United Nations: A Meditation for Peace
October 24th is United Nations Day, which commemorates the anniversary of the adoption of the United Nations Charter in 1945. For 71 years, the United Nations has been working to maintain international peace and security, promote sustainable development, protect human rights, uphold international law, and deliver humanitarian aid. Spiritual leaders can also be found on the front lines of peace, an... posted on Oct 25 2016, 13,857 reads

Barefoot Skateboarders of Janwar
India's largest skateboarding park isn't in a big city, it's in a small village in Madhya Pradesh. A sport which has long been identified with urban neighborhoods across the world, is being used in a village in central India as a trigger for social change. Ulrike Reinhard, a German national, established a skate park in Janwar, Madhya Pradesh in a region notorious for being one of the most socially... posted on Oct 24 2016, 3,816 reads

Mary Oliver on the Third Self
"Mary Oliver sets out to excavate the building blocks of the self in order to understand its parallel capacities for focused creative flow and merciless interruption. She identifies three primary selves that she inhabits, and that inhabit her, as they do all of us: the childhood self, which we spend our lives trying to weave into the continuity of our personal identity; the social self, "fettered ... posted on Oct 23 2016, 19,122 reads

How to Awaken Joy in Kids
In an effort to help young kids to not only cope, but to actually thrive in the stress-filled worlds they live in, authors James Baraz and Michele Lilyanna outline several scientific-based practices that they have cultivated through their experiences as teachers of both children and adults.... posted on Oct 22 2016, 21,484 reads

Two Words That Can Change a Life
""As I walked into the parking lot, I spotted the woman returning her shopping cart, and I remembered something in my purse that could help her in a different but hopefully profound way. It wasn't a handful of cash or a lead on a job for her husband, but maybe -- just maybe -- it would make her life better. My heart pounded as I approached the woman. "Excuse me," I said, my voice trembling a bit. ... posted on Oct 21 2016, 0 reads

Why We Shut People Out, and What to Do Instead
Why do we often see the world as "us" vs. "them"? And though it helps quiet our fears, what should we do about this unhelpful, often-damaging instinct? Harvard Psychiatrist and Zen priest Robert Waldinger, director of the longest study on health and happiness, explains why we are natural wall-builders, but actually less safe when we label people instead of relating to them. Read on for useful wall... posted on Oct 20 2016, 24,088 reads

A Filmmaker, a Mountain and a Moment of Truth
Andrew Hinton, Emmy award-winning filmmaker, embarked on a vision quest with the intention of becoming a "man of integrity, a bridge between two worlds." He notes, "how our culture lacks deep rituals that mark the transition to manhood, and how easy it is without them to get lost somewhere between boy and man. And of how, maybe twenty years late, I am here to finally step across." Alone in the Ore... posted on Oct 19 2016, 10,781 reads

Leadership & Authentic Self Esteem
"There was a time when we believed self-esteem to be the royal road to flourishing...However, later studies showed that increases in self-esteem did little for our happiness or performance, but ample for our egos. Professor Roy Baumeister's work with self-esteem showed that we'd been raising a generation of narcissists who went on to wreck havoc in their lives and in their workplaces. It now appea... posted on Oct 18 2016, 16,817 reads

Teen Creates App So Bullied Kids Never Have to Eat Alone
It's the stuff of school nightmares: You walk into the lunchroom, and can't find a place to eat. You go from table to table, only to be told you can't sit there. You feel like everyone's looking at you, and your face flushes. This was the lunchroom scene not once but many times for Natalie Hampton in her old school. It felt lonely, embarrassing, and so awful that Hampton had to leave. While it doe... posted on Oct 17 2016, 15,821 reads

The Giving Season
"I was recently the recipient of an incredible act of anonymous kindness. It came from out of nowhere, at exactly the right time. The magnitude of the gift moved me to tears, and I was so grateful and profoundly moved by the generosity of my unknown benefactor. But I was also sure there had been a mistake. In the midst of this beautiful act, I am ashamed to admit that I was momentarily overcome ... posted on Oct 16 2016, 13,780 reads