This Hunger for Holiness
"Being in the presence of Barbara Brown Taylor's wonderfully wise and meandering mind and spirit, after all these years of knowing her voice in the world, is a true joy. I might even use a religious word -- it feels like a "blessing." And this is not a conversation about the decline of church or about more and more people being "spiritual but not religious." We both agree that this often-repeated ... posted on Aug 26, 4350 reads

I Use My Voice as a Weapon of Mass Connection
"I'd always been doing community sings and gatherings, and people ask me, "What do I have to do in order to be able to sing with you?" And I say, "Are ya breathin'? Good. That's the only qualification." And we need that so much. In my talk, I'll be talking a lot about why we need to share each other's music and how important that really, really is..." Melanie DeMore is a singer/composer, choral co... posted on Oct 3, 2221 reads

Greater Good Resources for Peace & Conflict
"Here at the Greater Good Science Center, the war between Israel and Hamas is provoking a range of emotions: sadness, anger, fear, and more. Were reading the news every day and wishing that there were more we could do to help.As an educational nonprofit, the best we can do, perhaps, is to remind ourselves and our readers that peace is always possible, the vast majority of people resist killing, ev... posted on Oct 16, 2219 reads

Life's Present: Visits with my Mother and Dementia
In a touching reflection, Jackie Bailey shares heartwarming and intimate details about caring for her elderly mother, whose demeanor has softened with age and dementia. She muses, "It's not that mum has simply forgotten all her old beefs. Getting older is making her brain kinder." Citing studies on neuroimaging and the release of oxytocin, she asserts, "older people are kinder than the rest of us.... posted on Jan 3, 2264 reads

Conversation with Peacemaking Mystic, Orland Bishop
“What are the questions being asked of me?” and “Why would I do something my heart is telling me not to do?” Orland Bishop addresses these two questions in his interview with Berry Liberman, spanning from his emigration to the United States to his social healing work. Bishop discusses how what is happening in the world today due to the collective unconscious reflects the un... posted on Apr 30, 2412 reads

Sri Lanka's Untold Story of Resilience
When the legendary Dr. A. T. Ariyaratne -- often called "the Gandhi of Sri Lanka" -- passed away last month at the age of 92, his enduring legacy of selfless love expanded in hearts across the globe. For over sixty years, Dr. Ariyaratne's humility and servant leadership stewarded thousands of self-sufficient villages in Sri Lanka. Working quietly and often behind the scenes, the unique non-governm... posted on May 7, 2256 reads

Becoming a Possibilist
“I don’t have a crystal ball to know what’s going to happen in the future, but I know that in the present moment, there are possibilities for us as human beings to transform our conflicts.” Author and negotiation expert William Ury’s opens his discussion on Sounds True’s Insights at the Edge podcast with this explanation of what it means to be a possibilist. The... posted on May 13, 2854 reads

Listening to Stones
Thought leader Don Hill and renowned Blackfoot elder and scholar Leroy Little Bear explore “different visions of reality” on their hike to the archaeological site, Writing-on-Stone, in Alberta, Canada. They conversed with one another, but also with wind, hoodoos, petroglyphs, local birds, insects and surroundings exploring “ways of knowing.” Little Bear explained that life ... posted on May 16, 2037 reads

Learning the Language of Plants
Jessica J. Lee and Zoë Schlanger delve into the intricate world of plant intelligence, memory, and cultural belonging. Their new books offer fresh perspectives on the interconnectedness between humans and plants. Schlanger, inspired by the profound vitality of plants, discusses their intelligence and adaptability, challenging conventional notions of consciousness. Lee, reflecting on the histo... posted on May 22, 1784 reads

Popular Sneaker Shop Returns -- With A Twist
A sneakers store will soon reopen in California; however, it will not sell new sneakers. Through gatherings, mentoring, internships, and workshops, locals will learn shoe cleaning and repair, and how to make their old shoes “spicier.” But the space, known as SoleSpace Lab, is about a lot more than shoes. Participants will also learn about the many harmful materials that go into sneaker... posted on Jun 11, 1480 reads

