The Big Idea Behind Integrative Medicine
"The emerging field of integrative care is as much an idea as a set of practices. The idea is of an ecosystem of support, an intersecting set of relationships that address the whole human package -- body, mind, heart, and soul...I am reminded of the support that the poet W.H. Auden gave Dr. Oliver Sacks when he was composing Awakenings, a book about his work with a group of patients who had been i... posted on Aug 04 2016, 16,522 reads

The Benefits of Learning to Be Kind to Yourself
"Human beings are the only creatures who can make themselves miserable. Other animals certainly suffer when they experience negative events, but only humans can induce negative emotions through self-views, judgments, expectations, regrets and comparisons with others. Because self-thought plays such a central role in human happiness and wellbeing, psychologists have devoted a good deal of attention... posted on Aug 03 2016, 30,658 reads

Togetherness: A Wedding Blessing
Exactly a year and a day ago today, doctor-poet Sriram Shamasunder was asked to share a poem to celebrate the wedding of two friends, who in joining their lives together, were also making a commitment to combine their energies, gifts and talents in service of the greater good. The opening lines draw you in: "Somewhere right now so many someones are closing their eyes for the last time / and so man... posted on Aug 02 2016, 21,243 reads

Jane Hirshfield:Living by Questions
"In times of darkness and direness, a good question can become a safety rope between you and your own sense of selfhood: A person who asks a question is not wholly undone by events. She is there to face them, to meet them. If you're asking a question, you still believe in a future. And in times that are placid and easy, a good question is a preventive against sleepwalking, a way to keep present th... posted on Aug 01 2016, 19,658 reads

How Smartphones Are Killing Conversation
Today's cell phones threaten to hinder humanity rather than help unless we take control of our behavior and put people first. In her new book, "Reclaiming Conversation," MIT sociologist Sherry Turkle, author of the bestseller "Alone Together," explores the social effects of cell phones and the importance of honoring and protecting the quality of conversation in our everyday lives. In this intervie... posted on Jul 31 2016, 31,150 reads

A Tale of Two Americas and the Mini-Mart Where They Collided
Ten days after 9/11, a shocking attack at a Texas mini-mart shattered the lives of two men: the victim and the attacker. In this stunning talk, Anand Giridharadas, author of "The True American," tells the story of what happened next. It's a parable about the two paths an American life can take, and a powerful call for reconciliation.... posted on Jul 30 2016, 24,847 reads

Street Poets: The Community Cure for a Violent Culture
For twenty years, Chris Henrikson has been using the power of poetry to reach and transform at-risk youths and students in classrooms and on the streets. What started as a writing workshop in a juvenile detention camp with six kids has grown to a program serving over 600 young people a year. At its core, Street Poets offers kids a safe space to open up, tell their stories, and discover and share t... posted on Jul 29 2016, 16,168 reads

Giving To People Who Give
YouTube prankster Big Daws has over 1.7 million subscribers to his channel, BigDawsTV, but in this video, he addresses the issue of homelessness. Watch this social experiment in which Big Daws pretends to be a homeless person in need, and then gives to those that lend him a hand. "I just want to make the world a happier place and bring out the best in people."... posted on Jul 28 2016, 4,485 reads

When Resting is Resistance
Activists are impatient for the world we want to see. But though we seek to build a world beyond capitalism, we still fall into its traps, like the need for ceaseless productivity. We transpose capitalist definitions of 'success' onto social movements. We're either winning or losing. Within capitalism, if you're not growing and improving, you're failing. Some of us fight because our lives depend o... posted on Jul 27 2016, 14,682 reads

Paying Attention, Discovering Joy
When asked whether the poems she wrote helped connect her to the joy they expressed, poet Barbara Crooker had this to say, "I write from personal experience. If you look at the facts of my life, you might not think that there would be much reason for rejoicing. My first child was stillborn and my first marriage fell apart partly because of this, my third daughter had a traumatic brain injury when ... posted on Jul 26 2016, 11,358 reads