Do We Need to Love Ourselves Before We Love Others?
Studies linking self-compassion and compassion for others show different results. Some studies show compassion dependent on a person’s own well-being in that if they are doing well, they will treat themselves and others well, whereas if they are dealing with difficulties, they may not. Even in those circumstances, some people are compassionate toward others but not toward themselves. “... posted on Dec 19 2024, 1,330 reads

The World Longs for More Poets of the Everyday
In this poetic piece, Deepa Iyer misses the little connecting moments in our everyday lives – how we don’t seem to listen to one another or even see one another: “It is the ache of loneliness that persists even in the largest crowds, the dissonance of a human connection lost to relentless pace.” As a poet, she wonders about holding the space for poetry in the ordinary. &ldq... posted on Dec 16 2024, 2,194 reads

Tracy Cochran: Coming Home to Yourself
Editorial Director of Parabola magazine and author of Presence: The Art of Being at Home in Yourself shares one nourishing story after another. In one, she speaks of her 93-year-old father: “He was going to make dinner for my sister and I, and had to keep resting, having oxygen. When I tried to help, he said, ‘Tracy, the secret of life I’ve found, is to notice what brings you joy... posted on Dec 14 2024, 2,981 reads

The Value of Nothing
In this brief video, Dr. Talithia Williams talks about zero -- the value of nothing. She explains that “by giving ourselves permission to sit and ponder about nothingness and to give it structure, to give it a value -- we also give ourselves permission as a society to think about hard things and complex things.” We can think about the absence of things, about what is happening in the u... posted on Dec 12 2024, 3,752 reads

Ancestors in Focus
The “Descendants Project” amplifies the voices of Native Peoples whose ancestors were photographed over a hundred years ago, one of whom is Shawnee Real Bird. She grew up on a reservation, and “wondered what I would connect with that could become a portal to the old way of life I longed for.” Shawnee searches to fill the gap in the territory of her ancestral DNA and in her ... posted on Dec 09 2024, 1,778 reads

Can Purpose Affect Your Lifespan?
While we might assume that life satisfaction would lead to a longer life, recent studies suggest that having a purpose in life could be a better indicator. The long-term and wide-ranging study found that people with a life’s purpose lived longer regardless of the demographics. The lead study author says that purpose involves striving for something meaningful and is active, whereas life satis... posted on Dec 05 2024, 2,618 reads

Responding to Parkinson's ... with Rock Climbing?!
Inspiring and courageous rock climbers with Parkinson’s achieve extraordinary results with the help of a non-profit. As the reporter said, “There's no real understanding of how these people can do this, but you can certainly understand why.” According to a climber’s daughter, "My dad has a hard time walking across the room, but he can make it to the top of this giant w... posted on Dec 02 2024, 1,143 reads

Divisions Bring Some Together in this US County
Residents of Port Angeles, Washington gather weekly to exchange ideas and thoughts on current issues. When the primarily Democratic group didn’t reflect the community’s politics, they reached out to welcome Republicans. They sometimes find common ground, but “consensus isn't really the point,” according to David Fox, a longtime member. "It really is just to be face-to-face ... posted on Nov 27 2024, 1,294 reads

Matchmakers Spark Friendships Between Teens and Elders
Andrea Levitt, 82, and Angelo Williams, 16, are paired by one of several nonprofits “that work to make US society less segregated by age to get the generations together.” Griffin, a non-profit director, pointed out, “We have an epidemic of loneliness and isolation that was exacerbated by the pandemic and has serious consequences.” Additionally, we create communities, servic... posted on Nov 22 2024, 1,102 reads

The Giant Study Showing How Dancing Affects the Brain
Dancers and audience members alike talk about synchrony - a feeling of being connected with the dancers, others in the audience, and the dance. They describe it as “the ‘knowing’ that can happen in the moment; it’s something you sense, bypassing language.” Using neuroscience technology, such as electrodes, researchers can now capture “inter-brain synchrony, when... posted on Nov 19 2024, 2,455 reads