Zen & The Art of Watching Television
"I want you to watch TV with acute awareness, mindfulness, and precision. 1) Watch any TV show for 15 minutes without turning on the sound. 2) Watch any news program for 15 minutes without turning on the sound. 3) Watch the television set for one half-hour with out turning it on." This unconventional series of assignments was handed out to his students by a sociology professor who used it to jump... posted on Aug 30, 30111 reads

The Profound Act Of Talking To Each Other
One of the paradoxes of our times is the fact that many people would like to simplify their lives, yet the world grows only more complex. Complexity has taken over how we attempt to get things done in organizations, communities and governments. We can't seem to do anything simply anymore. Yet real change is possible, and it begins with the simple act of people talking to one another about what the... posted on Jan 7, 56847 reads

Transformative Organizing: A Labor of Love
Elizabeth Flores played a pivotal role in the quest for equal rights of undocumented workers. Her passionate work helped persuade Governor Jerry Brown to sign the "California Domestic Workers Bill of Rights" into law. Flores' approach was one of 'transformative organizing' -- a way of combating injustice, that emphasizes creating change through how we are as individuals, how we relate to one anoth... posted on Jan 9, 15551 reads

The Meanings of Life
Professor Roy Baumeister wonders why parents often say: 'I just want my children to be happy,' rather than: 'I just want my children's lives to be meaningful." Yet we fear meaninglessness, and when we lose a sense of meaning, we get depressed. What is this thing we call meaning, and why might we need it so badly? This thoughtful article shares more.... posted on Nov 8, 56330 reads

Top 30 Innovations of the Last 30 Years
"Imagine this is 1979: If you were reading this article back then, chances are you would have read it on paper -- with a printed newspaper or magazine in your hands. Today, you are probably reading it on a desktop computer, a laptop (or as a printout from either of these), or perhaps even on your Blackberry or iPhone. The pace of innovation has been so hectic in recent years that it is hard to ima... posted on Nov 17, 36481 reads

8 Creativity Lessons From An Animator
Whether it is sharing ideas, working hard and being persistent in your efforts, or having the ability let go of your own ego, amazing things can be accomplished when you allow yourself to become a true team player. Bernhard Haux, who has worked on blockbuster motion pictures such as 'Up,' and 'Monsters U', offers up some inspiring thoughts that can help everyone work together to achieve a common g... posted on Dec 26, 30326 reads

The Thinking Habit That Changed My Life
Writing out a gratitude list can be a simple, yet profound act. "It's interesting, because so much of our lives are spent in unconscious mental habits. Without knowing it, we complain, we nitpick, we stress about little faults; we see the bad in people and situations. Changing that doesn't happen immediately. However, you can change a little at a time. Start with a small gratitude session, and ... posted on Dec 14, 84071 reads

Bright Ideas to Simplfy Your 'Stuff'
Whether it be through sharing, repairing or changing the rules there are myriad ways in which we can simplify our lives. In this article, writer Shannan Stoll offers up six different paths to simplicity and illustrative stories to go with them. Such as the story of the Fixers Collective in NY, a group that dedicates space, tools, and support for monthly repair sessions where folks in the communit... posted on Jan 21, 44884 reads

Not More, But Better: The Story of Solutions
The final film in the 'Story of Stuff' series asks, "What if the goal of our economy wasn't more, but better -- better health, better jobs, and a better chance to survive on the planet?" According to Annie Leonard, we get better and better at playing the wrong game. See what game she suggests:... posted on Nov 21, 27684 reads

Hope Is What We Become In Action
"I believe it is possible that we can turn today's breakdown into a planetary breakthrough on one condition. We can do it if we can break free of a set of dominant but misleading ideas that are taking us down." Francis Moore Lappe began her journey as an environmental author and activist with the publication of her bestselling cookbook, "Diet for a Small World." In her latest book, "EcoMind," she ... posted on Jan 13, 26900 reads

