17 Things I Would Do Differently If I Were Fully Convinced I'm Going to Die, by Eric Jones
wouldn’t do a single thing differently, but I’d be utterly transformed. Most everyone around me would notice that I had changed, but they’d find it almost impossible to say how. If pushed, they might say something like, “He hasn’t changed at all, but everything he does he does more slowly, as if he wants to remember the way it tastes.” 2. I would stop doing almost everything I’m doing now, stop working, stop spending long hours indoors typing emails, checking check boxes that mostly go unchecked until I simply cross them out, laying down tasks in the broad afternoon sunlight of each day like a man cutting down flowers so that he can come t... posted on Mar 21 2022 (20,767 reads)

The Need to Grow, by YouTube
Need to GROW' is a documentary that powerfully explores the urgent problem of living on a planet that has only an estimated 60 years left of farmable soil-- and the creative and courageous ways in which different individuals are responding to that challenge. The film highlights the stories of three main characters --  Alicia Serratos, an 8-year-old Girl Scout; Erik Cutter, a regenerative urban farmer; and Michael Smith an inventor. Serratos spearheads a petition for non-GMO Girl Scout cookies; Cutter aims to cultivate food in a resource-efficient manner; and Smith's Green Power House invention serves as 'a closed-loop energy generator that sequesters carbo... posted on Mar 22 2022 (4,164 reads)

Revolutions and the Politics of Being, by Anthony Siracusa
following excerpt is from Nonviolence Before King: The Politics of Being and the Black Freedom Struggle by Anthony Siracusa, The University of North Carolina Press  Chapel Hill (2021) Historians and sociologists, political scientists and scholars of religion and law have acknowledged for decades the centrality of nonviolent direct action to the Black freedom movement. But we know much less about the evolution of the political philosophy of religious nonviolence, a set of ethics that led to the rise and appeal of nonviolent direct action for many Black Americans. [...] Inspired by the preaching and writing of Howard Thurman, three figures—Pauli Murray, Bay... posted on Mar 23 2022 (2,726 reads)

How to Stay Open and Curious in Hard Conversations, by Mónica Guzmán
you willing to believe that you are wrong about something? I was attending a lecture called “Civil Conversation in an Angry Age” by philosopher David Smith, and he offered a prescription for bridging divides that began with this question. “Is it safe to assume all 63 of us are wrong about something right now?” Smith asked the virtual, pandemic-era class. In Zoom squares on my screen, heads considered, then nodded. “I think so, because we’ve been wrong about so many things before,” he continued. But there’s a problem: We don’t know what we’re wrong about. “That simple observation, ‘I’m wrong, I ju... posted on Apr 30 2022 (8,919 reads)

Becoming Who You Are Meant to Be, by Tami Simon
Simon: Welcome to Insights at the Edge produced by Sounds True. My name’s Tami Simon. I’m the founder of Sounds True. I’d love to take a moment to introduce you to the new Sounds True Foundation. The Sounds True Foundation is dedicated to creating a wiser and kinder world by transformational education widely available. We want everyone to have access to transformational tools, such as mindfulness, emotional awareness and self-compassion, regardless of financial, social, or physical challenges. The Sounds True Foundation is a nonprofit dedicated to providing these transformational tools to communities in need, including at-risk youth, prisoners, veterans ... posted on May 9 2022 (4,049 reads)

Resisting Revenge to Embrace Humanity , by Robi Damelin
Chain of Change I came to Israel from South Africa in 1967; I came as a volunteer after the Six Day War, thinking I’d be here for about six months. I really wanted to leave South Africa because I’d been active in the anti–apartheid movement and it was getting very pressured and ugly. I actually wanted to live in the States, then I came here and I’ve had this sort of love–hate relationship with this country ever since. I went to a Hebrew language program, got married and had two kids, worked for the Jerusalem Post, and then with immigrants to help them find employment. After I got divorced I came to live in Tel Aviv. I brought up my children in a very tol... posted on May 11 2022 (2,462 reads)

Monkey Stories, the Best Kind of Stories, by Snigdha Manickavel
credit: Snigdha Manickavel I don't remember when the monkeys first started coming to our house. Possibly, it was while I was away at college. In those days something about the long, hot bus-rides home made me sleepy in a way that I could never shake off completely. At home, I listened to my parents talk about the things that the monkeys had done and though I love my parents dearly, I often felt that they were exaggerating, in their sweet, old people way, making up unbelievable stories about monkeys to hold my attention. Over time, I too would become enchanted, could not stop talking about the monkeys, telling city friends stories that they did not know what to do with... posted on Jun 29 2022 (3,661 reads)

