Slow Down, Slow Food, Slow Science, by Francisco Ramos-Stierle
Challenge of Education for a New Generation: Converting Swords into Plowshares. “Where ignorance is your master, there is no possibility of peace.”The XIV Dalai Lama. The scientific contributions of Albert Einstein and Richard Feynman were fundamental for the construction of the atomic bomb. Today, their reflections on the subject are also fundamental for the survival and evolution of our species. Conversations with both scientists after the Manhattan Project indicate that both these great men felt remorse for their involvement. They both wished they had thought through more thoroughly their direct and indirect involvement with the project; and said that if they had kno... posted on Jul 10 2017 (6,653 reads)

War Childhood: The Paradox of Gratitude, by Lexi Hartley
During the 2015-2016 school year, I had the immense privilege of living in Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina, where I taught at a university and assisted with various community development projects. One of these projects–one that would ultimately define my entire experience abroad–was the War Childhood Museum. Very few people talk directly about the war, but it lingers in the air, present in almost every conversation. Between 1992-1995, Bosnia was decimated by a brutal war. The capital, Sarajevo, remained under siege for over three years–the longest siege in European history since the end of World War II. Over twenty years later, the signs of the war are still everywh... posted on Aug 1 2017 (7,092 reads)

Rebecca Solnit on Breaking Silence as Our Mightiest Weapon Against Oppression, by Maria Popova
are our stories, stories that can be both prison and the crowbar to break open the door of that prison.” “To sin by silence, when we should protest, makes cowards out of men,” the poet Ella Wheeler Wilcox wrote in her 1914 anthem against silence — an incantation which fomented biologist and writer Rachel Carson’s courage to speak inconvenient truth to power as she catalyzed the environmental movement. “My silences had not protected me. Your silence will not protect you,” Audre Lorde admonished on the cusp of another cultural revolution in her influential 1984 treatise on transforming silence into redemptive action. “Silence enc... posted on Aug 27 2017 (10,283 reads)

The Sacred Art of Pausing , by Tara Brach
Sacred Art of Pausing   In our lives we often find ourselves in situations we can’t control, circumstances in which none of our strategies work. Helpless and distraught, we frantically try to manage what is happening. Our child takes a downward turn in academics and we issue one threat after another to get him in line. Someone says something hurtful to us and we strike back quickly or retreat. We make a mistake at work and we scramble to cover it up or go out of our way to make up for it. We head into emotionally charged confrontations nervously rehearsing and strategizing. The more we fear failure the more frenetically our bodies and minds work. We fill our days wi... posted on Jul 16 2017 (25,988 reads)

A Vision for the World, by Br. David Steindl-Rast, OSB
Small Gestures of Gratitude to Counteract Violence The gift hidden in our unprecedented world crisis is an equally unprecedented opportunity. My vision of the world? My hope for the future? This topic sounds a bit big. Allow me to start small—say, with crows. They are my special friends. Just as I am writing these lines, one of them, the shy one among my three regular guests, is gobbling up the Kitty Fritters I put out for them. This brings to mind a short poem by Robert Frost that might provide a stepping-stone for our deliberations about world-vision and hope for the future—if any. The way a crow Shook down on me The dust of snow From a hemlock tree Has gi... posted on Aug 9 2017 (10,904 reads)

Algorithms & Love: Dancing with the Creative Tension of Our Times, by Nipun Mehta
is an adapted transcript of a talk delivered by ServiceSpace founder, Nipun Mehta, at the 2017 Wisdom Together conference in Munich, Germany] Today I want to talk about this very interesting tension between algorithms and love. While algorithms are a set of recipes, or a set of instructions, that help us filter data on the outside, it is our intuition that helps us with a lot of data on the inside. Now, that intrinsic data doesn't have the same kind of boundaries as extrinsic data, so holding theme together makes for a very interesting tension -- that I want to explore today. Many years ago, I saw a movie called “Minority Report”. Tom Cruise opens in his da... posted on Aug 17 2017 (21,864 reads)

