us to pay certain kinds of attention to our experiences, seems to have succumbed to the speed of our times. We have gotten used to writing in bite-sized pieces for a public looking for ease and entertainment, and hungry for information. No wonder, there are nearly 200 million bloggers on the internet and a new blog is created somewhere in the world every half a second. Instead of adding to our collective wisdom, these writings are largely saturated with the vulgarities of human nature and the superficiality and impatience of our day and age. There are “3 easy steps” to whatever your imagination can conjure up, and endless trivial newsfeeds that shift miles in min... posted on May 23 2016 (14,902 reads)

is work I love. I began this book suggesting that it starts with getting our thinking straight. Since we create the world according to ideas we hold, we have to ask ourselves whether the ideas we inherit and absorb through our cultures serve us. We can only have honest, effective hope if the frame through which we see is an accurate representation of how the world works. The good news is that we face this historic challenge just as our understanding of life's rich complexity, and human nature itself, is expanding exponentially. I am pretty sure, for example, that I'd never even heard the word "ecology" until I was in my twenties. And that was only because I was fortuna... posted on Jun 3 2016 (12,800 reads)

effort to compete at the Olympics. He says she and her sister “represent an impressive example” of the refugee population in Germany, which grew by more than 1 million in the past 15 months. Because refugees give up their homes and suffer through perilous journeys, Shirp says, they offer inspiration to Germans. That inspiration and talent is evident from the Mardinis’ arduous trip to Europe. At a press conference in Berlin in February, Mardini recognized the inspirational nature of her personal story. “The problem [in Syria] was the reason I am here and why I am stronger and I want to reach my goals,” Mardini said. “I want to inspire everyone tha... posted on Jun 10 2016 (12,447 reads)

solitude is found in the wild places, where one is without human obligation. One’s inner voices become audible. One feels the attraction of one’s most intimate sources.In consequence, one responds more clearly to other lives. The more coherent one becomes within oneself as a creature, the more fully one enters into the communion of all creatures. One returns from solitude laden with the gifts of circumstance. VI And there is no escaping that return. From the order of nature we return to the order and the disorder of humanity. From the larger circle we must go back to the smaller, the smaller within the larger and dependent on it. One enters the larger circle by ... posted on Jul 18 2016 (33,839 reads)

the person to good relations in solidarity with his or her surroundings and self. Patients consult Navajo healers to summon outside healing forces and to marshal what they have inside themselves for healing. The term "solidarity" is essential to an understanding of both Navajo healing and justice. The Navajo understanding of "solidarity" is difficult to translate into English, but it carries connotations that help the individual to reconcile self with family, community, nature, and the cosmos – all reality. That feeling of oneness with one’s surroundings, and the reconciliation of the individual with everyone and everything else, is what allows an alterna... posted on Jun 30 2016 (22,218 reads)

happens when we become too dependent on our mobile phones? According to MIT sociologist Sherry Turkle, author of the new book Reclaiming Conversation, we lose our ability to have deeper, more spontaneous conversations with others, changing the nature of our social interactions in alarming ways. Turkle has spent the last 20 years studying the impacts of technology on how we behave alone and in groups. Though initially excited by technology’s potential to transform society for the better, she has become increasingly worried about how new technologies, cell phones in particular, are eroding the social fabric of our communities. In her previous book, the bestselling Al... posted on Jul 31 2016 (30,820 reads)

of integrative medicine is a bold invitation to go beyond the clinical, into regions that capture our hearts and imagination. Caring is fundamental. Nothing else really matters without love as an organizing principle. Or as one patient I know told her physician, "I just want someone who gives a damn." Caring relationships can and should be with our care providers, but they must also be evident in our social networks, our family, and our community, and in our relationship with nature. Beyond the particular type of care we receive is a broader view of health that includes the social and relational. Caring is about how we manifest love in the form of looking out for each othe... posted on Aug 4 2016 (16,356 reads)

universe itself … has no survival value; rather it is one of those things which give value to survival.” But the poetic beauty of this sentiment crumbles into untruth for anyone who has ever been buoyed from the pit of despair by the unrelenting kindness of a friend, or whose joys have been amplified by a friend’s warm willingness to bear witness. Illustration by Maurice Sendak from a vintage ode to friendship by Janice May Udry I often puzzle over the nature, structure, and function of friendship in human life — a function I have found to be indispensable to my own spiritual survival and, I suspect, to that of most human beings. But during a ... posted on Sep 1 2016 (14,868 reads)

and it’s a killer of spirits, and being spiritless can deprive us of our growth. This young man is important, loved and valuable, and he needs to see it, and I will do everything in my power to allow him to see it. The MOON: I used to do development work for AHA! and I know the facilitators are hired for who they are, not just for their education or experience. You have to bring your whole self to work there. Even if you don’t think you’re bringing it, the nature of the work means that people are going to see who you are; you’re not going to be able to hide. So I’m confident you were hired for who you are—so-called negative history and... posted on Sep 3 2016 (13,677 reads)

in. [music: “Sprouts in the Cracks in the Concrete” by Lullatone] MS. TIPPETT: You can listen again and share this conversation with Elizabeth Gilbert through our website, onbeing.org. I’m Krista Tippett. On Being continues in a moment. [music: “Sprouts in the Cracks in the Concrete” by Lullatone] MS. TIPPETT: I'm Krista Tippett, and this is On Being. Today, I’m talking with the author Elizabeth Gilbert about the nature of creativity. In life as in art, she says, it has less to do with passion than with choosing curiosity over fear. MS. TIPPETT: There's also kind of a noble guilt that one can have ... posted on Sep 5 2016 (16,941 reads)

