Thirteen Ways of Looking at Community (With a Fourteenth Thrown in For Free), by Parker J. Palmer
The title, and only the title, was inspired by the poem “Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird,” by Wallace Stevens (see www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/174503). The subtitle was inspired by late-night TV infomercials. I. Whether we know it or not, like it or not, honor it or not, we are embedded in community. Whether we think of ourselves as biological creatures or spiritual beings or both, the truth remains: we were created in and for a complex ecology of relatedness, and without it we wither and die. This simple fact has critical implications: community is not a goal to be achieved but a gift to be received. When we treat community as a product tha... posted on Aug 29 2016 (28,751 reads)

Too Much, Too Fast, Why It's Time for Humans to Slow Down, by Heleo Editors
Kolbert and Buddhist monk Matthieu Ricard each had big books in 2015. Kolbert’s The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History—winner of the Pulitzer Prize for nonfiction—takes an unflinching look at the history of extinction and the different ways that human beings are negatively impacting life on the planet. Ricard’s Altruism: The Power of Compassion to Change Yourself and the World explores global challenges, such as climate change, and argues that compassion and altruism are the keys to creating a better future. Together these books—filled with grief and hope—feel like two sides of a coin, each necess... posted on Jun 19 2017 (16,177 reads)

On Death Row, Creating Art from Pain, by Lilly Greenblatt
introduction by Maria Jain Earlier this year, I sat in an airplane waiting to take off from New York. The sun was setting beyond the edge of the tarmac. In the distance, the Manhattan skyline stood like a row of tiny charred matchsticks against the burning horizon. For a moment, I admired this instant art. Then, I shifted my gaze to the book on my lap: “That Bird Has My Wings” written by Jarvis Jay Masters, a Buddhist practitioner on Death Row in California. As I opened the first page, graceful italics shot Masters’ resounding dedication straight into my heart: To all those who who have lost someone by an act of violence, to the memory of those who... posted on Sep 28 2017 (13,304 reads)

Michael Singer: Living from a Place of Surrender, by Tami Simon
Singer is a spiritual teacher, entrepreneur, and the bestselling author of the spiritual classic The Untethered Soul. He has collaborated with Sounds True to release the online course Living from a Place of Surrender: The Untethered Soul in Action. In this episode of Insights at the Edge, Tami Simon speaks with Michael about the core idea of his teachings: that it is only through complete surrender to the essence of the moment that we experience life's full potential. They talk about what this sense of surrender actually means when it comes to decision-making and day-to-day activities, as well as how to recognize when we are still clinging to resistance. Micha... posted on Dec 22 2017 (47,723 reads)

13 Ways of Looking at Community (With a Fourteenth Thrown in For Free), by Parker J. Palmer
The title, and only the title, was inspired by the poem “Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird,” by Wallace Stevens (see www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/174503). The subtitle was inspired by late-night TV infomercials. I. Whether we know it or not, like it or not, honor it or not, we are embedded in community. Whether we think of ourselves as biological creatures or spiritual beings or both, the truth remains: we were created in and for a complex ecology of relatedness, and without it we wither and die. This simple fact has critical implications: community is not a goal to be achieved but a gift to be received. When we treat community as a product that we... posted on Feb 21 2019 (17,822 reads)

The Naked Voice: Transforming Life through the Power of Sound, by Chloe Goodchild
Naked Voice by Chloe Goodchild, published by North Atlantic Books, copyright © 2015 by Chloe Goodchild. Reprinted by permission of publisher. Since childhood and throughout my life, my voice has been my conscience and guide, providing me with an in-built “sonic laboratory” for self-inquiry. In 1990, following a transformative experience in India, I discovered my voice as my very own self. My singing voice became the messenger of this awakening. I called it my naked voice, for it arose from an unconditional source far deeper than my personality or ego could fathom. It touched a place of wisdom and oneness (nonduality) within me that opened vast new fields of... posted on Mar 18 2019 (8,090 reads)

8 Brilliant Student Essays on Immigration and Unjust Assumptions, by Lornet Turnbull
the winter 2019 student writing competition, “Border (In)Security,” we invited students to read the YES! Magazine article “Two-Thirds of Americans Live in the “Constitution-Free Zone” by Lornet Turnbull and respond with an up-to-700-word essay.  Students had a choice between two writing prompts for this contest on immigration policies at the border and in the “Constitution-free zone,” a 100-mile perimeter from land and sea borders where U.S. Border Patrol can search any vehicle, bus, or vessel without a warrant. They could state their positions on the impact of immigration policies on our country’s security and how we dete... posted on Jul 22 2021 (28,482 reads)

