The Free Farm, by Pancho Ramos
are not growing fruits and veggies. We are facilitating the growth of soil and community.  The food is a byproduct. We’re mostly giving back to Mother Earth, and in the process, enjoying the co-creation of the Belovedhood. This is the revelation I got when I met hermano Tree. From my perspective, this is Gandhi’s constructive program at its best, revamped for the 21st century. Gandhi used the spinning wheel as both physical embodiment and symbol for radical change. Today, the foundation for social justice is local and healthy food — our “spinning wheel” for the 21st century. For the last few years, I’ve been close to an am... posted on Dec 5 2011 (9,120 reads)

Ta'Kaiya Blaney: What a 10-Year-Old Did for the Tar Sands, by Angela Sterritt
a First Nations student from British Columbia is taking on a controversial trans-Canadian pipeline project—through song. Ten-year-old Ta’Kaiya Blaney stood outside Enbridge Northern Gateway’s office on July 6, waiting for officials to grant her access to the building. She thought she could hand deliver an envelope containing an important message about the company’s pipeline construction. But the doors remained locked. “I don’t know what they find so scary about me,” she said, as she was ushered off the property by security guards. “I just want them to hear what I have to say.” The Sliammon First Nation youth put in a... posted on Dec 10 2011 (8,082 reads)

10 Hypotheses About Abundance and the Commons, by Roberto Verzola
is an excerpt of a keynote at the International Conference on the Commons, titled Abundance and the Generative Logic of the Commons.] “I will present my talk in the form of ten assertions about abundance and its relation to the commons. Some of the ten are quite obvious and uncontroversial. Others may provoke intense debate. Hopefully, they can help clarify the issues covered by this conference. 1: The Internet is creating an abundance of information and knowledge This is hardly news by now. New technologies have made possible a global digital infrastructure, which, in turn, has given rise to a new information economy. This economy has one obvious feature: the abun... posted on Jun 15 2013 (21,492 reads)

Grab the Reigns! Training the Mind to Find Happiness, by Joanna Holsten
recently, meditation was a very fuzzy concept to me. Growing up in a pretty homogenous, East coast suburb, I never knew anyone who meditated. My understanding consisted of abstract and puzzling instructions, like ‘sit, quiet your mind, and think of nothing.’ “Nothing! Why would you think of nothing?! What a waste of time,” I thought. Hence, meditation wasn’t at the top of my list of things to try. But I felt a bit stuck in life. While I had many happy parts of my life, I didn’t feel a baseline of contentment. External things would unglue me more easily than I would like, and negative thoughts and emotions would too often creep into my mind. I ... posted on Feb 3 2012 (27,003 reads)

The Way of the Peaceful Parent, by Leo Babauta
and she loved a boy very, very much– even more than she loved herself.’ ~Shel Silverstein, The Giving Tree There is no such thing as stress-free parenting. A reader requested that I share my thoughts on stress-free parenting, as the father of six kids. And while I have learned a lot about being a dad, and finding joy in parenthood, I also know that stress-free parenting is a myth. Parents will always have stress: we not only have to deal with tantrums and scraped knees and refusing to eat anything you cook, but we worry about potential accidents, whether we are ruining our kids, whether our children will find happiness as adul... posted on Jul 24 2012 (82,978 reads)

The Science of Compassion, by James R. Doty, MD
in a country that consumes 25% of the world's resources (the U.S.), is there an epidemic of loneliness, depression, and anxiety? Why do so many in the West who have all of their basic needs met still feel impoverished? While some politicians might answer, "It's the economy, stupid," Based on scientific evidence, a better answer is, "It's the lack compassion, stupid." I recently attended the Templeton Prize ceremony at St. Paul's Cathedral in London and have been reflecting on the words of His Holiness the Dalai Lama in conversation with Arianna Huffington: "If we say, oh, the practice of compassion is something holy, nobody will listen. If... posted on Oct 23 2012 (35,430 reads)

Lessons Learned from Writing Love Letters to Strangers, by Hannah Brencher
began leaving love letters all over New York City for strangers to find nearly two years ago. Though the idea sounds romantic, it was really a way to forget about my own feelings of sadness and loneliness for a while and focus on others in the big city who may have been feeling as let down as me. Every morning since that first love letter, I’ve pinned my cursive to writing and mailing love letters to people all over the world, packed with words that hopefully will help, heal, and hold them during a tough time. With every stroke of the pen and sealing of the envelope, I’ve gathered life lessons that I know will never leave me no matter where my letters go. We&rsquo... posted on Oct 31 2012 (28,979 reads)

