Are You In Control of Your Decisions?
Behavioral economist Dan Ariely doesn't buy into the notion of immutable human rationality, upon which economic study is traditionally based. In fact, he says, we are often predictably irrational. We understand our preferences less well than we imagine; and all-too-frequently our decision-making is manipulated by the way in which alternatives are presented. We know our physical limitations, and we... posted on Jun 09 2013, 5,121 reads

24 Acts of Kindness To Restore Faith In Humanity
Remember the time when someone let you cut in line at the grocery store because you only had one item to pay for? How about that day on the subway when you witnessed a seemingly self-absorbed teenager, glued to his iPod, giving up his seat for an elderly lady with a cane? These stories stay with us because they are reminders that, even in the face of adversity and darkness we have a shining capa... posted on Jun 08 2013, 46,042 reads

A Midwife to the Dying
"In having been in the field of dying for many years, I have frequently encountered the tragic limitations of dying in America. Our lives are an ongoing opportunity for us to realize compassion in the world and to really be a benefit to others. How extraordinary at the moment of death we have this opportunity to unify with our basic nature." Joan Halifax, a "midwife to the dying", has spent over 3... posted on Jun 05 2013, 25,710 reads

The Ten Gifts of A Servant Leader
"As many small trickles of water feed the mightiest of rivers, the growing number of individuals and organizations practicing servant-leadership has increased into a torrent, one that carries with it a deep current of meaning and passion. Robert K. Greenleaf 's idea of servant-leadership, now in its fourth decade as a concept bearing that name, continues to create a quiet revolution in workplaces ... posted on Jun 04 2013, 122,692 reads

9 Things Educators Should Know About the Brain
Learning is a dynamic function that each person experiences in a vastly different way. For instance, one individual may retain knowledge the best by studying a textbook while another may need to link an idea to a physical activity they perform. It is important to apply this concept both in our classrooms along with our own daily lives. This is especially critical in a child's early formative years... posted on Jun 02 2013, 149,071 reads

Seattle's One of A Kind Food Forest
Can food be free, fresh, and easily accessible? That's the bold question the city of Seattle is hoping to answer with a new experimental farm near downtown that will have fruits and vegetables for anyone to harvest. The planners have discussed what would happen if someone picks all the fruit for themselves. "But that's been perceived as a good thing," says one of the project architects. "We'll jus... posted on Jun 01 2013, 6,633 reads

10 Ways to Get Ahead Through Giving
Why do some people become successful while others do not? Adam Grant, an organizational psychologist at The Wharton School, has studied this question and what he found is surprising: "The people most likely to rise to the top are often those who give the most to others -- people Grant calls 'givers,' as opposed to the 'takers' who try to get as much as possible from others and the 'matchers' who t... posted on May 29 2013, 33,102 reads

How to Change the World with Hot Cocoa & Neruda
"Wake up. Don't press snooze. Sling your legs over the side of the bed. Right. Left. Turn on music. Good, good music...You need a life soundtrack. Has anyone told you that yet? Pick out something spectacular from your closet. Feel good in your skin. Put on an item that tells some kind of story. Always have a story to tell, just a wrist or coat sleeve away. And if that yellow sweater ain't got a st... posted on May 28 2013, 36,480 reads

Miserable & Magical: A Graduation Speech for Paradoxical Times
When the student body of an elite private school in Silicon Valley was given the chance to vote on who would give their graduation address, their first pick was Nipun Mehta. An unexpected choice for these teenagers, who belong to what Time magazine called the "Me Me Me Generation". Nipun's journey is the antithesis of self-serving. More than a decade ago, he walked away from a lucrative career in ... posted on May 27 2013, 550,096 reads

Ladder to the Pleiades
"My daughter, Hannah Virginia, who recently turned three years old, is teaching me about the stars. Far from being a liability to her, my own profound astronomical ignorance has turned out to be her boon and, through her, a boon to me as well. The most important thing the kid has taught me is the brilliant, open secret that if you don't go outside and look up, you won't see anything. Every night b... posted on May 26 2013, 56,608 reads