher education, what role conflict plays in community, and the two types of love that are ... posted on Nov 13 2016, 13,390 reads

Online 'University of Anywhere' for Refugees
"The University of the People, based in California, is a fast-growing, non-profit project designed to provide higher education for those with the academic ability to study, but without the ability to pay or without any practical access to a traditional university. "There isn't a better reason for the invention of the internet," says the university's founder and president, Shai Reshef. The universi... posted on Nov 12 2016, 8,826 reads

How Sleep Resets the Brain's Emotional Compass
"As most of us know all too well, lack of sleep and a bad mood often go hand-in-hand. But a poor night's sleep doesn't just put a damper on your own emotions. New research from The University of California, Berkeley suggests that it may also hinder your ability to accurately read the emotions of others -- an impairment that may have wide-ranging consequences for our social interactions."... posted on Nov 11 2016, 18,544 reads

A Library Where Kids Learn to Tinker
"Supplied with iPads, power tools, a 3-D printer, hot-glue guns, paint and buckets of marbles, buttons and other knick-knacks, the preteen participants [of this community "Maker Space" in Philadelphia] are given free rein to build what they please. To an outsider, it might seem the kids are just messing around, making arts and crafts from leftover junk. But for many of its young devotees, the prog... posted on Nov 10 2016, 10,814 reads

Desiderata: Go Placidly Amidst the Noise & Haste
When "Zen Pencils" cartoonist Gavin Than asked fans to vote for their favorite poem to be turned into a comic strip, they chose "Desiderata", the widely popular poem written by Max Ehrmann in 1927, whose title in Latin translates to "things to be desired". The poem has been described as a survival guide for life. Than's illustrations bring these celebrated words alive in a unique way.... posted on Nov 09 2016, 59,610 reads

What Do You Do When Someone Pushes You?
If someone provokes you, do you push back? Turn the other cheek? Change course? If so, how? You may find the answers in Aikido, a Japanese martial art whose name has been translated as "the way of harmonious spirit". It has less to do with power and more to do with perspective. To gain control of your opponent's actions, you enter their space, seeing their viewpoint and taking away their target. T... posted on Nov 08 2016, 16,386 reads

The Beauty of What We'll Never Know
Sometimes transformation can be facilitated not by knowledge, but the lack of knowledge. In this novel and intriguing TED talk, Pico Iyer discusses the flip side of knowledge on the self-discovery coin. "The opposite of knowledge ... isn't always ignorance. It can be wonder. Or mystery. Possibility. And in my life, I've found it's the things I don't know that have lifted me up and pushed me forwar... posted on Nov 07 2016, 20,787 reads

How to Find the Good in a Nasty Election Cycle
"Of course, you dont need me to tell you that this is a stressful election. According to a Harris poll conducted for the American Psychological Association, 52 percent of American adults say that the presidential election is a very or somewhat significant source of stress. For registered voters, that number is even higher 55 percent of registered Democrats and 59 percent of Republicans. No demogra... posted on Nov 06 2016, 38,737 reads

Before the Flood: Leonardo DiCaprio's Exploration of Our Planet'
"Before the Flood," captures a three-year personal journey alongside Academy Award-winning actor and U.N. Messenger of Peace Leonardo DiCaprio as he interviews individuals from every facet of society in both developing and developed nations who provide unique, impassioned and pragmatic views on what must be done today and in the future to prevent catastrophic disruption of life on our planet. Watc... posted on Nov 05 2016, 5,237 reads