The Real-life Courage of Harry Potter Fans
When teacher, Andrew Slack, finally conceded to the pleadings of his students - he had no idea what he was getting into. They had been begging him to read the Harry Potter series -- an enchanting story about a teenage wizard who uses his magic to conquer the dark forces world. At first, Slack was mesmerized by the stories -- captivated by the notion that one boy could do so much good. And then on... posted on Feb 25, 30594 reads

The History of Simple Living
When Pope Francis took office, he shocked the world by abandoning the luxuries of office for a simple guesthouse out back. His goal was to experiment with a new living arrangement, one that allowed him to live amongst the community he was serving. And as the recession forces more and more families to 'tighten their belts', it seems that the art of simple living is making quite a comeback. In his n... posted on Mar 14, 43867 reads

How To Make Stress Your Friend
Stress. It makes your heart pound, your breathing quicken and your forehead sweat. But while stress has been made into a public health enemy, new research suggests that stress may only be bad for you if you believe that to be the case. Health psychologist Kelly McGonigal urges us to see stress as a positive. If you believe that your body is energized and preparing you to take action, your physical... posted on Dec 22, 10725 reads

How To Foster Generosity In Students
In an effort to encourage the innate altruistic tendencies of young students, Vicki Zakrzewski, Ph. D., offers up several key components that she believes can help cultivate a spirit of generosity and kindness. Zakrzewski, the education director of the Greater Good Science Center, which teaches skills that foster a compassionate society, notes that one of the most important - and beautiful - scien... posted on May 16, 15298 reads

Painter of the Desert
"Three things are important in this world: good health, peace with one's neighbor, friendship with all.' This proverb from Senegal welcomes us on James 'Chip' Thomas' door. We ring the bell. He opens with a smile. Brazilian tunes fill the living room. Outside, sunset dyes the desert with pale pink..." Read on to hear the thought-provoking tale of Chip Thomas, doctor and street artist, and the "Pai... posted on Jan 16, 29144 reads

La Vida Robot
In a second-floor windowless room on the rundown Carl Hayden Community High School campus, four students huddle around an odd, 3-foot-tall frame constructed of PVC pipe. At the top sits a black, waterproof briefcase containing a nest of hacked processors, minuscule fans, and LEDs. It's a cheap but astoundingly functional underwater robot capable of recording sonar pings and retrieving objects 50 f... posted on Mar 6, 5891 reads

3 Resolutions For a Happier Year
I do understand why people don't like New Year's resolutions: They can be a source of failure, year after year. Folks often pick resolutions that are inherently unrewarding, that necessitate relentless hard work, or that remind them of their mortality in a way that makes them feel small instead of grateful ... Over the years I've learned a lot of tricks for successfully keeping my resolutions. And... posted on Jan 1, 76454 reads

A Mother, A Son & An iPad
Joshua Seftel is an award-winning filmmaker who has worked on many high-profile film, TV, and radio shows. This video is about a much smaller, much more personal project. Joshua originally bought his mom an iPad to stay in better touch with her after his father passed away last year. Once they began chatting regularly, he quickly realized their talks were something special. And he began filming th... posted on Jan 17, 5927 reads

Are You an Empathizer or a Sympathizer?
Empathy and sympathy are not just two different approaches to confronting the emotional challenges of others: they are diametrically opposite responses in many important ways. Sympathy places another's problems at a distance from us, places us in a position of superiority, and "drives separation", says Dr. Brene Brown. Empathy, on the other hand, requires that one internalize the feelings of anoth... posted on Feb 8, 8052 reads

The Empathy Library
Imagine a library filled with only the very best examples of human empathy. A treasure trove of inspiring books and films to 'spark a global empathy revolution.' This was the goal of author Roman Krznaric, who worked to capture the world's most memorable examples of empathy under one digital roof. His project, dubbed The Empathy Library, is swiftly being recognized as one of the best online commun... posted on Apr 17, 25551 reads

