How to Talk to Strangers
Kio Stark enjoys interacting with people she doesn't know. Not in an "anonymous acts of kindness" sort of way, but in an adventurous way. Author of the book, "When Strangers Meet: How People You Don't Know Can Transform You," Stark has always been fascinated and enamored by the experience of interacting with strangers. Most people don't give these encounters a second thought, but Stark encourages ... posted on Oct 15, 17664 reads

Why We Shut People Out, and What to Do Instead
Why do we often see the world as "us" vs. "them"? And though it helps quiet our fears, what should we do about this unhelpful, often-damaging instinct? Harvard Psychiatrist and Zen priest Robert Waldinger, director of the longest study on health and happiness, explains why we are natural wall-builders, but actually less safe when we label people instead of relating to them. Read on for useful wall... posted on Oct 20, 24088 reads

5 Habits to Heal the Heart of Democracy
"We the People" called American democracy into being. Today, the future of our democracy is threatened. How can "We the People" call American politics back to health at a time when, in the words of Bill Moyers, "we have fallen under the spell of money, faction, and fear"? One answer is close at hand, within everyone's reach. We must return to the "first home" of democracy: the human heart. In our ... posted on Oct 10, 0 reads

Forgiving My Brother's Killer
This year, as he has done every year since September 15, 2002, Rana Sodhi hosted a memorial for his brother, Balbir Singh Sodhi who was shot while planting flowers in front of his store just four days after the 9/11 attacks. His murder turned a generation of young people, like family friend Valarie Kaur into activists, who began helping communities organize against racism and violence. But after t... posted on Oct 4, 10947 reads

Parker Palmer on the Heart of a Teacher
What is at the core of an exceptional teacher? Is it innate skills? In-depth knowledge? Infinite wisdom? Parker Palmer's book, "The Courage to Teach," proposes a different philosophy: the foundation for good teaching is built upon the identity and integrity of the teacher. This means that in order to teach well, teachers must have the courage to know themselves, and show themselves, in the classro... posted on Oct 3, 35543 reads

Teen Creates App So Bullied Kids Never Have to Eat Alone
It's the stuff of school nightmares: You walk into the lunchroom, and can't find a place to eat. You go from table to table, only to be told you can't sit there. You feel like everyone's looking at you, and your face flushes. This was the lunchroom scene not once but many times for Natalie Hampton in her old school. It felt lonely, embarrassing, and so awful that Hampton had to leave. While it doe... posted on Oct 17, 15821 reads

Navajo Justice
In January 2000, the Navajo Nation Council decided to revamp the Navajo Nation Criminal Code by, among other things, requiring the use of peacemaking in criminal cases. The Council formally incorporated into its criminal code the traditional concept of "nalyeeh" -- the process of confronting someone who hurts others with an intention to talk out the action and its consequences. Through this bold e... posted on Nov 1, 17432 reads

This Van Delivers Human Kindness
"If you want to experience real joy in your life, start giving away, start giving out..." Retired couple Peter Grazier and Nance Cheifetz decided that they wanted to become full-time Fairy Godparents, so in 2003, they sold their Lexus and bought Bodhi, their 1990 Volkswagon kindness van, and have been hitting the streets of the San Francisco Bay Area with lunch and hot chocolate. "Adults should ha... posted on Oct 8, 4524 reads

The Giving Season
"I was recently the recipient of an incredible act of anonymous kindness. It came from out of nowhere, at exactly the right time. The magnitude of the gift moved me to tears, and I was so grateful and profoundly moved by the generosity of my unknown benefactor. But I was also sure there had been a mistake. In the midst of this beautiful act, I am ashamed to admit that I was momentarily overcome ... posted on Oct 16, 13780 reads

Why Anonymity is More Artistically Rewarding than Fame
"Obscurity rids the mind of the irk of envy and spite; [it] sets running in the veins the free waters of generosity and magnanimity; and allows giving and taking without thanks offered or praise given." Read on for Virginia Woolf's reflections on the power of creating art anonymously.... posted on Oct 30, 7808 reads