Wild Mind: Reclaiming Our Original Wholeness, by Bill Plotkin
from the book Wild Mind: A Field Guide to the Human Psyche by Bill Plotkin. Published by New World Library, 2013 www.newworldlibrary.com. It’s time to take another look at ourselves — to re-enliven our sense of what it is to be human, to breathe new life into ancient intuitions of who we are, and to learn again to celebrate, as we once did, our instinctive affinity with the Earth community in which we’re rooted. We’re called now to rediscover what it means to be human beings in a wildly diverse world of feathered, furred, and scaled fellow creatures; flowers and forests; mountains, rivers, and oceans; wind, rain, and snow; Sun and Moon. Our I... posted on Sep 25 2019 (8,390 reads)

The Serviceberry: An Economy of Abundance, by Robin Wall Kimmerer
cool breath of evening slips off the wooded hills, displacing the heat of the day, and with it come the birds, as eager for the cool as I am. They arrive in a flock of calls that sound like laughter, and I have to laugh back with the same delight. They are all around me, Cedar Waxwings and Catbirds and a flash of Bluebird iridescence. I have never felt such a kinship to my namesake, Robin, as in this moment when we are both stuffing our mouths with berries and chortling with happiness. The bushes are laden with fat clusters of red, blue, and wine purple, in every stage of ripeness, so many you can pick them by the handful. I’m glad I have a pail and wonder if the birds will be ab... posted on Jan 19 2021 (11,176 reads)

The Art of Looking: Eleven Walks with Expert Eyes, by Maria Popova
we spend our days,” Annie Dillard wrote in her timelessly beautiful meditation on presence over productivity, “is, of course, how we spend our lives.” And nowhere do we fail at the art of presence most miserably and most tragically than in urban life — in the city, high on the cult of productivity, where we float past each other, past the buildings and trees and the little boy in the purple pants, past life itself, cut off from the breathing of the world by iPhone earbuds and solipsism. And yet: “The art of seeing has to be learned,” Marguerite Duras reverberates — and it can be learned, as cogn... posted on Aug 11 2021 (6,149 reads)

The Top 10 Strategies for Reducing Prejudice, by Rodolfo Mendoza-Denton
greet the new year, Rodolfo Mendoza-Denton provides the best research-based tips for overcoming our differences. Tis the season for countdowns—of the past year’s best movies, albums, news stories, and more. In that spirit, I’ve compiled a list of my own: the top ten strategies for reducing prejudice and improving intergroup relations. Here they are. 10. Travel (somewhere that challenges your worldview) The word “prejudice” can literally be broken down into “pre-” and “judgment.” Aptly, much of prejudice stems from our pre-judging other people’s habits, customs, clothes, ways of speaking, and values. We often do this with... posted on Sep 10 2011 (17,621 reads)

10 Amazing Stories For World Kindness Day, by DailyGood Editors
13th is World Kindness Day! In honor of this, we've compiled 10 diverse and heart-warming pieces honoring extraordinary acts of kindness, love and compassion by ordinary people. These stories include bus-drivers, bakers, basketball players, canine heroes and much more...reminding us of just how universal and essential the spirit of kindness is in our world. Read on and be inspired to do an act of kindness of your own today. 1. The Angel of Queens: Jorge Munoz is a school bus driver by day and an angel by night. Every night for more than 5 years, he has gone home and cooked food for hundreds of people on his old stove. He then goes to a street corner in Quee... posted on Nov 13 2014 (227,844 reads)

A Conversation with Jane Wodening: Doors of Perception, by Richard Whittaker, Anne Veh
Veh told me about Jane Wodening. She told me Jane was an astonishing writer, that she wrote about animals, creatures, about the intimate life of nature around her. That her writing was like no one else she knew of. And then she thought of Barry Lopez. Well, it was okay to bring in Barry Lopez in the same conversation. In fact, Anne was putting together an exhibit at the Di Rosa in Napa, California. It would be called “Entering the Wild” and would feature a hand-illustrated book by Barry Lopez along with works by five other artists. It would also feature several of Jane’s books of stories. Anne hoped to find a way to bring Jane out from Colorado for the opening. I remem... posted on Jun 3 2013 (16,472 reads)