Birdman & The Shining Fire Hydrant
At first thought, prison might seem like an unusual place to go mining for wisdom. But Insight-Out might make you think differently. Insight-Out refers to a special program at California state prison San Quentin. It is a program that guides inmates on a healing process so they are able to come back out transformed and ready to serve others. One man, known simply as Birdman, offers a small story fr... posted on Apr 5, 13782 reads

6 Habits of Highly Grateful People
When's the last time you stopped to smell the bread baking? Learn more about taking the time to appreciate the little things, and how this and other habits of highly grateful people can help support a lifetime of appreciative presence. ... posted on Mar 19, 182539 reads

Three Short Pieces To Reframe Your Day
"Footsteps in the hall and the familiar sound of a key turning in its lock. My husband is home. He drops his lunch bag by the door like a schoolboy. Hurry, he says, there's something time-sensitive you need to see. I am pulled to my feet by curiosity and the urgency in his voice. We hustle into the cool, dark arms of a January night.." In these three short pieces a writer opens a window onto every... posted on Mar 26, 27146 reads

Feeding Thousands In Singapore
In this corner of South East Asia, a diverse group of people from different backgrounds in nationalities and professions work together to put food on the table for those who are in need. This 100% volunteer-run organization not only cooks up 3000 appetizing meals daily but also arranges tuition payments for school children and bereavement services regardless of race or creed. ... posted on Feb 28, 3046 reads

Overcoming the Creative Block: Advice From Artists
""Inspiration is for amateurs -- the rest of us just show up and get to work," Chuck Close scoffed. "A self-respecting artist must not fold his hands on the pretext that he is not in the mood," Tchaikovsky admonished. "Show up, show up, show up, and after a while the muse shows up, too," Isabel Allende urged. But true as this general sentiment may be, it isn't always an easy or a livable truth --... posted on Apr 22, 26849 reads

What Does A Grateful Organization Look Like?
When was the last time you expressed gratitude to a co-worker, or received expressions of gratitude from one? Or when was the last time you thanked or were thanked by your supervisor? According to the latest research, gratitude in organizations is extremely significant -- for starters, it can boost morale and increase productivity. A recent quiz developed by the Greater Good Science Center, reve... posted on Mar 31, 17745 reads

Desmond Tutu On Why We Forgive
Desmond Tutu is what Gandhi would call a "practical idealist." He believes in the practical, healing power of forgiveness because he sees it as more than a virtue; to him, it is a supreme gift, which we can give either partially or unconditionally. He opts for the latter because with it, he sees a greater freedom for the individual who has been harmed. Forgiveness is not forgetting, he points out,... posted on May 6, 53294 reads

The Daily Routines of Geniuses
In his book Daily Rituals: How Artists Work, author Mason Curry examines the schedules of 161 painters, writers, and composers, as well as philosophers, scientists, and other exceptional thinkers. Drawing from the examples Curry provides, Sarah Green of the Harvard Business Review picks out for us a set of compelling commonalities shared by some of history's most brilliant people.... posted on Apr 14, 64594 reads

A Heroic Garbageman For Our Rivers
CNN Hero Chad Pregracke has made it his life's work to clean up the Mississippi River and other American waterways. Since 1998, about 70,000 volunteers have helped Pregracke remove more than 7 million pounds of garbage from 23 rivers across the country. "The garbage got into the water one piece at a time," Pregracke says. "And that's the only way it's going to come out." After learning he had won ... posted on Apr 25, 5529 reads

Sow Much Good
When Robin Emmons first helped her struggling brother transition to a mental health facility, she never imagined that his physical health would so drastically decline. The residents were existing on a diet of canned and sugary foods, the only diet the facility could afford. This is an all too common reality for many living in low income areas. They are cut off from access to fresh, wholesome foods... posted on May 25, 12969 reads