The Surgeon Who Accepts Community Service as Payment
As a child, Demetrio Aguila admired his physician father who worked long hours, but with such a higher purpose that “there was always joy in everything he did.” Demetrio wanted to find his own joyful higher purpose. He became a surgeon, and was inspired by his experiences with humanitarian services in the military to help the less fortunate. After much soul searching and some stumbling... posted on Jul 26, 2422 reads

The Benefits of Volunteering
Experience and research show that while volunteering is good in and of itself, volunteers may receive as much or more than they give. Some of the benefits: it keeps people active; leads to new friendships, less loneliness, and more social support; it instills a sense of purpose, and improves self-esteem and self-confidence; and they feel a sense of accomplishment. Researchers find volunteering may... posted on Aug 3, 1848 reads

Ice Cream Aunties Bring Joy and Healing
A devastating and highly destructive fire last year traumatized people in Lahaina on the island of Maui. Some residents were fearful of coming out of their places of refuge, even when essentials were left on the lawn. Locals who wanted to help wondered what it would take to get them out. Then one had an idea: free ice cream. Now known as the Ice Cream Aunties, they began to signal ice cream delive... posted on Aug 8, 1719 reads

Iris Murdoch: How to See More Clearly and Love More Purely
Maria Popova explores essays by Iris Murdoch around self-knowledge and relationships. She stresses that self-knowledge is a lifetime journey. When we do not see progress, or fail in our strivings, we may become anxious “where we feel the discrepancy between our ideals and our personality.” The discrepancies may show up as hurtful to others, and create more anxiety. She writes, “f... posted on Aug 13, 2504 reads

Untitled
Thoughts and even subtle emotions influence the activity and balance of the autonomic nervous system (ANS). The ANS interacts with our digestive, cardiovascular, immune and hormonal systems. Negative reactions create disorder and imbalance in the ANS while positive feelings such as appreciation create increased order and balance in the ANS, resulting in increased hormonal and immune system bal... posted on Jul 25, 781 reads

Linking Relationships and Physical Health
Research on the link between relationships and physical health has established that people with close interpersonal relationships recover more quickly from disease and live longer. And now the emerging field of social neuroscience, the study of how people’s brains entrain as they interact, adds a missing piece to that data. The most significant finding has been that of "mirror neurons," brain ce... posted on Nov 20, 2119 reads

Untitled
Meet a very special group of puppets. They dress and act like real children. Like real children, each one has definite likes and dislikes, hopes and fear, talents and limitations. And, like real children, some have differences like mental, physical or emotional disabilities, and some have lives touched by abuse, drugs or divorce. Together, the Kids on the Block form the core of a unique and exciti... posted on Oct 2, 558 reads

Energizing Elixir
Love is in the air almost everywhere -- in movies, on TV, in greeting cards and, of course, in steamy romance novels. Ministers preach about it, pop stars sing about it, but what exactly is love? Researchers at Fetzer Institute are trying to understand its subtler, altruistic nature and coming to interesting conclusions. For instance, having a clear-eyed assessment of your spouse, and not the am... posted on Jun 12, 1165 reads

To the Rescue in Bangladesh
Driving in Old Dhaka (Bangaldesh), she saw a cycle-rickshaw standing by the side of the road. Under the decorated hood were two women; one looked young and "very confused." Then she noticed a vehicle with two men in it coming down the road. She sensed something was wrong. "It looked like a dalal (pimp) and his client. I thought "I have to do something!" I looked at the young girl and said, 'Do y... posted on Nov 7, 1045 reads

Barefoot Solar Engineeers
Gulab Devi is illiterate, but she talks about circuits, transformers and condensers as other women talk about cooking and sewing. She is one of many barefoot solar engineers. Ask her what she does for a living, and she'll tell you she makes electronic circuits and chargers for solar lighting panels. And before you start wondering whether you heard wrong, she'll tell you that she also installs and... posted on Jul 24, 1501 reads

