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, 19853 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, 85423 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, 14855 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, 36794 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, 24798 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, 75882 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, 15609 reads

Who Fixed The Refrigerator?
Many years ago, a man's refrigerator stopped working and he ventured out to find a solution. A few people -- the used furniture sales person, somebody at the electrical supply store -- shared some tips with him so that in the end, he was able to successfully repair a seemingly mundane problem. Or so he thought. A deeper inquiry of the many apparent and invisible forces that brought about this simp... posted on Sep 4, 19963 reads

A Guide To Love, Loss ... and Lucky Socks
As Mark Twain once said,"What is joy without sorrow? What is health without illness? You have to experience each if you are to appreciate the other. There is always going to be suffering. It's how you look at your suffering, how you deal with it, that will define you." With these words in mind, join author Shannon Hayes on her enlightening journey as she copes with a trip to a hospital, a friend's... posted on Sep 7, 18056 reads

7 Ways To Change Negative Beliefs About Yourself
We all have those moments, special memories of the day 'we began to believe...' Whether through positive or negative reinforcement, we began to form the pathways of everything we believe we are. This is the habit of the thinking mind, and changing it can be a real challenge. But, not impossible. Read more to learn how these 7 simple practices can help us disentangle from old habits and forge posit... posted on Sep 26, 111616 reads

The Importance of Mindfulness In Children
While meditation practices are usually associated with adults, there is a growing movement focused on implementing mindfulness practices to optimize the health, well-being and happiness of children. From helping kids thrive in school, to being an effective intervention with autism, to even serving kids suffering from cancer and other serious health conditions, meditation is showing that it can hav... posted on Sep 21, 47316 reads

Kindness In An Age of Connected Disconnection
Years ago, we didn't have to try so hard to stay connected. People lived in neighborhoods, and there weren't many strangers that didn't ultimately become friends. We watched over one another with relationships built upon a foundation of shared interdependence, ensuring plenty of kindness to go around. Sadly though, through our own scientific progress, we now live in an age of 'connected disconnect... posted on Aug 27, 30231 reads

Discipline With Dignity
Nelson Mandela's adage, "I destroy my enemies when I make them my friends," captures the profoundly inclusive nature of restorative justice (RJ). The hallmark of RJ is intentionally bringing together people with seemingly diametrically opposed viewpoints -- particularly people who have harmed with people who have been harmed -- in a carefully prepared face-to-face encounter where everyone listens ... posted on Sep 14, 28762 reads

Bridges To Prosperity
Here's a simple yet thought-provoking question: Can you imagine your life without bridges and roads? A unique nonprofit organization called Bridges to Prosperity is looking to make a positive difference in the lives of people who live in isolated communities around the world. Using state of the art technologies, fused with local construction techniques, Bridges to Prosperity's mission is to bridge... posted on Sep 27, 14466 reads

A Humanitarian's 4 Decades Long Adventure In Africa
When 24-year-old Molly Melching traveled to Senegal as an exchange student, she felt so at home that she decided to stay on after her program ended. Over the next forty years, Molly founded and continues to run Tostan, a non-profit organization turning the traditional model of social development on its head. Rather than short-term, top-down approaches, Tostan uses a holistic three-year, non-formal... posted on Oct 5, 28827 reads

SolePower: Putting a Charge In Your Step
Matthew Stanton is the co-founder of SolePower, and his invention can possibly transform a problem that affects over a billion people worldwide: The lack of access to electricity. Check out this game-changing video that shows you how a basic shoe insert allows a user to convert energy into electrical power simply by walking, and then use that energy to charge electronics like cellphones.... posted on Oct 7, 19832 reads

A Father's Letter To His Five-Year-Old Daughter
Tom Attwater is dying of a brain tumor and in the midst of coping with his own suffering, he is exerting all efforts to save his 5 year-old daughter from cancer. Read further for a selfless, heartwarming story that will bring tears to your eyes and compassion to your heart.... posted on Nov 12, 65087 reads

Sources of Light
When Kobun Otogawa was asked in the wake of 9/11, "How can I deal with the enormous fear and anger that I feel about what happened?" He replied simply, "Do one kind thing for someone every day." And though the advice might seem overly simplistic, it does cause us to realize - that it is through our own light that this world can be made a little brighter. ... posted on Nov 25, 18173 reads

Moral Courage & The Story of Sister Megan Rice
When you look for examples of moral courage, do you think about the people who are in prison? Sister Megan Rice, an 84 year old nun, is serving a 35 month prison sentence for an act of civil disobedience to stand up for life itself and denounce the continued existence of nuclear weapons. Her words will reveal insight about the nature of courage and the enthusiastic spirit of satyagraha.... posted on Oct 1, 34364 reads

What I Wish I Knew When I Was A Freshman
What would you say to your younger self if you had the chance? Charles Howard, the University Chaplain for the University of Pennsylvia, shares his reflections on ego and insecurity, and the advice he would have given himself at the age of 18.... posted on Nov 6, 22602 reads

