Standing in Authentic Power
Stacey Lawson relates how real power is within, and takes inner work and outer action, and how sometimes it’s hard to understand why following inner guidance leads us on a path that doesn’t end where we might have wished. She explains how during meditation she repeatedly received a powerful call to run for political office, and while it was the last thing she wanted to do, and after st... posted on Jun 5, 2895 reads

How the Pandemic Led One Photographer to Greater Collaboration
Photographer Ashima Yadava turned to photography during the pandemic to reconnect with friends. Due to required distancing, she asked them if she could photograph them in their front yards from across the street. Unsatisfied with her single one-sided perspective, Ashima provided them with black and white photos she had taken, and asked “how do they want to be seen and what do ... posted on Jun 14, 1211 reads

Infinity of an Open Heart
Cynthia Li invites us along on an illuminating experience while kayaking in a wilderness. In the silence and blanket of darkness, she stops paddling and begins to drift. She feels suspended in the “dance of the oneness” -- of past, present, and future. She feels both tremendous terror and tremendous freedom hoping to “trust enough in my aloneness to dissolve fully into this great... posted on Jul 1, 2494 reads

Untitled
Canada - When the Texada Land Corp. started logging old-growth Douglas fir and Garry oak on Saltspring Island in November 1999, field naturalist Briony Penn and others protested that the logging was "denuding" the land and disrupting endangered ecosystems. "Ten percent of our island is being clearcut as we speak," Penn declared. No one listened. That changed last January when Penn showed up in dow... posted on Sep 10, 636 reads

Hope In Bloom
During the eight years Kathy Makiver has lived in her Garrison Colonial in Georgetown, she's had good intentions of planting a garden in the large backyard. But with lack of a green thumb and little free time because of a job, husband, and three kids, a garden never materialized -- until a recent Saturday. "This whole thing is a beautiful gift," said Makiver, as she watched family, friends, and vo... posted on Sep 6, 2018 reads

Father & Son Heroes
The story of Dick and Rick Hoyt is an inspirational love story, based on the philosophy "you can!" Although Rick was born with cerebral palsy, his parents were determined to treat him just like their other boys, despite medical professionals who counseled them otherwise. Consequently, Rick grew up engaging and intelligent; and when he was 12 years old even found his voice with the help of the 'Hop... posted on Sep 20, 2457 reads

The Scalpel-and-Pen Wielding Genius
2006 MacCarthur "genius" Atul Gawande wields a scalpel and pen with equal skill. His best-selling book, "Complications" is a series of loosely related essays that focus on surgical themes while highlighting critical issues facing every branch of medicine. The 40-year-old surgeon and author is an assistant professor of surgery and assistant professor of health policy and management at Harvard. Gawa... posted on Sep 27, 1403 reads

A Father's Remarkable Quest For A Cure
John and Aileen Crowley had three beautiful children, a new house, and great jobs. Then doctors diagnosed their two youngest children with Pompe disease, and overnight everything changed. But Crowley refused to accept this death sentence -- and in the absence of other options, made his own. Determined to find scientists who could develop a replacement enzyme that would keep the disease at bay and ... posted on Oct 13, 2300 reads

Beyond the Call
Ed, Jim and Walt are not your average weekend warriors. Ordinary, inconspicuous Americans with wives, careers and hobbies, these three friends and former soldiers realize their deepest passion in life through self-financed humanitarian missions to war zones around the globe. Documentary filmmaker Adrian Belic (Genghis Blues), in the new film "Beyond the Call," tracks these self-styled knights in s... posted on Nov 10, 1558 reads

Amazon Natives Save Forests with Google Earth
Deep in the most remote jungles of South America, Amazon Natives are using Google Earth, GPS mapping, and other technologies to protect their fast-dwindling home. Tribes in Suriname, Brazil, and Colombia are combining their traditional knowledge of the rainforest with Western technology to conserve forests and maintain ties to their history and cultural traditions, which include profound knowledge... posted on Dec 4, 1483 reads