Why Your Health Is Bigger Than Your Body, by Claudia Rowe
with Dr. Ted Schettler is probably unlike any conversation you have had with your physician. Raise the topic of breast cancer or diabetes or dementia, and Schettler starts talking about income disparities, industrial farming, and campaign finance reform. The Harvard-educated physician, frustrated by the limitations of science in combating disease, believes that finding answers to the most persistent medical challenges of our time—conditions that now threaten to overwhelm our health care system—depends on understanding the human body as a system nested within a series of other, larger systems: one’s family and community, environment, culture, and socioeconomic... posted on Nov 15 2012 (13,459 reads)

What I've Learned From The Children In My Life, by Shaheen Mistry
I struggle to understand the world, I often remember that all I really need to learn I can learn from children. I can learn from the wonder with which they see the world, from their ability to live completely in any given moment, from the way they can both laugh and cry freely, from their unconditional love, trust and belief. I often wonder why and how and when we lose those things that we know to be natural and right when we are children. Most of what I have learned about greed, and its opposite charity, I have learned from the children in my life. In the early days of Akanksha, I remember organizing a party for our children at a club. There was much excitem... posted on Dec 16 2012 (21,628 reads)

Why Gratitude Makes Us Healthier, by Ocean Robbins
world is pretty messed up. With all the violence, pollution and crazy things people do, it would be easy to turn into a grouchy old man without being either elderly or male. There's certainly no shortage of justification for disappointment and cynicism. But consider this: Negative attitudes are bad for you. And gratitude, it turns out, makes you happier and healthier. If you invest in a way of seeing the world that is mean and frustrated, you're going to get a world that is, well, more mean and frustrating. But if you can find any authentic reason to give thanks, anything that is going right with the world or your life, and put your attention there, then statistics say ... posted on Jan 24 2013 (38,266 reads)

Eckhart Tolle: The Easier Path, by Spirituality & Health Magazine
renowned spiritual teacher on getting stuck in the future and saving the planet. To the uninitiated, Eckhart Tolle might be mistaken for a nature photographer. His persona—a soft German-accented voice, a boyish visage, his love of vests—doesn’t exactly scream, “guru!” Yet Tolle is one of the world’s most popular spiritual teachers and a literary powerhouse whose best-selling books The Power of Now and A New Earth have influenced millions. Born in Germany, educated at the universities of London and Cambridge, and now a resident of Vancouver, Canada, Tolle writes and lectures on the evolution of human consciousness. His work syn... posted on Jun 23 2013 (84,319 reads)

What Is It to Be Intellectually Humble?, by Robert Roberts
human beings are seekers. We seek love, wealth, security, power, happiness, and recognition. We also seek knowledge. Aristotle said, “All people by nature desire to know.” The desire to know can be very ambitious, like that of the scientists who sought to solve the structure of the DNA molecule, or rather modest. It can be enormously satisfying to know and understand things. What does it take to have intellectual success—to come to know and understand something challenging? Well, you need some raw intelligence and memory, and you need to work hard and persevere when it doesn’t come easily. You’ll be better off if you’re surrounded by learned people ... posted on Jul 10 2013 (34,841 reads)

35 Scientific Concepts That Will Help You Understand The World, by Aimee Groth
order to sharpen our reasoning skills, we must have a good grasp of our own cognitive biases, as well as the basic laws of the universe. But in a dynamic world, new laws are constantly emerging. The editors over at Edge.org asked some of the most influential thinkers in the world — including neuroscientists, physicists and mathematicians — what they believe are the most important scientific concepts of the modern era. The result is "This Will Make You Smarter: New Scientific Concepts To Improve Your Thinking," a compilation of nearly 200 essays exploring concepts such as the "shifting baseline syndrome" and a scientific view ... posted on Aug 5 2013 (592,980 reads)