A Library Where Kids Learn to Tinker
"Supplied with iPads, power tools, a 3-D printer, hot-glue guns, paint and buckets of marbles, buttons and other knick-knacks, the preteen participants [of this community "Maker Space" in Philadelphia] are given free rein to build what they please. To an outsider, it might seem the kids are just messing around, making arts and crafts from leftover junk. But for many of its young devotees, the prog... posted on Nov 10, 10814 reads

Two Words That Can Change a Life
""As I walked into the parking lot, I spotted the woman returning her shopping cart, and I remembered something in my purse that could help her in a different but hopefully profound way. It wasn't a handful of cash or a lead on a job for her husband, but maybe -- just maybe -- it would make her life better. My heart pounded as I approached the woman. "Excuse me," I said, my voice trembling a bit. ... posted on Oct 21, 0 reads

Can Love Stories Change the World?
Deep within us all lies a tender heart. A heart that's been wounded, heroic, or generous. That guides us with a whisper, or drives us like a sergeant. No matter who we are, where we live, or what we've done, we all have stories with our hearts as protagonist. Love stories. Matt Hopwood believes these powerfully personal, emotive narratives can be transformational for both individuals and communiti... posted on Jan 14, 13457 reads

Food Waste and the Culture of Rush
Journalist Diana Moreno took a job at a low-cost supermarket in Germany where she discovered what she called a nasty reality: "Every day, at a sleepy four o'clock in the morning, a random employee has to do the 'waste inventory'...we get rid of items just because they've lost their label, or because the package is broken, or because they've been left outside the fridge." This food waste adds up to... posted on Nov 27, 13278 reads

A World Where We Trust Strangers
"Something profound is changing our concept of trust, says Rachel Botsman in this TED talk. While we used to place our trust in institutions like governments and banks, today we increasingly rely on others, often strangers, on platforms like Airbnb and Uber and through technologies like the blockchain. This new era of trust could bring with it a more transparent, inclusive and accountable society ... posted on Jan 22, 18214 reads

Barefoot Skateboarders of Janwar
India's largest skateboarding park isn't in a big city, it's in a small village in Madhya Pradesh. A sport which has long been identified with urban neighborhoods across the world, is being used in a village in central India as a trigger for social change. Ulrike Reinhard, a German national, established a skate park in Janwar, Madhya Pradesh in a region notorious for being one of the most socially... posted on Oct 24, 3816 reads

Flowers from the Sky
Brenda Louie grew up during China's Cultural Revolution. She walked out of the country looking at the stars as she waited for her bound-foot grandmother to catch up. An extraordinary journey led her to Stanford. Her message is about the hope for humanity. "We have the sky. The rain and the sun come from the sky on old people, young people, rich, poor -- all colors and races, not honoring and bles... posted on Nov 19, 3828 reads

Reengineering Our Patterns
Eknath Easwaran, recommends slowing down and prioritizing our lives to live in more productive and balanced ways. As chair of the English Department at a large university, Easwaran's to-do list was long and daunting. He shares how he tackled it through inspiration from his grandmother, a woman who managed a large family with an unerring sense of what was central and what was peripheral. ... posted on Nov 16, 0 reads

The Beauty of What We'll Never Know
Sometimes transformation can be facilitated not by knowledge, but the lack of knowledge. In this novel and intriguing TED talk, Pico Iyer discusses the flip side of knowledge on the self-discovery coin. "The opposite of knowledge ... isn't always ignorance. It can be wonder. Or mystery. Possibility. And in my life, I've found it's the things I don't know that have lifted me up and pushed me forwar... posted on Nov 7, 20787 reads

Tea with Betty Peck
Betty Peck's kindergarten in Saratoga, California was a magical place. One mainstay of Betty's classroom cooking was the Kindergarten Bread. Baked weekly, the making of the bread takes children through all the stages of wheat, from kernel to loaf. The children plant the wheat each year, harvest it, grind a small amount to add to the bread, and learn about kneading, rising, and baking, singing song... posted on Feb 14, 8874 reads