Studying The Power of Flowers
Need a new reason to "stop and smell the roses"? A recent study reveals that fresh flowers can be a natural remedy to enhance moods and increase energy. Conducted by Harvard Medical School, the behavioral research study showed that people feel less anxiety and more energy and compassion when fresh-cut flowers are present in the home. Harvard researcher, Nancy L. Etcoff followed 55 women of various... posted on Dec 30, 2430 reads

Lunch Lady With A Mission
Ann Cooper is not your typical lunch lady. The former chef, who spent much of her 30-plus-year career working in white-tablecloth restaurants and catering for celebrities, is now best known as the "Lunch Lady" in Berkeley, Calif., schools. In cafeterias there she has tossed out fried, frozen, and sugary foods and replaced them with fresh, seasonal, and mostly organic meals. Driven to reform school... posted on Apr 3, 2207 reads

Are We Hard-Wired For Faith?
Most people would agree that the experience of faith is immeasurable. Dr. Andrew Newberg, neuroscientist and author of "Why We Believe What We Believe," begs to differ. He's working on ways to track how the human brain processes religion and spirituality, all part of new field called neurotheology. Newberg took brain-scanning technology and turned it toward the spiritual: Franciscan nuns, Tibetan... posted on Apr 8, 2180 reads

The Blind Artist and His Wife
He is a writer and an artist whose captivating pen-and-ink drawings, books and greeting cards reflect the beauty of southern India. His wife helps compose his work. What makes their story extraordinary? Manohar Devadoss is near blind. His art is produced through a painstaking process of extraordinary will-power and dedication. His wife Mahema is paralyzed below the shoulders, the result of a car a... posted on Oct 31, 4829 reads

Gift Economy Bagels?
Every Friday, Paul Feldman would bring in some bagels and cream cheese to work and set out a cash basket and a sign with the suggested price. His collection rate was about 95%. Years later, when his company fell under new management, Paul quit his job and started to give bagels in the same way. Driving around the office parks that encircle Washington, he solicited customers with a simple pitch:... posted on Oct 23, 2579 reads

Undefeated Football Team of Kansas!
Capacity crowd of 1600 fills the Hubbard Stadium at every home game. They're here to watch high school football. In a Kansas town of 1931 residents, Smith Center team has won 51 games in a row and three consecutive state championships, and has outscored opponents this season, 704-0. Take a closer look and it's easy to see why. Each player and cheerleader signs a contract pledging to remain alc... posted on Nov 10, 3451 reads

A Man Impossible to Classify
"The year was 1965. We were headed toward the Haight-Ashbury. Maybe thirty yards short of the intersection, I saw him standing on the curb, a disheveled young man, not quite in the hippie mold. He was looking directly at me, it seemed, and gesturing emphatically, an incongruous grin on his face." So starts this piece from Works & Conversations Magazine, describing meetings with and reflections by ... posted on Jan 28, 2524 reads

Life As A Daymaker
A client came into David Wagner’s hair salon, "I just want to look and feel good tonight," she said. They laughed and joked throughout the appointment and the client left smiling radiantly. The CEO of Aveda didn’t know then that he had changed her life. A few days later David received a letter from the woman. She explained that she had planned to commit suicide the day she came in and that Da... posted on Apr 22, 4922 reads

The Community Cure
It always seems to come down to who you know. The people we grew up with, now know, and will grow old with have a huge effect on our well-being and even our risk of future disease. Community is where we assimilate health believes, attitudes and behaviors. Community also encompasses our neighbourhoods and their attendant social factors, such as violent crime, unemployment and access to health-care ... posted on Nov 4, 2344 reads

Rebuilding Generations Through Football
What began as one man's passion to help at risk kids has become the vision of many through the Playmakers Mentoring Foundation and their innovative program which began in California. Developed and led by Coach Greg Roeszler (Aka Coach Roz) and his dedicated staff of assistant coaches, Playmakers is drawing kids off the streets and out of gangs to be part of this amazing outreach where children are... posted on Nov 15, 2871 reads

