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 (12,753 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)

Being and Doing, by Patty de Llosa
14, 2017 Sometimes life seems a bit like a never-ending battle between doing and being. if I wish to be present, I need to turn my attention toward myself, noticing my thoughts, reactions, sensations, as I try to answer with my whole self the question: Who am I? But who has time for that? I’ve got all these obligations. All of us have work that must be done, much of it with deadlines. Plus there are those things we want to do that give life its juices, like write the Great American Novel, convince a prospective client ours is the best product, or simply get those to-do items checked off the list. So we have to tear ourselves away from larger questions and focus our ... posted on Dec 13 2017 (12,962 reads)

Finding Your Moment of Obligation, by Lara Galinsky
who successfully tackle big social, environmental, and economic problems are driven by what I call a moment of obligation — a specific time in their life when they felt compelled to act. These moments become their North Star; they keep them going in a positive direction when everything seems dark. The obligation is not only to the world but also to themselves. Activists or social entrepreneurs aren't the only ones who are moved this way. We all have experiences that deeply inform who we are and what we are supposed to do. But only if we allow them to. Take Socheata Poeuv. She borrowed a bulky video camera from her office job at a television studio a... posted on Oct 6 2017 (10,028 reads)

The Impermanence of Broccoli, by ALANDA GREENE
transplanting tiny broccoli seedlings, moving them from a densely planted row in a large tray to four-compartment seedling holders. They have paired heartshaped leaves, deep dusty green, with what is called ‘true’ leaves just beginning to emerge between these two. In the fourpack tray they will continue to grow until the outside temperature warms enough to set them in the garden. No matter how many times I plant the tiny round black seeds, this small miracle excites me, to see them emerge as little knobs of green, then continue changing to the heartshaped leaf pairs, to become magnificent heads of beaded clusters that I will eat. When I miss getting the heads at ... posted on Dec 18 2017 (10,339 reads)

The Myth of the Risk-Taker: You Don't Have To Be Bold To Succeed , by Heleo Editors
Grant is a renowned Wharton psychology professor and bestselling author of Originals: How Non-Conformists Move the World. He recently joined Ryan Hawk, host of The Learning Leader Show, to talk about what makes an Original, the role of creativity and curiosity in non-conformity, and what it takes to be a successful entrepreneur. This conversation has been edited and condensed. To listen to Adam and Ryan’s full conversation, click here. Adam: The most consistent common attribute of people who have been widely successful and done it again and again is that they’re dedicated learners. What’s fascinating about them is, no matter how much... posted on Jan 19 2018 (12,821 reads)

Nancy Colier: Waking Up from Our Addiction to Technology, by Tami Simon
Colier is a psychotherapist, interfaith minister, meditation teacher, and the celebrated author of books such as Inviting a Monkey to Tea: Befriending Your Mind. With Sounds True, Nancy has written a new book called The Power of Off: The Mindful Way to Stay Sane in a Virtual World. In this episode of Insights at the Edge, Tami Simon and Nancy have a frank discussion of the large-scale modern addiction to cell phones, email, and social media. Nancy offers ways one can recognize addictive behavior and how we can break out of compulsive cycles around technology. They also talk about parenting in the digital age and the importance setting appropriate boundaries whe... posted on Feb 8 2018 (18,413 reads)

Joan Halifax: Buoyancy Rather than Burnout in Our Lives, by On Being
following is the transcript of an interview between On Being's Krista Tippett and Roshi Joan Halifax Krista Tippett, host: Roshi Joan Halifax has said, “I am not a ‘nice’ Buddhist. I’m much more interested in a kind of plain rice, get-down-in-the-street Buddhism.” She is a Zen teacher and a medical anthropologist who’s been formed by cultures from the Sahara Desert to the hallways of American prisons. She founded the project on Being with Dying, and now she’s taking on the problem of compassion fatigue, though she doesn’t like that phrase. Whatever you call it, for all of us overwhelmed by bad news and by the attention we want... posted on Jan 23 2018 (16,311 reads)

Head, Heart and Hands: 25 Years of Schumacher College, by Andrea Kuhn
is not like any other place that I have studied in,” says Pauline Steisel, a 23-year old post graduate student from Belgium, as she chops carrots in a steamy kitchen with several of her fellow students. “I did not expect to learn so much here about myself, about others, about sharing learning and working with others. It’s like learning about life,” she adds. Pauline has only been in Schumacher College for a few weeks but already the transformation has begun. Set in the grounds of the historic Dartington Hall in rural south west England, the college has gained an international reputation as much for its pioneering approach to student life as for its i... posted on Dec 11 2017 (9,240 reads)

Ken Cloke: There Is No Them. There Is Just Us., by Awakin Call Editors
children are playing on a playground and they're fighting, the very first thing that we tend to do is separate them. Separation works to stop the fighting, but it doesn't work to settle the issues that they're fighting over. So there are relatively primitive and relatively advanced methods for handling any particular type of conflict. And those are endless -- throughout our lives, we have nothing but opportunities for transcendence and transformation! To change the form of the thing, and by changing it, we learn from it and discover some higher order of capacity, to come to terms with this thing that was giving us the most trouble.” Ken Cloke is Director ... posted on Nov 27 2017 (14,805 reads)

The Songs of Trees, by Maria Popova
speak to the mind, and tell us many things, and teach us many good lessons,” an English gardener wrote in the seventeenth century. “When we have learned how to listen to trees,” Hermann Hesse rhapsodized two centuries later in his lyrical love letter to our arboreal companions, “then the brevity and the quickness and the childlike hastiness of our thoughts achieve an incomparable joy.” For biologist David George Haskell, the notion of listening to trees is neither metaphysical abstraction nor mere metaphor. In The Songs of Trees: Stories from Nature’s Great Connectors (public library), Haskell... posted on Jan 4 2018 (16,145 reads)

Never Too Late to Grow a Garden, by Rev. Dr. Charles Howard, Charissa Faith Howard
Ellen in her rocking chair, photo by Annalise Hope Howard There is a defiance and a fragility about the small backyard garden that she leads us to.  We descend the three or four steps off of the rear of her beautiful row home in the museum district of the city, and we find a master’s work.  It is subtly inspiring.  Not powerful like a sweeping five-hundred page novel.  More like a beautiful haiku – one that makes you want to go home and write one yourself.  And because of its accessible holiness – you can. We sat in the backyard of the home of Mary Ellen Graham.  She is the founder and first executive director of My Pla... posted on Feb 12 2018 (12,134 reads)