How To Practice Self-Compassion
We live in a society where we often feel as though we are in a state of constant competition in all areas of our lives: work, relationships, hobbies, and in turn, we are often overly self-critical. Practicing self-compassion can help us to restore feelings of self-worth and instill an inner peace to propel us in our actions.... posted on Oct 28, 111599 reads

Wisdom In The Age of Information
"We live in a world awash with information, but we seem to face a growing scarcity of wisdom." Maria Popova shares her insights about the difference between information, knowledge, and wisdom, and how storytelling can play a crucial role in helping us navigate the "open sea" of our technological age.... posted on Nov 9, 20508 reads

How To Realize True Wealth
The world is filled with abundance, but because we stay tuned into what we do not have, we can spend our lives grasping for more, never really arriving. In this heart-felt piece, Americ Azevedo at the University of California, Berkeley, asks us to awaken to the true and profound wealth we have all been blessed with. "To awaken to this very moment is truth wealth. This moment is in truth all we rea... posted on Nov 24, 21700 reads

Vancouver's Pop-Up Shelters
A Vancouver-based advertising company teamed up with a grassroots advocacy group to extend kindness to the city's homeless population in a beautifully creative way. "During the day, the [bus] benches serve as seating for those waiting for the bus to arrive. At night, the front lifts up and out to create an overhang." Acts of kindness like these stand out against the backdrop of many cities making ... posted on Nov 22, 22406 reads

The Dean Who Lives In A Dumpster
How much stuff do we really need to live happy, healthy lives? As people continue to scale down, living more simplistic, minimalist lives, many report feeling happier. Jeff Wilson, Environmental Science professor and Dean of Huston-Tillotson University in Austin, Texas,is conducting an experiment to see just how little a person needs to live happily and comfortably by living in a repurposed dumpst... posted on Nov 14, 33592 reads

FoodShift: Reducing Waste, Fighting Hunger
"Dana Frasz is a food entrepreneur. She wants to recycle food, taking the food that's not consumed and putting it into the hands of those who cannot afford it. She wants companies to stop wasting so much food -- at the grocery story and in restaurants. She wants us all to be aware of how much we're throwing in the dustbin. Too idealistic? Frasz would argue otherwise. Hear her talk about her passio... posted on Dec 3, 19147 reads

Let A Smile Be Your Umbrella
It was a cold rain, as author Kristi Jo Jedlicki made her way to the homeless shelter where she worked. While struggling to keep her umbrella from blowing away, she noticed an old friend standing by the doorway - his eyes gleaming with a soul filling joy, and in spite of the dreadful rain. When asked, he said simply "Waiting for you, of course. I had to see how my friend was doing and to make sure... posted on Dec 8, 23409 reads

The Science Of Attention
Neuroscientist Adele Diamond is challenging basic assumptions about education. Her focus on the brain's capacity for executive function -- also called "the science of attention" -- has also shown promise for children with ADHD and autism, and for narrowing the achievement gap between children of differing socioeconomic backgrounds.... posted on Dec 6, 26937 reads

The Magic Of A Garden
When the Cleveland Elementary School principal asked Mary Schriner, who was applying for a special education kindergarten teacher position, why she wanted to work there, Schriner responded, "Because your school looks like a prison yard, and I'd like to change that." Over the next six years, Schriner established six school gardens that serve as real-world classrooms, started an ecoliteracy program ... posted on Dec 27, 32652 reads

The Smart Way To Stick To Habits
When trying to form new, meaningful habits, there are always the usual suspects getting in your way -- forgetfulness, apathy, time constraints and self-doubt. Writer Leo Babauta offers up key guidelines for overcoming each of these common obstacles and articulates a smart habit system to help ensure success.... posted on Dec 4, 24496 reads

The Only Way We Really Change
People don't ever change by becoming someone else. People change by seeking, finding, and nourishing the best of who they are. They persist through the dark, heart-shredding times. They reach deeper into their true nature, the source of their best wisdom, courage, and passion. In this piece Wayne Muller tells a powerful story from the Civil Right's movement that illustrates how true transformation... posted on Nov 10, 23017 reads

The Seinfeld Strategy To Stop Procrastination
Jerry Seinfeld, co-creator of one of the longest running comedy series in television has a brilliant strategy for getting things done. And, it's not what you might think. It involves taking your mind off the results, and focusing on the joy of the process instead. Read more to learn the importance of 'not breaking the chain.'
... posted on Dec 31, 75311 reads

A Town Rallies To Make A Local Store Owner's Day
He runs a convenience store in Levittown, New York. For the past 10 years, Avi Gandhi has owned and solely operated the store -- working 12 hours a day, 7 days a week, without a single sick day. He was, however, much more than a guy who punches numbers into the cash register. "He knew the names of everyone who came in, who their family was, what their disappointments were, the dreams they had. He ... posted on Nov 13, 4901 reads

Building Empathy In Healthcare
Doctors are now being taught the communication of empathy, along with the ability to understand patients' emotions, in the hope that it can facilitate more accurate diagnoses and more caring treatment. In an interview, Dr. Helen Riess, the founder of Empathetics, discusses her innovative work on fostering empathy in the physician-patient relationship and its implications for improving healthcare d... posted on Jan 10, 15483 reads