Windsurfing For Sustainability
They're 23 years old, windsurfers, and expert sailors. To inspire young kids to do sustainable development, Diogo Guerreiro and Flávio Jardim embarked on 6,500 Km trip across the coast of Brazil. And they travel light -- a windsurf board and a small bagpack. "We go into the class and tell children about how we are living. That we are just using the wind as an energy source," explained Diogo Gu... posted on Nov 9, 1160 reads

Out of the Rat Race
For years, Mark Albion ran at the head of the rat pack. He earned three degrees and an appointment at Harvard University, he was regularly sought by the best and the brightest companies for advice, he had brilliant colleagues, unlimited resources, few bosses, a flexible work schedule, and personal wealth. He was also miserable because he felt his work didn't enrich the lives of others. After witne... posted on Apr 28, 2329 reads

You Do What You Eat
Forget tougher punishments and hiring more police. The solution to crime and violence is on your plate. Appleton Central high school, for example, replaced their vending machine with water coolers; the lunchroom took hamburgers and French fries off the menu, making room for fresh vegetables and fruits, whole-grain bread and a salad bar. Yup, that's all. And the student behavior radically improv... posted on Feb 1, 1908 reads

Myth of the Mid-life Crisis
Recent discoveries at George Washington University Medical Center show that the aging brain is more flexible and adaptable than we previously thought. Studies suggest that the brain's left and right hemispheres become better integrated during middle age, making way for greater creativity. As our aging brains grow wiser and more flexible, they also tend toward greater equanimity. And a great deal o... posted on Mar 27, 2173 reads

Unexpected Outcomes
Dr. Hill asks his mathematics students at Georgia Tech to go home and either flip a coin 200 times and record the results, or merely pretend to flip a coin and fake 200 results. The following day he runs his eye over the homework data, and to the students' amazement, he easily fingers nearly all those who faked their tosses. There is more to this than a classroom trick. Dr. Hill is one of a growin... posted on Apr 9, 2246 reads

Finding Flow
Athletes refer to it as "being in the zone" and artists and musicians as "aesthetic rapture.” For decades now, a remarkable researcher from the University of Chicago -– and author of President Clinton's favorite book -– has studied exactly this. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi started with art students, then chess players, musicians, inner-city basketball players, and eventually Bornean weavers and ... posted on Apr 24, 1764 reads

More Nutritional Bang For Your Buck
Consider this the next time you force the nutrition in: researchers have found that food that's unfamiliar or unappetizing winds up being less nutritious than food that looks, smells and tastes good to you. Does this mean we should be reaching for the donuts and forgoing the raw cauliflower? No. The food has to have nutritive value in the first place. And how does the mind affect nutritive value? ... posted on May 13, 1647 reads

Child Poet and Peacemaker
Speaking at 14 year-old Mattie’s funeral, Jimmy Carter said that he’d traveled to 122 countries and met kings and queens, but Mattie Stepanek was “the most extraordinary person I ever met.” Despite suffering from muscular dystrophy, Mattie’s first poem came when he was 3! His wisdom, positivity, and messages of peace have inspired and given hope to millions. At the age of 10, Mattie wrot... posted on May 14, 2437 reads

Raising 10 Kids on 35 Words or Less
In the mid-1950s, the ten Ryan kids lived on the edge of disaster and dispossession. Dad drank away his machine-shop wages, and his witty, resourceful wife, Evelyn, was too busy at home to take a job. So she started entering contests -- not today's sweepstakes but tests of literacy mettle -- churning out hundreds of rhyming couplets and mini-essays hailing the merits of soap and cat food. And by G... posted on Jun 8, 2540 reads

Five-A-Day Plan For Well-Being
Simple activities such as gardening or mending a bicycle can protect mental health and help people to lead more fulfilled and productive lives, a panel of scientists has found. A "five-a-day" program of social and personal activities can improve mental wellbeing, much as eating fruit and vegetables enhances physical health, according to Foresight, the government think-tank. Its Mental Capital and ... posted on Oct 30, 5945 reads