Spotlight on Seniors Who Are Changing the World, by Shari Swanson
is a time finally away from bosses and schedules, stress and assignments. Yet, once retired, many miss the sense of purpose and community their jobs provided. Where retirement once called to mind visions of rocking chairs and mid-day snoozes, many in the Baby Boomer generation are shaking things up, turning their focus in retirement to encore careers and volunteerism. In this Spotlight on Seniors Who are Changing the World, we take a look at some extraordinary individuals who have used their 'retirement' as an opportunity to give back to the world and their communities in remarkable ways, finding along the path both passion and purpose in their golden years. From Me... posted on Aug 14 2017 (14,684 reads)

Anne Lamott (Author) Writes Down Every Single Thing She Knows, As of Today, by Anne Lamott
am going to be 61 years old in 48 hours. Wow. I thought i was only forty-seven, but looking over the paperwork, I see that I was born in 1954. My inside self does not have an age, although can’t help mentioning as an aside that it might have been useful had I not followed the Skin Care rules of the sixties, ie to get as much sun as possible, while slathered in baby oil. (My sober friend Paul O said, at eighty, that he felt like a young man who had something wrong with him.). Anyway, I thought I might take the opportunity to write down every single thing I know, as of today. 1. All truth is a paradox. Life is a precious unfathomably beautiful gift; and it is impossib... posted on Nov 3 2017 (233,770 reads)

He Bought a $500 House in Detroit. But It Was Never About the House , by Colin Beavan
young white man moved into a black neighborhood to fix a crumbling house and discovered what really transcends differences. How can a young white man with no faith in politics find a path to meaningfully assist in the struggle for race and class justice and also in the healing of what divides the people of these United States? In many ways, that is the subject of Drew Philp’s memoir about being a white millennial who dedicates his life to buying, fixing up, and living in a derelict house in a poor, black neighborhood in soon-to-be bankrupt Detroit. The most poignant scene from A $500 House In Detroit begins when a neighbor and friend of Philp’s pulls up in a picku... posted on Nov 4 2017 (8,444 reads)

As Worthy As You Are, by Bonnie Rose
I look at babies, I see how worthy we all are.  I see that each individual is an artist, ready to paint something soul-fulfilling on the palette of existence.  I see how we start out completely innocent and deserving of love.    Then we begin to grow, finding our 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 t... posted on Sep 14 2017 (15,884 reads)

Interview: Enrique Martinez Celaya: Self and Beyond Self, by Richard Whittaker
was several years ago when I first heard of the artist Enrique Martínez Celaya. John Evans, founder of Diesel Books and a poet as well, suggested I’d find him worth looking up. Two years were to pass before we met. I’d learned that Martínez Celaya was teaching at Pomona College and, one afternoon, on a visit to Claremont, I decided to look for him. I got lucky and arrived at his classroom just as his students were leaving; the timing was perfect.      To my surprise, Martínez Celaya was already familiar with works & conversations. We talked for perhaps thirty minutes. Remembered most clearly was his quiet directness and a quali... posted on Aug 16 2017 (6,474 reads)

What Does Brushing Twice a Day Have to Do with Profits and Impact?, by Somik Raha
you brush twice a day? You don’t have to answer that. :) I hope that you do. The count of the number of times you have brushed is very helpful in getting you to brush in the morning and night. However, that count is NOT EQUAL TO dental health, which is what you are truly after. In fact, your dental health cannot be counted! Sure, you can count the number of cavities, but if two people had the same number of cavities, you wouldn’t be able to say much about relative dental health. You’d have to go deeper, perhaps do X-rays. But wait. If all you wanted was to get to dental health, then there is probably nothing as simple as the count of the number of times we&r... posted on Oct 17 2017 (14,799 reads)

Birds and Saints Don't Collect, by Richard Whittaker
and Saints Don't Collect: A Conversation with Larry Brilliant at Awakin Circle by Richard Whittaker, Oct 20, 2016   It's been my good fortune for many years now to be acquainted with ServiceSpace's weekly Awakin Circle. The original circle began almost 20 years ago and has inspired many others around the world. Generally, the circles facilitate a rich quality of shared experience among the people in attendance, but from time to time a featured guest may show up and present his or her story and enter into an exchange with those in attendance.      Over the years, remarkable people have regularly appeared in the living room where these circle... posted on Nov 8 2017 (15,850 reads)