The Paradoxes of Healing, by Lissa Rankin
from Let’s Not Polarize Into The Science Camp and the Anti-Science Camp, by Lissa Rankin, MD. Sometimes we get sick, and conventional medicine can cure us lickety-split. And thank God for those cures and for the doctors who deliver them. I was once one of  those doctors, and it felt so satisfying when one of  those medical cures could ease the suffering of  someone in distress. But if  you practice medicine long enough, you wind up treating lots of  patients with illnesses conventional medicine simply doesn’t know how to adequately treat. Sure, we can keep some diseases at bay with daily medication or intervene surgically to improve symptoms t... posted on Jul 7 2022 (7,327 reads)

Answering the Heart's Call, by Anoo Kulkarni
many years, I wondered what it really meant to ‘follow one’s heart’. I was very curious to know what it felt like. I was certain it would be extraordinary, with an air of mystery. Something lofty and noble, a higher purpose. It would be a dramatic turning point after which all the pieces of the puzzle would fall neatly in place. I would no longer feel torn, there would be no guilt or self-doubt, no more bad decisions, and no future-anxiety. I was convinced it would bring clarity and peace, joy, fulfillment and perhaps, success. All the good stuff. I finally found my calling around my forty-second birthday, but it wasn’t quite what I had imagined. Just when... posted on Jul 13 2022 (3,986 reads)

Bringing Back the Delight of Poetry, by Laura Apol
student performs at the 2013 Louder Than a Bomb slam poetry competition in Boston, Massachusetts. John Tammaro / flickr, CC BY-ND The American poet William Stafford was often asked by friends, readers, students and colleagues: When did you become a poet? The response he regularly offered was: “The question isn’t when I became a poet; the question is when other people stopped.” Stafford was articulating what many poets believe: that the roots of poetry (rhythm, form, sound) go far back – both personally and culturally – “to the crib” and “to the fire in front of the cave.” No surprise, then, that children delight in the plea... posted on Jul 12 2022 (2,929 reads)

How Do You Know If You Are Actually Humble?, by Tyrone Sgambati
have recently linked intellectual humility to a host of benefits: showing more persistence in the face of failure, holding less polarized beliefs and attitudes, and being received as warm and friendly by others. But what does it take to be intellectually humble—and how do you know if you already are? 

The old joke about humility—that “it’s my greatest quality”—speaks to the difficulty in knowing how humble you actually are. It’s a paradox: If you’re walking around thinking you’re humbler than most people, then chances are good that you’re not. For precisely that reason, a trait like humility presents sp... posted on Jul 24 2022 (4,467 reads)

Living Dying Man, by Barbara McAfee, Maren Showkeir
would have been Jamie Showkeir's 70th birthday. The music video and conversation below was inspired by his unflinching and curious walk with ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease). That walk ended on his 63rd birthday seven years ago today. The conversation below is between his beloved wife, Maren Showkeir, and his friend, Barbara McAfee. MAREN SHOWKEIR: I really love the way we can have these rich conversations about death. So many people tend to shy away from that topic. What led you to that place where talking about death feels both natural and interesting? BARBARA MCAFEE: I was 31 when my dad died in my arms from pancreatic cancer. I had a very short hospice ti... posted on Aug 16 2022 (6,486 reads)

Silent Drum: Tips for Rhythmic Meditation, by Christine Stevens
18, 2015 “Drumming may be the oldest form of active meditation known to humanity.” What could meditation and drumming possibly have in common? I’ve been asking myself this question ever since I heard world-famous sound healing expert Jill Purce say “The purpose of sound is silence.” First, both meditation and drumming help us get out of our heads and into our hearts. They just go about it in different ways. In meditation, placing our attention on the breath occupies the mind. In drumming, the rhythm becomes a mantra that captures our attention. You can’t drum while thinking. Both act as mind sweepers; to clear the mental space of worries and n... posted on Sep 6 2022 (4,085 reads)

Ikebana & The Jedi Model, by Mayuka Yamakazi
Mayuka Yamazaki, a high-level business executive, ikebana — the ancient Japanese art of floral creations — is not just about arranging flowers. It is about attuning to the wisdom and beauty of nature and enriching our experience of being human. As a master of the art, she explains that ikebana is a word derived from the verb ikeru (to bring alive) and hana (flowers), or combined, “letting flowers live.” For over 20 years, Mayuka has been letting flowers live, and most recently, she has brought this practice to help restore wholeness to schools, international organizations, communities, and most notably, corporations. As a young child in ... posted on Jan 10 2023 (2,176 reads)