One Red Paper Clip For A House
It began when Kyle MacDonald, an aspiring writer, doer of odd jobs and apartment dweller, advertised in the barter section of the Craigslist Web site that he wanted something bigger or better for one red paper clip. He traded it for a fish-shaped pen, and posted on Craigslist again and again. Roaming Canada and the United States, he exchanged the pen for a ceramic knob, and in turn: a camping sto... posted on Jul 19, 2084 reads

Dancing to Heal
Anna Halprin, the world-renowned experimental dancer, turned 85 this year. Her focus on dance as a healing art started when she diagnosed her own cancer and survived through a combination of surgery, conventional medical therapies, and unconventional visualization processes. Her institute seeks to draw from the wisdom of the body and the creativity of the imagination as a source for authentic expr... posted on Sep 21, 2157 reads

Staying Positive About Pluto
When the National Astronomical Union (IAU) recently reclassified Pluto as a dwarf planet, people worldwide had strong and widely differing reactions. While some mourned the 'demotion' of the planet, others saw the change as demonstrative of the process of scientific progress where old knowledge must make way for new. As American scientist and TV host Bill Nye put it, " Pluto’s change in status a... posted on Sep 22, 1675 reads

The Business of Changing the World
Generating a constant demand for creativity and innovation, businesses have driven transformation. The breadth and diversity of people brought together within them, beyond nation, religion, or race, is utterly new. Big business has changed the world -- but has also brought us to the edge of ecological and social crisis. Which way the scales eventually tip may have to do with a powerful force worki... posted on Oct 16, 1488 reads

Contemporary Tribute To Mandela
February 11th 1990: a dignified elderly man walked out of 27 years in prison and straight into history. Nelson Mandela's immense courage and personal moral authority stood as a beacon of hope first to a bitterly divided nation and then to the whole world. This year, a spectacular new book has been published that includes the peace laureate's prison writings, as well as more than 250 photographs an... posted on Nov 9, 2153 reads

Worldwide Economic Integration
One of the defining characteristics of the world in which we now live is that distances are shrinking rapidly. The shrinking globe has been a major source of the powerful wave of worldwide economic integration and increased economic interdependence that we are currently experiencing. This speech by US Federal Reserve Chairman Bernanke outlines causes and implications of declining economic distance... posted on Nov 5, 1577 reads

Nine-Year Old's Courage and Composure
Remaining calm and level-headed in moments of crisis is a challenge -- particularly when you're only nine years old. But when second-grader Jimmy Steven's mother fell unconscious behind the driving wheel, he knew just what to do. Jumping onto his mother's lap he steered the car to the side of the road, put it in park and dialled 911. For the next eleven minutes he calmly directed paramedics to the... posted on Dec 15, 2441 reads

The Power of Intention
The great boxer Muhammad Ali, in the later years of his career, had a secret: he was not training his body to win; he was training his mind not to lose. Ali remained "the greatest" by drawing upon the power of intention for strength in the ring. Such instructive examples of the art of intention come in other sports, and are found beyond sports, too. In this article, Lynne McTaggart shares research... posted on Dec 27, 2275 reads

Many Faiths, One Heart
Louisville, Kentucky is the annual home of the Festival of Faiths, which brings together many religious and spiritual traditions of the world in an effort to both recognize diversity and celebrate unity. With a general theme of faith and cooperation, new conversations explore aspects of traditions that foster cooperation and dissolve barriers of fear. The Festival believes that a key component in ... posted on Jan 1, 2292 reads

The GoodWork Project
How many of us find our work meaningful? How many of us feel able to do our best work? And how often do we stop to consider the consequences of our work on others, or its impact on society as a whole? Such opportunities to consider the meaning of work are rare, and challenges are salient across stages and fields. To create a paradigm shift, researchers at Harvard, Stanford, and Claremont Graduate ... posted on Jan 8, 3510 reads