Awakening The Wisdom Of The Heart
What does it mean to live from the heart? According to Dena Merriam, founding member of the Contemplative Alliance, it means living with a fuller appreciation of what it means to be a human being on this earth. The wisdom of the heart shows us our connection to the whole. If we move from a consciousness of just thinking about ourselves first, to one of the well-being of the whole, things will evol... posted on Feb 8, 5491 reads

5 People Who Changed The World Through Extreme Compassion
What do Francis of Assisi, Beatrice Webb, John Howard Griffin, Gunther Walraff, and Patricia Moore have in common? They were radical empathizers--seeing empathy as a kind of an adventurous, extreme sport in an effort to change the social and political landscapes of their time. Read more about their remarkable journeys here.... posted on Jan 15, 29791 reads

Knitting Behind Bars
You wouldn't expect to find a knitting class 'behind bars', so to speak. But, for roughly two hours out of every week that's exactly where you'll find some of the male inmates incarcerated at the minimum security prison in Jessup, Maryland. The program is called, Knitting Behind Bars and it is the brainchild of co-founder, Lynn Zwerling. "It teaches you how to focus.It teaches you how to make a ta... posted on Jan 23, 6437 reads

If We Left They Wouldn't Have Nobody
When Valley Springs Manor home for the elderly closed, the staff left, except for cook Maurice Rowland and Miguel Alvarez, the janitor."There was about 16 residents left behind," says Rowland."If we left, they wouldn't have nobody," adds Alvarez. "I would only go home for one hour, take a shower, get dressed, then be there for 24-hour days." Rowland adds "I just couldn't see myself going home ââ‚... posted on Jan 17, 7309 reads

Food Runners
There are over 800 million undernourished people in the world today. Hunger and malnutrition are in fact the number one risk to health worldwide. Yet there is enough food in the world to feed everyone. In San Francisco, California, 1 out of 4 people go hungry at some point during the month. There are also more than 4,000 restaurants in the city that throw away excess food. Mary Risley, founder of ... posted on Sep 23, 3259 reads

6 Promising Trends For The New Nature Movement
When we view nature as a collection of resources, it's easy to lose sight of our place in the greater scheme of life on planet earth. Fortunately, more and more research is affirming what many feel in their bones: that connecting with the natural world is intimately tied to our health and development. Here are six promising trends for those striving to reintegrate nature into the lives of children... posted on Jan 7, 27772 reads

9 Inspiring Quotes About The Sacredness of Seeds
"Essential to survival, seeds have profound spiritual implications. For centuries the planting of seed in the earth not only nourished humanity, but also symbolized the mystery of life and the journey of the soul. In our current supermarket lifestyle of pre-packaged products, far removed from the cycles of planting, we have nearly forgotten this mystery. Now as the integrity of the seed is threate... posted on Jan 29, 40798 reads

The 21-Day Challenge: A New Way To Practice Our Values
Many of us seem to recognize the importance of making personal changes in our lives, and yet we struggle to put them into practice. Forbes Magazine points out that less than 10 percent of us actually stick to our New Years resolutions. Habits are hard to break and it turns out that as much as 40 percent of all our actions are habitual. We don't consciously do them. It's hard to change what we aren... posted on Dec 19, 27375 reads

It Is Now That My Life Is Mine
Imagine beginning a practice of gratitude that would someday help transform another's world. In 2008, and in the midst of her own personal challenge, Hailey Bartholomew did just that -- snapping one photo each day of something she was grateful for. This simple act led to the creation of 365.com -- a site which would soon inspire thousands. Among them, a young mother named Amy Gill - who, in the mi... posted on Feb 14, 5713 reads

Music Is Something You DO
Let me tell about an experience with Gregorian chant. It's just a few notes and we were doing it in English so we would understand the words. The group as a whole would try to find that moment when the silence ended and then come in together. After doing that for several days, at one point, the words really came in. I heard the words of this psalm in a way I've never heard before. If you read the ... posted on Jan 18, 28806 reads

Remembering An Outsider Artist
"The old man, Smith, was another story. For one thing, he possessed style. His hair, combed straight back, fell toward his shoulders. His straw hat was rakish. Smith was lean, and cut a figure. His walking, as was plain to see, was a pure pleasure; he took things in, savored them. I'd see him, with his blaze of white hair, walking up the hill, wooden staff in hand, stopping to gaze into the trees ... posted on Feb 15, 12870 reads

Why Happiness Is The Wrong Pursuit
"On some abstract level, we know that money and other outward signs of success won't ultimately make us happy -- perhaps because we know wealthy or famous or powerful people who are deeply unhappy -- but on another level, we don't really believe it ... or at least we don't believe it applies to us. Why do we experience such a disconnect between what we know to be true in the abstract and what we b... posted on Feb 5, 37077 reads

10 Ways To Live Simply In 2015
We are now entering radically changing times -- and it's only natural for our worldly expressions of simplicity to evolve in response. For more than thirty years Duange Elgin has explored the "simple life" and articulated it for tens of thousands of people all over the world. To Elgin, the most accurate way of describing this approach to living is with the metaphor of a garden. Here he describes 1... posted on Jan 5, 72443 reads