Don't Make the Right Decision; Make the Decision Right, by Adam Grant
do you make your choices? Here are a few statements from a decision-making survey created by my colleague, Barry Schwartz. Take a moment to think about whether you agree with them: - I never settle for second best. - When I’m in the car listening to the radio, even if I like the song, I often check other stations to see if something better is playing. - I’m a big fan of lists that rank things: the best movies … the best graduation speeches … the best-looking professors. - I treat relationships like clothing: I expect to try on a lot before I find the perfect fit. These statements reflect being a maximizer—someone who always looks for the bes... posted on Aug 10 2013 (64,897 reads)

Balancing the Brain Toward Joy, by David Kupfer
years ago, at 37, Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor, a Harvard-trained neuroanatomist and spokeswoman for the Harvard Brain Tissue Resource Center, had a stroke that traumatized her left hemisphere. Through the eyes of an ever-curious brain scientist, she felt her mind completely deteriorate to the point that she could not walk, talk, read, write, or recall the incidents of her life. Several weeks later, she underwent major brain surgery to remove a golf-ball-sized blood clot that was applying pressure on the language center in her brain’s left hemisphere. During her eight-year recovery, her mother was her chief caregiver. Initially, Taylor did not know who she was and had no recollectio... posted on Aug 21 2013 (44,413 reads)

Six Habits of Highly Empathic People, by Roman Krznaric
you think you’re hearing the word “empathy” everywhere, you’re right. It’s now on the lips of scientists and business leaders, education experts and political activists. But there is a vital question that few people ask: How can I expand my own empathic potential? Empathy is not just a way to extend the boundaries of your moral universe. According to new research, it’s a habit we can cultivate to improve the quality of our own lives. But what is empathy? It’s the ability to step into the shoes of another person, aiming to understand their feelings and perspectives, and to use that understanding to guide our actions.... posted on Aug 25 2013 (230,262 reads)

Bend that Arc of Justice, by Larry Brilliant, M.D.
Moral Arc of the Universe Bends Towards Justice, But It Will Not Happen on Its Own Skoll Global Threats Fund president Larry Brilliant was the commencement speaker at the Harvard School of Public Health's commencement yesterday. Here's the text of his speech as prepared for delivery (Cross-posted from the Skoll Global Threats Fund blog). Graduating students of the class of 2013, and your families and partners and friends... Distinguished members of the faculty. All of the entire School of Public Health community Thank you for inviting me to speak to you today. It's a pleasure to see some familiar faces and friends here today. I'm happy to see John Brownstei... posted on Oct 25 2013 (18,091 reads)

The Neuroscience of Why Gratitude Makes Us Healthier, by Ocean Robbins
world is pretty messed up. With all the violence, pollution and crazy things people do, it would be easy to turn into a grouchy old man without being either elderly or male. There's certainly no shortage of justification for disappointment and cynicism. But consider this: Negative attitudes are bad for you. And gratitude, it turns out, makes you happier and healthier. If you invest in a way of seeing the world that is mean and frustrated, you're going to get a world that is, well, more mean and frustrating. But if you can find any authentic reason to give thanks, anything that is going right with the world or your life, and put your attention there, then statistics say you'... posted on Oct 30 2013 (353,381 reads)

The Thinking Habit That Changed My Life, by Leo Babauta
remember one evening, when my life was pretty different and I was overweight and deeply in debt and a smoker and had such a hard time changing things … I wasn’t feeling too good about my life. I felt horrible about myself, and wondered why I was stuck. I felt hopeless and helpless, and generally depressed about the state of things around me. Then I looked up at the sky, and saw the stars set in a deep blue-black canvas. And I thought, what a miracle life is. And I resolved to mentally list the things I had in my life that were good. My list of good things was something like this: - I had a wonderful wife - I had 5 amazing children (now 6) - I had... posted on Dec 14 2013 (83,821 reads)

The Art of Constructive Daydreaming, by Maria Popova
science of why fantasy and imaginative escapism are essential elements of a satisfying mental life. Freud asserted that daydreaming is essential to creative writing — something a number of famous creators and theorists intuited in asserting that unconscious processing is essential to how creativity works, from T. S. Eliot’s notion of “idea incubation” to Alexander Graham Bell’s “unconscious cerebration” to Lewis Carroll’s “mental mastication.” In the 1950s, Yale psychologist Jerome L. Singer put these intuitive observations to the empirical test as he embarked u... posted on Dec 8 2013 (25,559 reads)