Before the Flood: Leonardo DiCaprio's Exploration of Our Planet'
"Before the Flood," captures a three-year personal journey alongside Academy Award-winning actor and U.N. Messenger of Peace Leonardo DiCaprio as he interviews individuals from every facet of society in both developing and developed nations who provide unique, impassioned and pragmatic views on what must be done today and in the future to prevent catastrophic disruption of life on our planet. Watc... posted on Nov 5, 5237 reads

How to Find the Good in a Nasty Election Cycle
"Of course, you dont need me to tell you that this is a stressful election. According to a Harris poll conducted for the American Psychological Association, 52 percent of American adults say that the presidential election is a very or somewhat significant source of stress. For registered voters, that number is even higher 55 percent of registered Democrats and 59 percent of Republicans. No demogra... posted on Nov 6, 38737 reads

Why We Love Our Own Creations
In this article, behavioral economist Dan Ariely explains why we feel joy and engagement when we make things ourselves. He discusses "The Ikea Effect" and how even small contributions to an item's creation can lead to more affection and attachment to that item. He shares: "The lesson here is that a little sweat equity pays us back in meaning -- and that is a high return."... posted on Dec 26, 15921 reads

Singer Loses Voice and Finds Her Song
One day in 2011, singer-songwriter Crystal Goh woke up with no voice. She was diagnosed with a rare neurological condition called Spasmodic Dysphonia, with no known cause or cure. Two years went by as Goh struggled with this disease. In the midst of her isolation and depression, she wrote a song to remind herself about the importance of hope. And as she began to share this song with others, her vo... posted on Nov 28, 4029 reads

Mark Nepo: On Taking the Exquisite Risk
"Mark Nepo is a poet, philosopher, and spiritual teacher who is the author of numerous books and audio projects, including the New York Times bestseller The Book of Awakening. In this transcript of an episode of Insights at the Edge, Tami Simon has an intimate conversation with Mark about the two most important lessons he has learned from his journey with cancer, the role of effort and grace in ou... posted on Dec 10, 26941 reads

Remote Wonders: A Conversation with Elaine Ling
"Ling was petite. That didn't stop her from lugging her 4x5 view camera to the most remote places in the world. And she was a doctor. "I love photography and medicine. Doing my Mongolian book, my guide was a Mongolian doctor. He took me around and everywhere we went we connected with doctors in the field. Often they would come with me, so we bombed along the steppes in a jeep full of singing docto... posted on Dec 14, 3074 reads

What Will The Theme Of Your Life Be In 2017?
"As we ponder resolutions for the coming year, New Year's can also be a time to reflect on our life story -- and to figure out how everything fits together. Incorporating our goals into the larger narrative of our life can give us more energy to pursue them, and to become the person we want to be...Studying stories is not easy, since every person's life is so unique. In their quest to categorize a... posted on Jan 1, 20982 reads

Kindful Kids: Top 10 of 2016
"The beginning of another new year is the perfect time to reflect, as a family, on memorable moments of togetherness and inspiration from the year gone by and to express gratitude for all that it offered. It is also an opportunity to plant seeds for the intentions you want to cultivate at both a personal level with your families and, more broadly, to plant seeds of goodness for the change you wish... posted on Jan 10, 10708 reads

Fritjof Capra: We're All In This Together
"At the forefront of contemporary science, the universe is no longer seen as a machine composed of elementary building blocks. We have discovered that the material world is a network of inseparable patterns of relationships; that the planet as a whole is a living, self-regulating system." In this article from Resurgence & Ecologist magazine, Fritjof Capra gives an overview of "systemic thinking," ... posted on Jan 31, 19014 reads

Rise and Shine: A Morning Pep Talk from Marcus Aurelius
Some days we are full of inspiration and energy to spring out of bed and into the day. Other times, our motivation may be a little more stifled. Where can we turn on those days when we are less than excited about work? Perhaps to the words of the ancient Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius, who offered up this advice: "At dawn, when you have trouble getting out of bed, tell yourself: "I have to go to wo... posted on Jan 15, 17370 reads