The Healing Opportunity of Art
"I think raising consciousness, helping people see and understand how they're connected to these larger systems in the world around us, is an incredibly important thing. I think art can do this in ways that are provocative, meaningful and inspirational, deeply moving, beautiful, connected with history and culture and resonant. I think that's a big part of it. There's another part of it where I thi... posted on Jul 27, 2278 reads

Have Compassion For Everyone You Meet
"Yesterday I was in the grocery store and ran into an old client. (I worked in Social Services for 14 years and recently left to pursue other things). This particular person had been a very abrasive, belligerant and loud client, which intimidated some of the staff. Somehow I became the person who was best at dealing with these sorts of folks and I was called to the front desk to talk with him. ... posted on Nov 29, 5260 reads

The Power of An Open Heart
"I was on my lunch break in the city, enjoying a salad at an outdoor cafe, when a disheveled homeless lady came walking towards me. She was yelling and begging everyone who walked past her for spare change and she looked like a mess. My instant reaction was fear... to close off and hope she didn't come near me, but she did. I was on the phone and when she came over yelling, I said, 'I'm on the ... posted on Mar 13, 11044 reads

A Mother's Love
There are mothers who will spend today missing sons and daughters fighting overseas. There are women who have lost children in those wars, for whom Mother's Day will never be the same. And then there is Eva Briseno. Joesph Briseno Jr., Eva's 27-year-old son, is one of the most severely wounded soldiers ever to survive. A bullet to the back of his head in Baghdad marketplace in 2003 left him paraly... posted on May 9, 2454 reads

What Makes Us Come Alive?
People don't just do things for money. At least that's what Daniel Pink says. "We do things because they're interesting, because they're engaging, because they're the right things to do, because they contribute to the world," Pink elaborates. In a world that operates on punishments and rewards, writers Clay Shirky and Daniel Pink are paving a new path. Both grew up in Midwest university towns in t... posted on May 25, 5001 reads

66 Ways To Grow Without A Garden
Growing your own food is exciting, not only because you get to see things grow from nothing into ready-to-eat fruits and veggies, but you also don't have to worry about the pesticides they might contain, and you definitely cut down on the miles they (and you) have to travel. But starting a garden can be a daunting task: so many possibilities, water, and weeds. As it turns out, with pretty minimal ... posted on Jul 15, 7919 reads

Can You Teach Emotional Intelligence?
"Our kids need a peaceful place," says elementary school Principal Eileen Reiter who works in Harlem, New York. "It has to be a place where kids can come and feel relaxed and feel safe and get a lot of support." Support, in this case, means more than just academic training and a hot lunch. Reiter has embraced a philosophy known as Social and Emotional Learning (SEL), which teaches students ways to... posted on Aug 11, 10640 reads

Two Brothers, Two Buckets, and World Hunger
Teenagers Grant and Max Buster are proposing a solution to world hunger that anyone can do. All you need are 2 buckets, a few square meters of ground or rooftop, sunlight, and a some water. Distraught by the hunger in the world, the Buster brothers spent their summer vacation designing this simple garden in a bucket. They placed two five gallon (20 liter) buckets set inside one another, to which t... posted on Sep 5, 3298 reads

The Economics of Trust
The laws of economics say that people act out of rational and self-serving motives. But what would it say about the self-sacrificing gestures we make for family and friends? On an inquiry into why people invest in their children in 2000, neuroeconomist Paul Zak discovered the hormone oxytocin, a chemical released when petting dogs, nursing children, or cuddling with loved ones. Since then, Zak has... posted on Dec 15, 4462 reads

From the Streets to Opportunity and Confidence
Nguyen Duc Canh says he used to stay at Vietnam's only "1,000-star hotel." Translation: He grew up under a bridge. Abandoned by his parents in Hanoi, Canh sold chewing gum to tourists. Eventually, he ran into KOTO, or "Know One, Teach One." A 2-year program in Vietnam and Cambodia, KOTO trains former street kids to cook, wait tables and speak English. It "taught me life skills and gave me a house ... posted on Mar 6, 1115 reads

