Why is the World So Beautiful?
Nobel physicist Frank Wilczek considers whether the deepest realities of the world embody beautiful ideas. He notes, "[[t]here's a very rich history of art objects and music and what people have found beautiful, and literature, and we can compare that to what scientists find in their deep investigation of what the world is, and see not whether those things coincide -- they clearly don't coincide. ... posted on Jul 25 2016, 12,290 reads

James George: If Not Now, When?
"International diplomat, author and visionary environmentalist James George is now 98. I met and interviewed him as he was about to get married at the age of 86. Having just received a copy of his most recent book, Last Call, I thought it fitting to revisit this earlier, light-emitting interview. As Jim George says, "You see, Consciousness is permeating human beings to the degree that it can, but ... posted on Jul 24 2016, 4,628 reads

Why We Need to Cultivate Awe in the Workplace
"There's a profound feeling that shifts us outside the box of the routine and familiar and opens us to something much larger than ourselves writes Homaira Kabir. We've all felt it -- the goose bumps on our arms when standing below towering Eucalyptus trees or the expansive feeling in our chests when watching the sun slowly set in the horizon. Researchers define it as the emotion of awe. Like most ... posted on Jul 23 2016, 13,746 reads

Letting Love Come In: Lessons from a Nursing Home
"Two and a half years ago my grandmother was placed in a nursing home where she will live out the rest of her life. She has dementia and so her memory capacity has been marred. Somehow though she remembers kindness. She is my constant teacher. One of things we like to do is walk down the halls in the nursing facility saying hello to the other residents...When I go to the nursing facility, it i... posted on Jul 22 2016, 15,934 reads

Former Dress Shop Owner Feeds Thousands Through Gardening
What started out as a simple gardening project for a grad student has now grown into a multitude of flourishing gardens, and a community coming together. This is the story of how the Randolph Street Community Garden came to give nearly 2,000 people access to fresh fruits, and vegetables and become a place where food, fun, and friendships grow.... posted on Jul 21 2016, 7,262 reads

A Tribute to Pakistan's Angel of Mercy
Amidst the violence and chaos of Karachi, there is a ray of hope: Pakistani philanthropist, humanitarian and a man of grit and strength, Abdul Sattar Edhi. Born in 1928 in Bantawa, Gujarat, India, he later migrated to Pakistan in 1947. From a very young age his mother taught him to be kind towards others. Each day, she would give him two paisa - one to spend on himself, and one on someone less fo... posted on Jul 20 2016, 3,178 reads

Three Steps to Living a Life of Gratefulness
"In any process, we can distinguish a beginning, a middle, and an end. We may use this basic three-step grid for the practice of gratitude: What happens at the start, in the middle, and at the end, when we experience gratitude? What fails to happen when we are not grateful?...To be awake, aware, and alert are the beginning, middle, and end of gratitude. This gives us the clue to what the three bas... posted on Jul 19 2016, 25,494 reads

Wendell Berry: What Are People For?
In these poems Wendell Berry — poet, novelist and environmental activist — writes about what it means to be human, the human experience of solitude, of community, of love and work, of desire and despair.... posted on Jul 18 2016, 34,416 reads

The Disease of Being Busy
How did we get so busy that we no longer have time for each other? What happened to a world in which we can sit with the people we love so much and have slow conversations about the state of our heart and soul, conversations that slowly unfold, conversations with pregnant pauses and silences that we are in no rush to fill?... posted on Jul 17 2016, 37,896 reads

How Music Bonds Us Together
Most everyone would agree that they enjoy listening to music, whether it be live music, the car radio, or maybe from your smartphone with the headphones on. But now researchers are discovering that more than just a universal mode of satisfaction, listening to music can actually help foster an environment where people have stronger social relationships and a healthier sense of community.... posted on Jul 16 2016, 23,616 reads