editors reflect on what the past year of witnessing everyday people choose love over fear have taught us. Unsung Heroes Are Right Under Our Noses We are taught to look at the stage to see displays of greatness, but it's resoundingly clear that heroes can often be found among the most ordinary, everyday situations. If you walk into a Walmart late at night, you may just run into a high school principal stocking shelves. In South Carolina, school principal Henry Darby works the night shift after full school days and donates his earnings to his struggling students. Go for an early morning run at the park, and you might meet a community legend. Along the waterfront i... posted on Jan 4 2022 (15,225 reads)

and I’m calling to ask about Deborah Meier.” He said, “Just a minute please,” went and turned down the radio, came back, and said, “Deborah Meier the educator?” I said, “Yes. The Schumacher Lectures are this weekend, and Deborah Meier is one of the speakers. He said, “I don’t know who you are, and I don’t know anything about the Schumacher Lectures, but I do know about Deborah Meier. She is my daughter’s mentor. My daughter worked for her, and her whole life has been changed by that experience.”  It was an extraordinary conversation. Now, in a small town like Great Barrington, this kind of thing happens to ... posted on Feb 13 2023 (2,666 reads)

follows is the edited transcript of Chelan Harkin's Awakin Call Mark Peters:  So it’s now my honor to introduce Chelan. Chelan has been channeling ecstatic poetry for more than a decade now and has published two popular collections of her work, Susceptible to Light and Let Us Dance: The Stumble and Whirl with the Beloved, both of which were released in 2021. Her books aim to remind readers of their inherent joy, to support modes of relating to life that open the heart, and to deconstruct anything about God that doesn’t feel intimate, authentic, and warm. Her publishing journey has been supported by mystical connections and prayer experim... posted on Apr 1 2023 (5,125 reads)

but here, we’re being trained to notice that certain things that come up in our consciousness take us out of the more full experience of our self, in presence, through these different modalities of our consciousness, through different intelligence that exists within us. So for me, as a Five, there’s been this long journey of being more grounded, being more physical, when in the early days of learning about all this, my teacher had me literally chop wood and carry water. I had to work in labor, I was working out in fields, I was working on drywall, and he was trying to develop that body-center intelligence in me. There’s also been a journey of being more emotionally a... posted on Apr 7 2023 (6,573 reads)

follows is the transcript of the Awakin Call with Nic Askew, moderated by Preeta Bansal ,and hosted by Steve Elkins.  Steve Elkins: Our moderator today is Preeta. Preeta Bansal has had a lifelong passion for service which, for much of her life, took the form of public service. A constitutional lawyer by background, Preeta has served in some of the most senior posts in the governmental and corporate sectors, from the White House to U.S. diplomatic and human rights work, to the top echelons of state government and global corporations and law firms. Her passion for service is now finding expression in ServiceSpace, and she is the anchor for these Awakin Calls alo... posted on Apr 11 2023 (3,374 reads)

conversation took place in March 2024.Guest: Mary Ann BrussatHost: Janessa Gans WilderModerator: Charles GibbsJanessa: Welcome, everyone. My name is Janessa, and I will be hosting today's Awakin call. Thank you for joining us from wherever you happen to be in the world and here from sunny California. The intention behind these calls is to plant seeds of awareness and transformation within ourselves and our communities through conversations with individuals whose journey and work inspire us.Awakin Calls is an initiative of ServiceSpace, a distributed, global, all-volunteer community committed to the principle that by changing ourselves, we change the world. Behind each of these calls is ... posted on May 5 2024 (3,278 reads)

some employees, a typical day at the office might begin with a barrage of work-related questions from impatient colleagues who have been awaiting their arrival. For others, it might start off with a series of cheerful greetings from co-workers, questions about how their family members are doing or perhaps an offer to grab a quick cup of coffee before the daily work deluge begins. According to Wharton management professor Sigal Barsade, there is reason to believe that the latter scenario — which illustrates what she refers to as “companionate love” in the workplace — is not only more appealing, but also is vital to employee morale, teamwork and customer sati... posted on Jun 12 2014 (23,031 reads)

Kafka is considered one of the most creative and influential writers of the 20th century, but he actually spent most of his time working as a lawyer for the Workers Accident Insurance Institute. How did Kafka produce such fantastic creative works while holding down his day job? By sticking to a strict schedule. He would go to his job from 8:30 AM to 2:30 PM, eat lunch and then take a long nap until 7:30 PM, exercise and eat dinner with his family in the evening, and then begin writing at 11 PM for a few hours each night before going to bed and doing it all over again. Kafka is hardly unique in his commitment to a schedule. As Mason Currey notes in his popular b... posted on Oct 13 2014 (22,172 reads)

some employees, a typical day at the office might begin with a barrage of work-related questions from impatient colleagues who have been awaiting their arrival. For others, it might start off with a series of cheerful greetings from co-workers, questions about how their family members are doing or perhaps an offer to grab a quick cup of coffee before the daily work deluge begins. According to Wharton management professor Sigal Barsade, there is reason to believe that the latter scenario — which illustrates what she refers to as “companionate love” in the workplace — is not only more appealing, but also is vital to employee morale, teamwork and custo... posted on Dec 2 2014 (22,531 reads)

when she asked me this question I drew a blank. I didn’t have an answer, and that was a big shock to me. I felt colorless.” Mother of three and managing director of the Goi Peace Foundation in Tokyo, Japan, Maki Kawamura shares her story softly. Sincerity flutters through her words like a small, bright-eyed bird. It is difficult not to be instantly won over. “I realized that I really needed to find my own color and the only way to find my color was to really work with myself. To ask myself: ‘What do you love? What are you here for? What were you born to do?’ It took more than a year to do this. Prayer helped me.” When Maki uses t... posted on Apr 23 2016 (18,249 reads)