10 Young Leaders Building Peace, by Peace News Network Staff
often we see angry young people in conflict, here are 10 who are peace-building: Emma Watson, 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 overc... posted on Nov 5 2017 (11,514 reads)

Suiseki: The Japanese Art of Stone Appreciation, by Richard Whittaker
discoveries happen thanks to a fluke. It’s how I ran across a Japanese practice of stone appreciation called suiseki. I’d arrived at the Oakland Museum in order to plan a studio tour for the Art Guild. As time passed I wondered where the person I was to meet could be. Finally, I called her. Turned out I was a day early. “But listen,” she said, “there’s a great exhibit in the main hall. Look for the rocks.”       Did she say “rocks”?       She did.       I like rocks. (Who doesn’t?) So I decided to follow her advice.       The Oakland Mus... posted on Dec 4 2017 (26,669 reads)

The Why Behind Asking Why: The Science of Curiosity, by Knowledge@Wharton
is a fundamental human trait. Everyone is curious, but the object and degree of that curiosity is different depending on the person and the situation. Astrophysicist and author Mario Livio was so curious about curiosity that he wrote a book about it. He recently appeared on the Knowledge@Wharton show on SiriusXM channel 111 to talk about what he learned in the course of writing his book, Why? What Makes Us Curious. An edited transcript of the conversation follows. Knowledge@Wharton: What is it that really drives our curiosity? Mario Livio: Curiosity has several kinds or flavors, and they are not driven by the same things. There is something that has been dubbed perc... posted on Sep 25 2017 (12,306 reads)

Business Lessons from the World of Improv, by Knowledge@Wharton
or the art form called Improv, may call to mind comedy shows but it is now also a serious business tool. Organizations are using it to foster team work, collaboration, positive engagement and mindfulness, says Bob Kulhan, founder and CEO of Business Improv, who is also a part-time comedian and an adjunct professor at Duke University and Columbia Business School. Kulhan describes his strategies in his new book, “Yes And: The Art of Business Improv", which he co-authored with Chuck Crisafulli. He recently discussed them on the Knowledge@Wharton show, part of Wharton Business Radio on SiriusXM channel 111. Click here to play audio. ... posted on Oct 27 2017 (7,437 reads)

Community-Led Initiatives that Are Protecting the Natural World, by Kevin Stark
Kevin Stark August 31, 2017 In 2008, Ecuador's leadership rewrote its constitution to include the rights of nature, effectively awarding legal rights to the environment. This change was led by many grassroots environmental advocates, including Natalia Greene, an organizer and environmental activist who played a key role in the development of the constitutional changes. In a 2015 talk about her experience, Greene said the changes were very bold: "It is very important because this means we don't necessarily depend only on the state to guarantee the rights of nature. Anyone in Ecuador can guarantee these rights." Indigenous communities have recognized the r... posted on Jan 20 2018 (12,758 reads)

The Man Who Wasn't There: Tales from the Edge of the Self, by Donna Jackel
makes you, you or I, I? That is the age-old question science journalist Anil Ananthaswamy tackles in his book, The Man Who Wasn’t There: Tales from the Edge of the Self (Dutton, Penguin Random House, USA, 2015). He examines the nature of selfhood from all angles, turning to philosophy, neuroscience and in-person interviews with people afflicted with neurological conditions that in some way rob them of some aspect of their selfhood.   In his book, Ananthaswamy, a former software engineer and current consultant for New Scientist Magazine, writes about eight diseases, starting with Cotard’s syndrome, in which deeply depressed individuals become convinced they are d... posted on Sep 13 2017 (9,015 reads)

The Greatest Danger , by Joanna Macy
do we live with the fact that we are destroying our world? What do we make of the loss of glaciers, the melting Arctic, island nations swamped by the sea, widening deserts, and drying farmlands? Because of social taboos, despair at the state of our world and fear for our future are rarely acknowledged. The suppression of despair, like that of any deep recurring response, contributes to the numbing of the psyche. Expressions of anguish or outrage are muted, deadened as if a nerve had been cut. This refusal to feel impoverishes our emotional and sensory life. Flowers are dimmer and less fragrant, our loves less ecstatic. We create diversions for ourselves as individuals and as nations, ... posted on Dec 9 2017 (59,545 reads)