Tiny Superheroes Don Capes and Do Good
"We saw someone next door and we said hi. And we gave him flowers. And we tell him he could come to our school." 3 year-old Cooper Spataro and his classmates are "superheroes of kindness," performing weekly acts of good will that include cleaning school windows and delivering paper flowers to residents of an assisted living community. Teacher Kristal Burns came up with the concept after discoverin... posted on Feb 20, 2725 reads

Laundromat Art
When a Harlem-based group of artists and community activists wanted to make a difference in their local neighborhoods, they looked for a space that was already being used by the community and had gathering potential. And then they stumbled upon a laundromat. With the help of local and artists participating in their own residency programs, the group sets up daily in a number of laundromats and pro... posted on Apr 12, 3845 reads

From Me to We
Neighbors often share a power washer and lawn mowers. Others co-own cabins and cars. Some pick fruit before it rots and donate it to food banks. Families share pets like horses and dogs. Some even share organs. In a society valuing independence and fearing disagreement, people have found a way to enhance their pocket books and their relationships by sharing what they have. Through sharing arrangem... posted on May 24, 3211 reads

I Heart Strangers
"Every single day, I went out into the world to seek out someone I had never before met. I introduced myself and asked them if I could photograph them. I took something valuable away from every encounter and did my best to pass that along." Artist Joshua Langlais started the "I Heart Strangers" project as an attempt to love his neighbors. Starting it in 2008 with the intention of doing it for a ye... posted on Jun 28, 4711 reads

Reading, Writing and Revelation
Whenever the stabbing pain in her knee becomes unbearable, 17-year-old Mackenzie Bearup picks up a book and starts to read. While previous treatments -- painkillers, physiotherapy, acupuncture, hyperbaric oxygen therapy -- have failed, a self-prescribed reading cure works. "So far, books have been my only medicine," Bearup says. Reading and healing have an age-old association. In ancient Egypt, li... posted on Jul 14, 7223 reads

Money and Life: Ecologizing Growth
The words economy and ecology share the same root -- the Greek word meaning household. Could a change in how we view economic systems create a change in how we view ourselves? Ecologize Growth is a five-minute video based on the documentary 'Money and Life', and seeks to answer that question. This micro-film is a challenge to the commonly accepted infinite growth paradigm of the modern economy. It... posted on Aug 29, 3315 reads

The Spiritual Wisdom of Simplicity
The wisdom of simplicity is a theme with deep roots. The great value and benefits of living simply are found in all of the world's major wisdom traditions. Jesus taught by word and example that we should not make the acquisition of material possessions our primary aim. Eastern spiritual traditions such as Buddhism, Hinduism and Taoism have also encouraged a life of material moderation and spiritua... posted on Oct 7, 24391 reads

Economics of Happiness: The New Economy
Many people are facing their most significant economic challenges in generations. From the hardships of unemployment to the perils of mounting debt, worry about the health of a national economy that depends on consumerism and market success dominates our conversation. But what is the economy is really for? "We've had enough of the official mantra: Work more, enjoy less, pollute more, eat toxic f... posted on Nov 20, 23630 reads

Less Work, More Living
"Millions of Americans have lost control over the basic rhythm of their daily lives. They work too much, eat too quickly, socialize too little, drive and sit in traffic for too many hours, don't get enough sleep, and feel harried too much of the time. It's a way of life that undermines basic sources of wealth and well-being -- such as strong family and community ties, a deep sense of meaning, and ... posted on Jan 12, 45405 reads

Our 5-yr-old: Alone But Not Lonely
"We live in a rural farm in India, don't have a TV at home, and have bought our son a total of two toys. Most of his clothes are gifted by family and friends. He doesn't eat cookies, chocolates, carbonated drinks, or fast food. He must be one miserable kid, right? If I say, 'No,' one might respond with, 'Well, he doesn't know what he is missing and he is being brought up in an extremely protective... posted on Jan 15, 0 reads