The Robin Hood Army
The Robin Hood Army wields a double edged sword fighting food wastage and hunger with one mighty strike. The initiative in Pakistan began in 2015 with volunteer Robin Hoods filling 100 empty tummies in a week. One year later, the army has mobilized and they plan on reaching 500,000 individuals across seven different countries. This is a simple and truly inspiring concept that is confronting two ma... posted on Jan 17, 2926 reads

Quiet Justice & the Mindful Lawyer
"When I tell people that I teach a class in law and meditation at UC Berkeleys law school, I often hear snorts of disbelief. "It's easier to imagine a kindergarten class sitting in silence for half an hour," a friend said to me, than two lawyers sitting together in silence for five minutes." But the class is no joke. In fact, it's part of a ground-breaking movement that has quietly been taking hol... posted on Jan 27, 12718 reads

When Cancer Calls Everything Into Question
"Most of us walk through our lives feeling so certain of what we hold to be true; then along comes a crisis -- like cancer -- and sud?denly all bets are off. As humans, we crave certainty. Se?curity. We want to know, Why did this happen? Will I be OK? What if there are no answers and no certainty to be found? What if we can't know? Does that mean peace of mind and heart are no longer possible?" In... posted on Feb 15, 13906 reads

Welcome to Canada: A Refugee's Story
"I think that facing death changes people. Which is what happened with me." Mohammed Alsaleh was a young medical student in Syria, dreaming of one day treating patients with cancer. Under the Assad regime he was arrested three times, held in 5 different detention centers, and tortured for 120 days before being released. In 2014 he was granted asylum in Canada where he began to rebuild his life. No... posted on Feb 9, 3284 reads

The Evolution of Gratitude
Malini Suchak, assistant professor of animal behavior, ecology, and conservation at Canisius College, researches gratitude, discovering that "Gratitude is one of the fundamentally important parts of human life." But why is it "as much a part of our social relationships as gossip?" Darwin himself suggested that humans and other animals share the "same emotions, even the more complex ones such as je... posted on Mar 24, 11262 reads

A Spotlight on Love
Love is in the air! When we hear that phrase, we might picture, perhaps, a young giddy couple freshly struck by Cupid's arrow or maybe an older couple holding hands as they stroll quietly along a boardwalk awash in a sunset glow. Perhaps the phrase conjures images of roses, chocolates, and candlelit dinners. But love is so much broader an emotion and action than romance. In this Daily Good Spotlig... posted on Feb 14, 16557 reads

Blueberries and the Art of Being Present
Plucking a juicy, vibrant ripe blueberry from its tree is a blissful moment for Alanda Greene. Drinking in the aroma of the fruit as she harvests the bright blue bunches, she feels moments of timelessness, completely absorbed in her work. It's not however, always 'smooth picking'. She admits to feeling a sense of urgency when contemplating the sheer amount of picking to be done -- the mind rushes,... posted on Apr 2, 11886 reads

Do Not Lose Heart: We Were Made For These Times
There are times when living for today is exactly what we need to do, and there other times when we will only prevail if we take the long view of life on this Earth and stop measuring our success by the problems we solve each day. For this reason, Clarissa Pinkola Estes exhorts us to embrace the moment we are in with all of its fear, uncertainty, and turmoil. She says, "I too have felt despair many... posted on Mar 13, 0 reads

Getting Out of the Way: How a Doctor Learned to Heal
Healing comes from within. This is the conclusion of Dr. Steven Weiss who has practiced osteopathic medicine for the past 30 years. Using a wide range of modalities and traditions, Dr. Weiss has made it his aim to help people access the energies within to find their way to healing. By "Getting out of the way" he allows the healing energy to become accessible through him to those hidden places wher... posted on Apr 10, 20720 reads

He Showed Us The Way: A Speech by Cesar Chavez on MLK
"The burdens of generations of poverty and powerlessness lie heavy in the fields of America,"said Cesar Chavez in April 1978, rallying farm workers and praising Martin Luther King's use of non-violence "as a truly powerful weapon to achieve equality and liberation." Chavez' view of non-violence was practical. Like King he lived what he believed, and we can apply to him his own words in praise of K... posted on Mar 31, 18345 reads