have been on this planet for 400 million years longer than humans. I believe that trees have a soul, they have a conscience. And I do believe that anyone, everyone can learn to communicate with them." The following is an edited version of an interview with David. You can read or listen to the full version of the interview here.  Samir Patel (moderator): Thank you everyone, for giving me the opportunity to host this conversation. My first point of contact with David and his work was when I was living at the Gandhi Ashram. I was at a farm and came across this book called “The Man Who Planted Trees” by Jean Giono. At that time, it was a book that inspired me to... posted on Mar 23 2017 (29,699 reads)

someone, “How are you today? I know you are suffering. If you want to talk about it, I’m here,” then people can bring it up. Ms. Tippett: I’m Krista Tippett, and this is On Being. [music: “Seven League Boots” by Zoe Keating] Ms. Tippett: Sheryl Sandberg is the chief operating officer of Facebook. Adam Grant is a professor of psychology at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. They’ve previously written together about gender and working life. Now they’re launching a book and a non-profit together called Option B: Facing Adversity, Building Resilience, and Finding Joy. Ms. Tippett: Where I think I’d like to star... posted on Jun 17 2017 (17,962 reads)

a poem is made available to the public, the right of interpretation belongs to the reader,” young Sylvia Plath wrote to her mother as she reflected on her first poem. What is true of a poem is true of any work of art: Art transforms us not with what it contains but with what it creates in us — the constellation of interpretations, revelations, and emotional truths illuminated — which, of course, is why the rise of the term “content” to describe creative output online has been one of the most corrosive developments in contemporary culture. A poem — or an essay, or a painting, or a song — is not its “content”; it transforms ... posted on Jun 27 2017 (8,426 reads)

surrender. Finally, Tami and Michael discuss the application of these ideas to those things we truly value, including bringing the idea of surrender to social and environmental activism. Tami Simon (TS): You're listening to Insights at the Edge. Today, my guest is Michael Singer. Michael Singer is the author of the number one New York Times bestseller The Untethered Soul and The Surrender Experiment. In 1971, while pursuing his doctoral work in economics, Michael experienced a deep inner awakening and went into seclusion to focus on yoga and meditation. In 1975, he founded the Temple of the Universe, a yoga and meditation center wher... posted on Dec 22 2017 (48,422 reads)

E. F. SCHUMACHER LECTURES OCTOBER 2004, STOCKBRIDGE, MA EDITED BY HILDEGARDE HANNUM Judy Wicks is one of my heroes. She is a single woman who built and runs a financially successful business, which at the same time is socially responsible and ecologically accountable. The White Dog Cafe not only serves regionally grown organic food but actively supports the network of farmers who grow that food. Staff share in profits and decision-making. The White Dog Cafe hosts community discussions around global issues of peace, renewable energy, rights of workers in countries around the world, hab... posted on Apr 17 2018 (8,111 reads)

a poem is made available to the public, the right of interpretation belongs to the reader,” young Sylvia Plath wrote to her mother as she reflected on her first poem. What is true of a poem is true of any work of art: Art transforms us not with what it contains but with what it creates in us — the constellation of interpretations, revelations, and emotional truths illuminated — which, of course, is why the rise of the term “content” to describe creative output online has been one of the most corrosive developments in contemporary culture. A poem — or an essay, or a painting, or a song — is not its “content”; it trans... posted on Sep 9 2019 (5,067 reads)

never met before. Episode after episode lays bare the theater of relationship, which is also the drama of being human. And that’s what I take up with her this hour. What does “erotic intelligence,” one of her terms, have to do with the human condition writ large and to life at every stage — coupled or not? And how might it inform our emotionally raw societal dramas? [music: “Seven League Boots” by Zoë Keating] Esther Perel: My book and my work is about eroticism. It is about how people connect to this quality of aliveness, of vibrancy, of vitality, of renewal. And that is way beyond the description of sexuality. And it is mystical. It ... posted on Dec 18 2019 (11,125 reads)

the current Executive Director of the Charter for Compassion, which provides an umbrella for people to engage in collaborative partnerships worldwide. In December 2019, she spoke with MEGHANA ANAND about the organization, its partners, and the work done through the Charter in different countries. Marilyn is an educationist-author and writes about world religions and cultures, bringing out their diverse and uniting threads. MA: How did it all begin, your work with the Charter for Compassion? MT: Well, I think it all started when I was a child from a hyphenated American family, in this case Croatian-American. I grew up in an immigrant neighbo... posted on Aug 18 2021 (3,208 reads)

and the Institute on Race & Poverty at the University of Minnesota. john and I talk about belonging, and what I can tell you is that his warm presence is such an elegant invitation for all of us to become ambassadors of belonging, to build belonging, to become belonging activists in our lives. I’m so grateful I had this chance to talk to john a. powell and to share this conversation with you. john, I’ve really been looking forward to this conversation. Just the preparatory work that I’ve done has already been illuminating for me. I’ve learned so much, and I’m so grateful to have this chance to share you and your wisdom with the Sounds True audience, so... posted on Aug 31 2021 (3,558 reads)

of Washington, DC, and the author of more than 15 books, including two books with Sounds True, Living an Examined Life and Living Between Worlds: Finding Personal Resilience in Changing Times. With Sounds True, he’s also created the audio series, Through the Dark Wood: Finding Meaning in the Second Half of Life. And a new series, A Life of Meaning: Exploring Our Deepest Questions and Motivations. All right, I’m going to tell it to you as it is. In my work at Sounds True, one of the greatest privileges I feel I have, one of the greatest joys for me is to get to speak with someone who has the depth, the life experience and the ability to help so man... posted on Oct 1 2022 (4,645 reads)