June Jordan's Legacy of Solidarity & Love, by Sriram Shamasunder
Shamasundar (left) with June Jordan (right). Photo courtesy Sriram Shamasunder. I remember being a kid with shaky confidence. I entered the University of California, Berkeley, as a freshman, a child of Indian immigrants, keeping my head down and taking primarily science classes. To fill a humanities requirement, I meandered into a class called Poetry for the People, a course taught and conceived by June Jordan, the great poet and activist.  Even though I fulfilled the requirement in just one semester, I stayed in the class for two years, not so much because I thought I was a poet, but because June—as I later came to call her—made me feel that even a youn... posted on Feb 14 2023 (2,991 reads)

David Rothenberg: The Joy & Mystery of Interspecies Music Making , by David Rothenberg
from Nightingales in Berlin: Searching for the Perfect Sound, by David Rothenberg. Published by University of Chicago Press (May, 2019.)  Are you surprised there are nightingales in Berlin? They have flown thousands of miles to get here, up from Africa and over the sea like refugees of the air. They sing from wells of silence, their voices piercing the urban noise. Each has his chosen perch to come back to each year. We know they will return, and yet when they do arrive every song still seems a wonder. Of all the days to schedule a midnight concert in Berlin’s Treptower Park, we have somehow chosen May 9, the one night people descend upon this park in the... posted on Feb 21 2023 (2,644 reads)

What Can Music Do to Change a Destructive Story?, by Duncan Neilson
is the transcript of Duncan Neilson's talk delivered at TEDx Lewis&Clark College The spark of wonder. I’ve always trusted that to pull me into a project and to guide me through. Because I think it’s wonder that fires me up as a composer, and at the root of what I like to convey. But there was a time when that spark— and its sustaining power— almost went out. I went to a lecture. It was given by my uncle Ron Neilson. He’s a scientist. He had just received a Nobel Prize for his work. I was excited to go because he was going to discuss his work and why he had been given the award. The subject? Human-caused worldwide climat... posted on Feb 27 2023 (2,152 reads)

Young Forever: Why Balance Matters, by Mark Hyman, MD
FROM YOUNG FOREVER BY MARK HYMAN, MD. COPYRIGHT © 2023 BY MARK HYMAN, MD. USED WITH PERMISSION OF LITTLE, BROWN SPARK, AN IMPRINT OF LITTLE, BROWN AND COMPANY. NEW YORK, NY.  Those who disobey the laws of Heaven and Earth have a lifetime of calamities, while those who follow the laws remain free from dangerous illness. —Huangdi Neijing (The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Internal Medicine) How many chemical reactions happen every second in the human body? A million? A trillion? Nope. Thirty-seven billion billion. That’s twenty-seven zeros! It is beyond our minds’ ability to comprehend the complexities of the human organism. This magical ... posted on Mar 2 2023 (4,422 reads)

The Hidden Teachings on Life and Death, by Neil Douglas-Klotz
Revelations of the Aramaic Jesus (2022) by Neil Douglas-Klotz. For a longer excerpt and more information, please see: www.revelationsofthearamaicjesus.com Why consider Jesus’ sayings in this language, much less use them in prayer or meditation? Language determines our way viewing the world. Languages have different words for the same thing, but also unique words that cannot be put into words in another language. In ancient languages, these unique expressions were all about the way people perceived their relationships to nature, other human beings, and Reality itself (a reality often translated “God”). Aramaic offers a way of looking at life as an inter... posted on Mar 22 2023 (3,787 reads)

Caring for the Vulnerable: A Gateway to Our Deepest Brain States, by Alison Gopnik, Aeon
often fancy themselves quite extraordinary specimens in the animal kingdom. But while most recent research undermines our centuries-long claims of human exceptionalism, there are some ways in which we are quite unique – especially when it comes to childhood and childcare. Indeed, even when compared with our closest primate relatives, humans spend a truly inordinate amount of time – roughly 15 years at the beginning and the end of the lifespan – as vulnerable creatures, not reproducing, and largely dependent on others. In this Aeon Original animation, Alison Gopnik, a writer and a professor of psychology and affiliate professor of philosophy at the University of Calif... posted on Mar 26 2023 (2,890 reads)