Meredith's Joy Jars
"While having trouble transitioning to high school in 2011, my mom placed a big bowl of quotes on my desk to pick from every morning. I grudgingly agreed, but as time went on I realized what a gift this tool truly was. Taping the words of wisdom across my walls and carrying my favorites inside my phone case, I truly believed that each quote I picked was something that I was meant to hear. Later, w... posted on Mar 20, 5189 reads

Teen Activist Works to Save the Earth
Kelsey Juliana is proof that you're never too young or too busy to save the planet. Since the tender age of 15, when most of her peers were busy with soccer practice and reading the Hunger Games, Kelsey has been delving into legal briefs as a co-plaintiff for Oregon TRUST (a nonprofit fighting climate change for future generations), which is suing the state of Oregon "to take a more aggressive sta... posted on May 1, 16640 reads

Yoga Shala West: Moving From Transaction to Trust
Pranidhi Varshney founded Yoga Shala West (YSW) "to create an environment for practice that was inclusive to all people, regardless of financial barriers." She aimed to move away from the transactional and image-driven nature of contemporary yoga, opting instead for an alternative fee structure and community-based social enterprise model. At YSW, "each student is not paying for his or her own pr... posted on Apr 21, 10121 reads

Why We Need a Secular Sabbath
According to acclaimed writer Pico Iyer, interruptions come every eleven minutes, leaving us with the feeling that we are never caught up on our lives. The constant interruptions from technology make us feel fractured and frustrated with life. When we are overly focused on technology, what is most important to us escapes us both in work and at home. Iyer suggests dedicating one day a week to a "Se... posted on Apr 30, 17670 reads

What Activists Can Learn From Grace Lee Boggs
With the need for social change in countries all around the world, it is easy to understand how "protest fatigue" can set in. However, veteran activists can offer some advice on how to stay in it for the long haul of bringing about a better world. Grace Lee Boggs was one such lifelong activist until she passed away in 2015 at the age of 100. She lived and breathed her truth and believed that tendi... posted on Jun 23, 10122 reads

Peak Performance: Lessons in Leadership from Mountain Guides
Leadership is needed in times of upheaval and transition -- but what are the qualities it takes to be an effective leader and a positive influence? Christopher I. Maxwell of the Wharton Center for Leadership delves into this question in an interview. In it he discusses his book, "Lead Like a Guide: How World Class Mountain Guides Inspire Us to Be Better Leaders." Maxwell interviewed mountain guid... posted on May 5, 13011 reads

Turning Waste Streams Into Value Streams
The vision of Sustainability 3.0 is a circular economy that mimics our natural ecosystem: the "waste" from products that have outlived their usefulness becomes "nutrients" for further production. This foundational shift away from the linear business model of "take, make, and dispose" could be a huge boon for the sustainability movement and could provide great opportunities for businesses. However,... posted on Jul 18, 7039 reads

For the Love of Bees: A Conversation with Meredith May
"(My grandfather) instilled in me a love of bees and their gentle nature, but I think what I absorbed from it-- without even realizing it -- is how his relationship with the bees gave him a relationship with everybody up and down (Big Sur)." Award winning journalist, writer, and beekeeper, Meredith May talks about family, beekeeping, and storytelling. ... posted on Apr 13, 3429 reads

A Weaver of Kind Voices
Ironically, in an age where we seem to be more connected than ever, research shows that we are lonelier than ever. Inspired by the writings of Thoreau, Steinbeck, and the teamwork of his community garden, David Levins decided to break down the barriers of isolation, one conversation at a time. In 2012, he initiated A Kind Voice, a nationwide, volunteer-run phone line where people call in anytime f... posted on Aug 7, 9656 reads

A Vision for the World
Brother David Steindl-Rast has a vision for the world. One where people's attitude is changed by whatever is given, and whatever the circumstance, whatever is given is seen as a gift. And then of course, the appropriate response to a gift is gratitude. The gift hidden in our unprecedented world crisis is an equally unprecedented opportunity. The opportunity to wake up to the madness of violence. T... posted on Aug 9, 11007 reads