The Solar Suitcase that's Saving Lives
When Dr. Laura Stachal first visited a Nigerian hospital, she was shocked by what she witnessed. The lights went out in the operating room during an emergency caesarian section. Sadly, during her two week stay she witnessed countless other times when the lives of mothers and infants were placed at risk due to the lack of a reliable electricity source. When she returned from that trip, she was insp... posted on May 9, 4733 reads

40 Kids & Counting
What simply started as a young woman, her backpack and her desire to travel the world, has turned into the remarkable account of how a single person has transformed an entire remote Himalayan village. Read more about the inspirational story of Maggie Doyne, who has dramatically improved the lives of many young, orphaned children in a far-flung region of Nepal by building a loving home and an ever-... posted on Jun 8, 5995 reads

The Conditioned: A Sidewalk Poet Finds His Home
Raimundo Arruda Sobrinho was a homeless poet, living for decades on a roadway median in Sao Paulo, Brazil, he called "The Island." Though his circumstances were dire, he wrote each day will diligence and passion. His dream was to share his work with the world; but he lived fundamentally disconnected from others. Or did he? This film speaks to the inherent interconnections among all of us and the a... posted on May 13, 3822 reads

Dreaming of a Peaceful World
Although much of the world continues to view nonviolence as a passive and largely ineffectual tactic, peacefulness has indeed been used as a tool for change since before the time of Christ all the way up until the present. In his latest book, “The Nonviolence Handbook”, author Michael Nagler explains how to use the practice of nonviolence for the sake of progress and challenging injust... posted on Aug 3, 217173 reads

Leaders Open Doors
"I got to open doors for people!" These are the words spoken by author Bill Treasurer's five-year-old son, and these are the words which helped him to formulate perhaps his greatest insight into the characteristics of a successful leader. That is to say, leadership isn't so much about the leader, rather it's more so about those being led. In his most recent book, Leaders Open Doors, author Bill Tr... posted on Jun 21, 20322 reads

A Father Who Transformed Grief By Giving
Richard Nares faced a parent's worst fear when his son Emilio was diagnosed with leukemia in 1998 and died from the disease two years later. But he managed to transform his grief into charity by helping hundreds of families face the complex challenges of childhood illness, by giving them a lift. After his son died, he returned to Rady Children's Hospital in San Diego and asked staff how he could h... posted on Jul 10, 19072 reads

Ed Johnson: Beauty & Science
"Passion...is the element that makes it possible for a real breakthrough in thought to take place. And beauty...goes a long way in establishing the bona fides of the results of scientific experiments." If these sound like interesting thoughts to be coming from a molecular biologist, you may want to read on to hear the full conversation between interviewer Richard Whitaker and remarkable researcher... posted on May 26, 11264 reads

The Heart of Urban Resilience: Trust Not Tech
"We are facing an uncertain future as a result of climate change; disasters do seem to be happening all too often. But does our emerging notion of resilience, as a result, become an alternate way of thinking about disaster management rather than a longer term means to consider how to make our cities more robust and flexible in the face of uncertainty?" Leo Hollis answers this question and more in ... posted on May 27, 11272 reads

The Attention Economy
For all the sophistication of a world in which most of our waking hours are spent consuming or interacting with media, we have scarcely advanced in our understanding of what attention means. Attending is closely connected to anticipation. Soldiers snap to attention to signify readiness and respect. Teachers shout 'Pay attention!' at slumped students whose thoughts have meandered, calling them back... posted on Jun 4, 6062 reads

10 Things Creative People Know
Do you consider yourself creative? According to Peggy Taylor and Charles Murphy, even if you don't consider yourself creative, you are more creative than you realize. "Creativity is not found just in the chosen few who exhibit artistic talent. It is a force that flows through every single one of us, allowing us to dream things up and make them happen." Creativity, in other words, is more than art... posted on Jun 5, 1917 reads