Mother To 40 Special Children
Rachel Wheeler-Rossow is a remarkable woman and mother to 40 special children in a family that has caught the hearts and imaginations of the world around her. Yes, 40 children. Three are biological and the rest are children by virtue of adoption and foster care, most of whom were born with severe physical and mental disabilities. But then, Wheeler-Rossow's definition of special maintains that labe... posted on Feb 5, 2477 reads

Turning A City Into A Social Experiment
Antanas Mockus had just resigned from the top job of Colombian National University. A mathematician and philosopher, Mockus looked around for another big challenge and found it as the new mayor of Bogota, Colombia. With an educator's inventiveness, Mockus turned Bogota into a social experiment. At the time, the city was choked with violence, lawless traffic, corruption, and gangs of street childre... posted on Mar 7, 2818 reads

From Conflict to Cooperation
This year a team, which included a New York firefighter, an Israeli excombat pilot and a Ukrainian soldier, embarked on a journey across the Sahara Desert. Each had lost friends or family as a result of international conflicts and all had strong opinions on war, peace and political ideologies. Beginning in Jerusalem and ending in Tripoli, the group endured what are considered to be some of the har... posted on Mar 4, 2486 reads

Ethical Wills: Legacies of Wisdom
When he dies, Abraham Leibson wants to leave his heirs three things: a love of learning, the flexibility to change, and the courage to face their fears. And while such abstract concepts cannot be bequeathed as tangibly as a pocket watch or a stock portfolio, ideals and values are part of one's legacy, nonetheless -- and they can be passed from one generation to another. So Leibson, who is 69 and i... posted on Apr 9, 3812 reads

The Healthiness of Giving
When he was sad as a boy his mother would say, 'Well, Stevie, why don't you go out and help somebody,' " Dr Post recalls. "I would go out and rake leaves or help a neighbor put canvas over a boat." He still remembers those small moments vividly because they gave him the impression that helping others was rewarding. Now he knows it for sure. For the past five years, Dr. Post has been funding resear... posted on Aug 6, 4537 reads

The Man Who Dares End Slavery
Nobel Peace Prize Nominee Kailash Satyarthi has saved tens of thousands of lives. At the age of 26, he gave up a promising career as an electrical engineer and dedicated his life to helping the millions of children in India who are forced into slavery by powerful and corrupt business and land-owners. His original idea was daring and dangerous. He decided to mount raids on factories -- factories fr... posted on Aug 14, 1443 reads

Radiohead Joins the Gift Economy
Radiohead's new album, In Rainbows will be out Oct. 10. What makes it easily the most important release in the recent history of the music business are its record label and its retail price: there is none, and there is none. In Rainbows will be released as a digital download available only via the band's web site, Radiohead.com. Drop the albums' 15 songs into the online checkout basket and a ques... posted on Oct 2, 1944 reads

The New Quest On Campus
According to recent studies, college students are seeking more substance -- and sustenance -- in the classroom than their professors are willing to offer. Findings of an ambitious and long-range study of spirituality in higher education offer an interesting window into the unspoken assumptions and expectations about what the quest for knowledge means at American colleges and universities. The init... posted on Oct 5, 3369 reads

Mike's Handcarved Canes
Mike Hunter, 56, was diagnosed seven years ago with multiple sclerosis. It progressed faster than he thought it would and his sales job had to end when his weakening legs collapsed under him at airports. When he no longer could walk without using a cane, Hunter didn't like the options for sale and decided to make one. He gathered branches, took them back to his home and began to carve and sand and... posted on Oct 10, 4282 reads

Why Sharing Makes Sense
MIT Professor Eric von Hippel, with his book "Democratizing Innovation," has dramatically shifted the insularity of "innovation" and brought it to the realms of every user. In this interview, von Hippel shares his concepts around lead user and free revealing. He talks of "users of products and services –- both firms and individual consumers," innovating and developing the exact product that th... posted on Oct 11, 1785 reads