science writer, and naturalist Diane Ackerman offers in a beautiful poem titled “School Prayer,” originally published in her poetry collection I Praise My Destroyer (public library) and later included in her prose inquiry into the evolutionary and existential purpose of deep play. A great deal of Ackerman’s exquisite writing is devoted to celebrating science. (Carl Sagan, who was on her dissertation committee, was an ardent admirer of her work and once sent her radiant poems about the Solar System to Timothy Leary in prison.) With her poet’s heart and scientist’s mind, she approaches the question of spirituality f... posted on Sep 5 2017 (15,017 reads)

years before Transcendentalist grand dame Margaret Fuller (May 23, 1810–July 19, 1850) inspired the women’s suffrage movement and laid the foundation for modern feminism with her 1845 masterwork Woman in the Nineteenth Century, she published something very different in subject, though not in sensibility and spirit: Summer on the Lakes(public library | free ebook) — the record of her experiences and observations traveling westward from her native New England, among which are the most stunning literary portrait of Niagara Falls I’ve encountered and a sorrowful account of the fate of the displaced Native American tribes, with whom Fuller... posted on Aug 4 2017 (8,040 reads)

your deathbed and to write your own obituary. Another is to imagine your own funeral and the eulogies people might deliver. I prefer a more playful—yet still profound—version. Imagine yourself at a dinner party in the afterlife. Also present are all the other “yous” who you could have been if you made different choices. The you who walked out on your first job and followed your dream. The you who became an alcoholic. The you who put in the time to make your marriage work. You look around at these alternative selves. Some might seem smug or annoying, but others you might envy. The question is this: Are there any of these many yous who you would rather be or become... posted on Sep 9 2017 (15,966 reads)

would not be late for school, Old Uncle told me about his life. His words still bring up tears as well as smiles when I contemplate them ten years later. Old Uncle’s wife had passed away when their two children were still young. He made a living by riding tricycles, and raised the children on his own. His daughter gave up the opportunity to go to college so that the younger brother would have money to pursue his future. Later on, she became a nurse at a local hospital through her hard work. Stories were not only told, but gradually we became each other’s stories. Those memories are still clear. For each ride, Old Uncle was supposed to charge me five Chinese yuan, however, he ... posted on Aug 13 2017 (11,875 reads)

way in a sometimes challenging world.  Navigating life’s difficulties sometimes alters our perception of self-worth.  We discover that we don’t always receive the love and care we need.  We experience disappointment, failure and rejection.  There are times when we are not seen or heard or validated for who we are.   We begin to doubt ourselves and often perceive that we are unworthy.  Our perception of unworthiness affects our relationships, work, finances, and families.  Unworthiness causes stress depression, anger and fear.  It poisons our inner conversation.  The perception of our own unworthiness causes us to feel shame... posted on Sep 14 2017 (16,027 reads)

resettlement agencies, eventually reaching Robert Johnson, former executive director at the International Rescue Committee’s office in Seattle. The connection was both timely and fortuitous. The IRC was already considering locations for new offices to accommodate an increase in the refugees allowed into the United States, from 70,000 in Fiscal Year 2015to 85,000 in FY 2016. Johnson also knew the Missoula community well. He had been involved with the IRC’s work in Missoula with Hmong refugees at the beginning of his career and had visited Montana several times on fly-fishing trips. “We knew from experience that Missoula was a good town with a l... posted on Dec 30 2017 (8,392 reads)

and conservationists depend on citizens, usually without scientific training, to help keep tabs on the health of the parks. Glacier National Park offers opportunities to count mountain goats, pikas, and butterflies. The Great Smoky Mountains National Park needs volunteers to monitor plant blooming and collect other data on flora and fauna. 3. Restore History Passport in Time is a program sponsored by the U.S. Forest Service that connects volunteers with archaeologists and historians to work on public land projects. Volunteers can help with rock art restoration, archaeological excavations, and artifact curation. Projects can last anywhere from two days to several weeks and sometimes ... posted on Sep 3 2017 (6,179 reads)

and how I should be as a person. It’s easy to slip back into, “By now I should be free from these character traits that I don’t want! I thought they would be gone by now. I don’t like still seeing these in myself.” Viewed dispassionately, being free of these patterns is about as reasonable as my garden being free of weeds. My garden will never be weed free. It’s big and fertile and organic and it grows a lot. I can accept (but sometimes forget) that the work of weeding, inside and out, will never end. It’s an ongoing process. No big deal. Just do it!   ... posted on Sep 20 2017 (21,059 reads)

UK Actress Emma Watson became a UN Ambassador for Goodwill at the age of 24. When her speech for the HeforShe campaign went viral her passion for women's rights resonated with advocates around the world. Victor Ochan, Uganda Victor grew up surrounded by conflict in the Lira district in northern Uganda, but he chose to be a peace activist. He was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize and is a UN Global Goals Ambassador. His organization, the African Youth Initiative Network (Ayinet), helps thousands of victims of the Ugandan civil war get treatment and overcome the traumas of the war. Nino Nanitashvili, Georgia Nino has dedicated her career to peacebuildi... posted on Nov 5 2017 (11,667 reads)

had planned to write this piece at our co-writer Robin Olsson's cafe Llama Lloyd, where he promotes sharing and biking, but the weather was so nice that we decided to relocate outdoors to Jubileumsparken, a wonderful public space the city has set up in the industrial part of Gothenburg called Frihamnen. Surrounded by a makerspace, a community garden, a boule court, an open sauna, a communal pool, and a book swapping booth, we felt this was the perfect place to work on this piece. As we were writing, people stopped by to chat about the collaborative movement and the newly opened makerspace where you can learn 3D-printing, among other things. This is the e... posted on Sep 16 2017 (10,614 reads)