mindset of trying to change the hearts and the deficiency mindset of tolerance, to becoming an alchemist, the type of magician that this world so desperately needs to solve some of its greatest problems. Now, I also believe that people with disabilities have great potential to be designers within this design-thinking process. Without knowing it, from a very early age, I've been a design thinker, fine-tuning my skills. Design thinkers are, by nature, problem solvers. So imagine listening to a conversation and only understanding 50 percent of what is said. You can't ask them to repeat every single word. They would ju... posted on Sep 17 2016 (11,225 reads)

my children were babies, I worried about every cough and fever. I frantically thumbed through my dog-eared copy of How to Raise a Healthy Child in Spite of Your Doctor (a powerfully helpful book written by an iconoclast pediatrician dedicated to the empowerment of parents), and spent hours on the Internet to assuage my anxiety. It was then I stumbled upon the miracle of homeopathy. Precisely how homeopathic medicines work remains a mystery, and yet, nature is replete with mysteries and with numerous striking examples of the power of extremely small things. Packed into tiny sugar balls the size of cupcake sprinkles, this natural form of nanopharmocology dilutes remedies to t... posted on Sep 25 2016 (15,248 reads)

life of animals.” He experienced the consequence of what happens whenever we turn something alive, be it a creature or a work of art, into a commodity — the commercial focus of his job warped how he looked at trees. Then, about twenty years ago, everything changed when he began organizing survival training and log-cabin tours for tourists in his forest. As they marveled at the majestic trees, the enchanted curiosity of their gaze reawakened his own and his childhood love of nature was rekindled. Around the same time, scientists began conducting research in his forest. Soon, every day became colored with wonderment and the thrill of discovery — no longer able to see... posted on Oct 11 2016 (19,822 reads)

founder of aikido, Morihei Ueshiba (1883-1969), came from a well-off family in a southern district of Japan. Short and slight as a youth, Morihei built up his body and trained in a number of martial arts, eventually becoming widely respected for his great strength and skill. At the same time he followed a meditative discipline, influenced by the Omoto-kyo, an early 20th century religion derived from ancient Shinto and shamanistic sources and emphasizing a benevolent, spirit-filled world of nature.      Challenged one day by a young naval officer to a duel with bokken, or wooden swords, Ueshiba opted not to strike the man at all. He simply evaded his attacker&rs... posted on Oct 13 2016 (10,809 reads)

It was a new take on a familiar tradition.  Lent had always been a period of sorrow, penance and self-denial, but this year I would approach it with an attitude of abundance, joy and generosity.  And in doing so, I would begin to fulfill a promise I made to an unknown friend, when I vowed that the kindness shown to me would find its way out into the world through my words, my hands, and my actions. During the 40 days, the gifts I gave were diverse and mostly simple in nature.  Some were tangible, like the can of dog food and spare change I gave the young homeless man cradling a puppy so lovingly in his arms.  Others were immeasurable in the tradition... posted on Oct 16 2016 (13,651 reads)

and searching until I find an even clearer view of my mountain. _______________ Robert wakes us all at 6am. He has created a stone circle that holds a staff in the centre. This is the threshold. He blesses it and invites us to step in one by one. A final smudge. Whispered incantations. A ceremonial brushing of feathers and he sends us on our way. From this point forward we will not see or speak to anyone else until we return in 3 days. When I arrive at my solo spot, I thank the nature that surrounds it. I ask the trees and rocks and creatures to watch over me kindly. They have the capacity to hold or hurt me, to bend the days ahead toward insight or injury. The sun is high a... posted on Oct 19 2016 (10,602 reads)

eligible to vote, volunteer. Now extend this mindset of collective participation to any action you can take that is in line with your deeply held values. You don’t have to do it all. As you take committed action, look around. Notice that you are not alone. This is bigger than you. And also, it needs you. This is how you practice moral courage. 2. Look for the good Are there destructive forces as well as virtue in all of us? Yes, of course. That’s the complexity of human nature. But this election has obscured the latter while highlighting the former. For your mental health, you need to restore some balance. One antidote to moral distress is moral elevation: witne... posted on Nov 6 2016 (38,357 reads)

and very existence. They exemplify what it means to be an authentically empowered woman in the matrilineal way of being. Here is what I’ve learned from them so far: A WOMAN’S STRENGTH IS MOTIVATED BY A DESIRE TO SERVE THE GREATER GOOD. Mitakuye Oyasin means “all are my relatives” in the Lakota language. More than a phrase, it is a guiding principle for living that extends to all beings. This includes the land and waters, both of which are feminine in nature. “Unci Maka is Mother Earth,” explained a 37-year-old mother of four. “The land is not a resource. It is an entity that you have a relationship with and you respect, like y... posted on Dec 5 2016 (41,229 reads)

count on always having enough. Instead, if you use willpower to establish virtuous habits, the danger of succumbing to impulse or temptation is reduced. The human psyche is well designed to acquire habits (both good and bad). Doing something new and different takes effort and attention, and sometimes plenty of thought and emotion. In contrast, doing something by habit requires none of those, or at most a very small amount. To conserve the limited mental and physical energy that people have, nature has designed us to convert novel exertions into easy habits. This occurs over time, with repeated practice. Can you remember your initial struggles with a bicycle, a surfboard, a computer keybo... posted on Dec 19 2016 (14,019 reads)

with you, lately I've been realizing that I haven't had a practice of prayer for a long time. I've kind of felt like my work is my prayer, and I think it is, but that's not enough. So, my life of faith, whatever that means—it's a very fluid thing. It has to do with God, but I do think that more and more, the "with God" expansively understood this sense that there's some—well, I don't know how to define it. But more and more, and given the nature of this kind of accumulative conversation that I'm part of, I think the work we do on ourselves, the work we do to get clarity—to be intentional, to care in the most practical ways, t... posted on Dec 31 2016 (13,247 reads)