Meditation: A Compass and a Path
"When I started meditation in the 1970s, people like my parents would say that 'Meditation is staring at your navel. It's self absorbed.' I'd been through medical school and I'd say that when you're in medical school, you go in a room, you close the door and you don't come out for four years. But no one says that's selfish. Everyone knows that it is preparation to do something valuable for society... posted on Mar 20, 34877 reads

Einstein on Thinking and Belief
"Einstein explained that psychologically, our beliefs and axioms rest upon our experiences. There exists, however, no logical path from experience to an axiom, but only an intuitive connection based on our interpretation of the experience, which is always subject to revocation. At one time, ancient astronomers believed that the heavens were eternal and made of ether. This theory made it impossible... posted on May 23, 38907 reads

The Threshold Choir: Songs Bridging Life & Death
"In November of 1990 I was invited to spend a day with a friend of mine who was dying of HIV Aids. He was comatose, but very agitated...I sat down by his bedside and didn't know what to do. I waited and waited. All I knew to do, to calm myself, was to sing. So I sang one song and I sang it for two hours. I sang it over and over again. I watched his breathing slow, and he got much calmer. And I got... posted on Jun 18, 4765 reads

A Manifesto for Living
"Here's to the ones who were told to stop. To give up. To quit trying. To shove themselves into a little box because the world never needed their arms stretched out wide. Here's to the ones who refused to listen. To the negatives. To the naysayers. To pessimists and the procrastinators. Here's to the ones who believe in Away. And Going. And Newness within Newness. And a world made to wash us and m... posted on Feb 6, 24728 reads

The Mahatma and the Poet
"Between 1915 and 1941, Mahatma Gandhi -- who was assassinated 65 years ago -- exchanged a series of letters with Indian poet, philosopher, and celebrated creative spirit Rabindranth Tagore, debating such subjects as truth, freedom, democracy, courage, education, and the future of humanity as India struggled for its independence...These letters are unique in that they were private in nature but p... posted on Feb 7, 14677 reads

Seva Cafe: Serving Generosity on a Platter
Siddharth Sthalekar quit a lucrative job to explore alternatives to the premise of accumulation. He and his wife Lahar journeyed across India and soon woke up to the beauty of the gift economy -- a system where goods and services are extended unconditionally and without any formal quid pro quo. Their experiences moved the couple to join "Seva Cafe" -- a restaurant powered by generosity rather than... posted on Apr 29, 31325 reads

Darwin & The Survival of the Kindest
Dacher Keltner, director of the Berkeley Social Interaction Laboratory, investigates what it means to live a good and meaningful life from the fascinating perspectives of neurobiology, emotion science, and evolutionary science. Contrary to the idea that Darwin saw human beings as competitive and self-interested, Keltner argues that Darwin saw the human species as profoundly social and caring. He e... posted on Oct 19, 26988 reads

8 Fearless Questions
"What, really, is available to us if we can't save the world? What do we fund our work for? Where do we gain energy if we don't believe that we're going to be successful? How can we do our work without hope that we will succeed? There's something very interesting to understand about hope. That is, that hope and fear are one. Any time we're hopeful, we don't know it necessarily, but we're bringing ... posted on Jul 8, 43421 reads

What Are The Secrets To A Happy Life?
With so many self-help books and articles out there posing different theories about what leads to happiness in life, and so many passing fads and trends, how do we know when we've found the right tools that will lead us to a lifetime of joy? Since 1938, The Grant Study has followed 267 sophomores from Harvard University as their lives have unfolded, with the aim of documenting the key factors that... posted on Oct 23, 66904 reads

The Double Life of Audette Excel
Meet audacious Audette Excel, former corporate lawyer and banker who uses her business and legal acumen to make money for the poor and to save the lives of thousands of mothers and children. Audette acts as a bridge between the nonprofit and corporate worlds and says that if you want to know who she truly is, you have to see her in the context of her work with the children of Nepal: "The truth of ... posted on Oct 28, 29608 reads