22 Tips To Better Care for Introverts and Extroverts, by Belle Beth Cooper
is something that hit me recently: For a long time I had a certain idea about what makes an introvert or an extrovert. I had always thought that it works something like this: Extroversion relates to how outgoing someone is Introversion is the same as being shy. That was kind of my general perception. Doing just a little bit of reading made it clear very quickly - my thinking was way off! Recently I dug into some of the full-on research about introverts vs extroverts and I think I’m much closer to understanding what the terms introvert and extrovert actually mean. When we briefly discussed this topic internally here at Buffer, a lot of people got ver... posted on Oct 24 2013 (39,755 reads)

The Science Of Conquering Your Fears, by Carolyn Gregoire
believed courage to be the most important quality in a man. “Courage is the first of human virtues because it makes all others possible," he wrote. Today, it's one of the more neglected areas of positive psychology, but recent research has begun to move toward an understanding of what courage is and how we might be able to cultivate the ability to face our fear and make decisions with greater fortitude. Neuroscientists recently determined just how courage works in the brain, finding that a region called the subgenual anterior cingulate cortex (sgACC) is the driving force behind courageous acts -- a conclusion which could one day prove useful in treating anxiet... posted on May 19 2021 (65,455 reads)

8 Ways to Find More Meaning At Work, by Morten Hansen, Dacher Keltner
your job seem dull and meaningless? Morten Hansen and Dacher Keltner point the way out. Do you experience meaning at work—or just emptiness? In the United States people spend on average 35-40 hours working every week. That’s some 80,000 hours during a career—more time than you will spend with your kids, probably. Beyond the paycheck, what does work give you? Few questions could be more important. It is sad to walk through life and experience work as empty, dreadful, a chore—sapping energy out of your body and soul. Yet many employees do, as evidenced by one large-scale study showing that only 31 percent of employees felt engaged with their work. ... posted on Dec 30 2013 (37,976 reads)

We Are Connected In Mysterious Ways, by Jacob Needleman
full audio of the following dialogue is available here.] Point Reyes Dialogues explores the great questions of life and our current condition within the context of the spiritual revolution of California begun in the 1960s and continuing today. We inquire into their broad impact on culture, education, religious life and moral values. Host Jacob Needleman, philosopher, author and teacher discusses these questions with guests who are recognized internationally for their philosophic, religious and spiritual influence.             Richard Whittaker is the founding editor of the art journal, works & conversations and is the West Co... posted on Apr 3 2014 (21,395 reads)

Is Attention the Secret to Emotional Intelligence?, by Jason Marsh
research suggests—is that your phone? Go ahead and reply. It’s OK, I’ll wait. Back? I think I was saying something about—wait, you’re checking your email? Can’t you focus? You’re not alone. It has become an axiom of modern life that we’re a people under attack, assailed by a barrage of technologies and near-constant communications. Amidst this wealth of data and information, one resource is in short supply: our ability to pay attention. It is this dilemma that animates Daniel Goleman’s new book,Focus: The Hidden Driver of Excellence. Goleman, the former New York Times science journalist turned best-selling author... posted on Feb 18 2014 (31,722 reads)

The Nature of the Self, by Maria Popova
mind-bending new understanding of our basic existential anchor. The fate of the world depends on the selves of human beings, " pioneering educator Annemarie Roeper wrote in her meditation on how poorly we understand the self. Indeed, while philosophers may argue that the self is a toxic illusion and psychologists may insist that its ever changing, we tend to float through life anchored by a firm conviction that the self is our sole constant companion. But when psychologist David DeSteno asks, "Can the present you trust the future you?" In his fantastic exploration of the psychology of trust, the question leaves us -- at least me -- suddenly paralyzed w... posted on Mar 13 2014 (28,617 reads)

Q&A with Daniel Goleman, by Jason Marsh
Attention the Secret to Emotional Intelligence? An interview with best-selling author Daniel Goleman about his new book, Focus. New research suggests—is that your phone? Go ahead and reply. It’s OK, I’ll wait. Back? I think I was saying something about—wait, you’re checking your email? Can’t you focus? You’re not alone. It has become an axiom of modern life that we’re a people under attack, assailed by a barrage of technologies and near-constant communications. Amidst this wealth of data and information, one resource is in short supply: our ability to pay attention. It is this dilemma that animates Daniel Goleman’s ... posted on Mar 25 2014 (23,150 reads)