I Talk To Strangers
One of the first rules parents often teach their children is "Don't talk to strangers." But Robbie Stokes was determined to flip that old life lesson on its head. So, after quitting his job working in the United States House of Representatives, Stokes, now 26, set out on an ambitious backpacking journey around the world in which his aim was to talk to as many strangers -- people of all ages, races... posted on Aug 12, 4667 reads

The Fourth Wall of Empathy
Rick Raemisch, Colorado's new Chief of Corrections, asked to spend time in solitary confinement in an effort to ignite a larger discussion about the overuse of solitary confinement. He knew he needed to walk the walk in order to talk the talk. Read about how his empathetic experience garnered national headlines and encouraged prison administration and policymakers to question the frequency of this... posted on Jun 18, 19854 reads

7 Keys To A Good Death
"Some years ago, I helped tend to a friend of mine who was dying of cancer. Near the end of his life, he had reached a place of equanimity around dying. But instead of honoring his wishes for a peaceful death, his doctors ordered aggressive chemotherapy treatment, which did nothing to halt his cancer. The treatments caused him immense suffering, rendering him unable to sleep, eat, or converse with... posted on Jun 24, 85426 reads

Catching Song With Bobby McFerrin
"I want everyone to experience at the end of my concert...this sense of rejoicing. I don't want them to be blown away by what I do, I want them to have this sense of real, real joy from the depths of their being. Because I think when you take them to that place then you open up a place where grace can come in." These are the words of musician Bobby McFerrin during his interview with Krista Tippett... posted on Aug 15, 14856 reads

Humor As A Tool In Non-Violent Conflict Resolution
Humor can be very effective in establishing a human connection between parties in a conflict, and thereby defusing the conflict itself, though it can be very hard to remember when the heat is really on. In fact humor is a time-honored strategy in the repertoire of nonviolence. But like any strategy it has to be appropriately applied. And that means exposing the folly in what someone is doing witho... posted on Jul 8, 36799 reads

All In On Love
Love others. Sounds simple, right? As Vinoba Bhave confessed, "I said it was simple; I did not say that it was easy." And this message of the simplicity of the idea, yet the ever-present challange of putting love into practice is found in all times, across all areas of life. Enter American singer-songwriter John Legend. A graduate of Penn, passionate about music his entire life, the greatest lesso... posted on Jun 29, 30352 reads

James Doty's Helper's High
Happiness comes from a having a purpose, or at least, that is what James Doty's life exemplifies. Founder of a compassion research center at Stanford University, or CCARE, Doty gave up a billion dollar company and has dedicated his life to not only serving others, but creating the high-level research that suggests that happiness is found in what we give, not in what we get. An atheist, his finding... posted on Aug 22, 24813 reads

10 Life Lessons Kids Can Teach Us
Do you remember how wonderful it felt to be a child? Adventure was our only calling, and courage seemed never ending. And subsequently, we seemed to enjoy our life so much more. In this beautiful article we are reminded of 10 life lessons that children teach us every day. Read more to discover new ways in which we might incorporate our younger selves into the joy of our daily being. ... posted on Jul 25, 75891 reads

Eating Outside the Box
We love the convenience of a prepackaged meal. But, at what cost? Did you know that in the U.S. alone, packaging materials constitute 32 percent of the municipal solid waste stream? Sadly, school lunches contribute significantly to this problem -- generating between 45 and 90 pounds of Ziploc bags, foil pouches, and other packaging waste each year. That's roughly equivalent to the weight of an ave... posted on Aug 14, 15945 reads

7 Ways To Inspire Healing After Disaster
"From 9/11 to Malaysia Airlines 370 to the Chilean earthquake...the news of a community rocked by tragedy continually reminds us of our collective vulnerability. Who are we as individuals after these calamities? Who are we as a community when the boundaries of civility, safety, and certainty shatter?...We are all individual in our response to trauma, and we are all unique in our recovery process. ... posted on Aug 9, 15611 reads