GREENE lives in British Columbia in Canada, where the winters bring darkness and a quilt of snow over the garden. It’s a time of inward rejuvenation and recharging. How does that affect our own inner cycles of busy-ness and stillness? I’m working at the kitchen table these days instead of upstairs at my desk. It’s winter and the house is cold, especially where I usually write. This is my version of a seasonal migration, a tiny replica of the cyclic nomadic journeys that the indigenous peoples of the plains made. When winter’s freezing temperatures, wind, snow and ice conspired, they moved to a location that gave shelter from these forces. It just makes sense... posted on Dec 23 2017 (12,573 reads)

constructive alternatives: setting up schools, forming cottage industries, establishing farming cooperatives, devising community-friendly banking. As Buckminster Fuller said, “You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.” Gandhi initiated 18 projects that enabled Indians to take charge of their own society, making it much easier to “dismiss” British rule and lay the groundwork for their own democracy. Constructive work has many advantages: It enables people to break their dependency on a regime by creating their own goods and services. You cannot get rid of oppresso... posted on Oct 3 2017 (24,971 reads)

sacrifice with a prayer to the deity worshipped as mistress of the jungle and of all its products? “Our mother,” he says, “by your kindness we have found. Without it we receive nothing. We offer you many thanks.” The expression of gratitude makes the original joy over a favor received rise to a higher level. Thousands of similar rites have been observed among the most primitive peoples. But this example (recorded by Christoph von Fuerer Haimendorf, who did field work among the Chenchu) stands out for its crystal clear structure. Each sentence of the simple prayer accompanying this offering corresponds, in fact, to one of our three phases of gratitude. “... posted on Nov 23 2017 (17,686 reads)

CALIF. U.C. Davis is among the schools leading the way in emissions reduction and waste diversion. The university boasts the largest solar power plant on any campus and diverts 73 percent of its waste from landfills. “We teach at least 180 courses a year with sustainability content,” says Camille Kirk, the school’s director of sustainability. “Our students are future leaders and active citizens, and they take their U.C. Davis training and go out and do great work in private, public and nonprofit settings.” College of the Atlantic Ornithology students get a close-up view of some of the bird life in nearby Acadia National Park. Photo courtesy o... posted on Nov 18 2017 (10,961 reads)

bonus was that the windows faced hilly forestland that was raw and undeveloped. On the small balcony outside my window, bright red cardinals flitted from the railing to a bird feeder a neighbor had hung. Ingenious squirrels had figured out how to leap from the balcony railing onto the feeder, make withdrawals and time their dismounts from the swinging platform so as to land safely back on the railing.      I had positioned a comfortable chair facing the window where I could work at any time of day or night.      Birds, light, privacy.      A lifetime making photographic images has engrained in me the habit of squinting at the world. It i... posted on May 19 2018 (1,215 reads)

links leaders from government, business, and civil society around the world who are pioneering new indicators and deep data tools that help communities and eco-systems to see themselves, in order to sense, and prototype new ways of operating. Where are you seeing the seeds of such new indicator systems or deep data tools today? What can be learned from these first examples? What would deep data mean for your self? What are the real sources of well-being and happiness in your own life and work and what metrics could help you to see and sense your own developmental path in a more meaningful way? How can we co-pioneer the shift from big data to deep data in business, society and self? ... posted on Oct 4 2017 (10,735 reads)

we know or think we know. That is felt as an unpleasant state, as an adversity state. It’s a bit like an itch that we need to scratch. That’s why we try to find out the information in order to relieve that type of curiosity. On the other hand, there is something that has been dubbed epistemic curiosity, which is a pleasurable state associated with an anticipation of reward. That’s our level of knowledge. That’s what drives all scientific research. It drives many artworks. It drives education and things like that. Knowledge@Wharton: There’s a basic difference between being unpleasant or unhappy and being happy. I would think many people feel both of thos... posted on Sep 25 2017 (12,467 reads)

Sharma was born to a family of farmers in a village close to Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. He started farming at the age of 10 along with his family but moved to Bhopal after class 8 for higher education. A few years later, Prateek – the boy from a small village, was appointed as a chief manager of Kotak Mahindra Bank. After 10 years of banking, he earned a good pay and had a comfortable life. He even married Prateeksha, who also worked at Kotak. But, Prateek could not continue the corporate life with ease, as his heart was always in farming. Prateek and Prateeksha “When I visited my village after 20 years, I realised that everyone was moving out of the villag... posted on Dec 27 2017 (12,585 reads)

contradictory, unjust, and inconsistent, somehow sadness and joy are able to coexist at the same time. The negative value of things no longer cancels out the positive, nor does the positive deny the negative. Whatever your personal calling or your delivery system for the world, it must proceed from a foundational “yes” to life. Your necessary “no” to injustice and all forms of un-love will actually become even clearer and more urgent in the silence, but now your work has a chance of being pure healing instead of impure anger and agenda. You can feel the difference in people who are working for causes; so many works of social justice have been undone by people... posted on Nov 7 2017 (21,250 reads)

mind’s eye to the immense journey of life on our planet by meditating on your hand. “See” its evolutionary development, one life-form to another from its origins as a fin in primordial seas. Behold in it also the countless generations of human hands whose tasks and skills shaped our world. Invite the future ones into your awareness. Feel the strength of your desire that they find clean air to breathe, water to drink, trees, topsoil. Try asking for their guidance in the work that is now to be done. And, for a practice I hope you’ll enjoy as much as I have, imagine a person of a century or two hence (perhaps related to you, perhaps not) who can see back through ... posted on Jan 29 2018 (48,892 reads)