A Father's Letter To His Five-Year-Old Daughter
Tom Attwater is dying of a brain tumor and in the midst of coping with his own suffering, he is exerting all efforts to save his 5 year-old daughter from cancer. Read further for a selfless, heartwarming story that will bring tears to your eyes and compassion to your heart.... posted on Nov 12 2014, 64,029 reads

When's The Last Time You Unfolded A Map?
When's the last time you pulled out a map to find where you were, or how to get where you were going? As Snigda Manickavel reminds us, "When we gaze at our devices and scurry through the world in thoroughly efficient ways, we are forgetting the most important part of our sojourn on this watery planet. To connect with the other people who are here with us." You may want to dig up some maps or peek ... posted on Nov 11 2014, 23,357 reads

The Only Way We Really Change
People don't ever change by becoming someone else. People change by seeking, finding, and nourishing the best of who they are. They persist through the dark, heart-shredding times. They reach deeper into their true nature, the source of their best wisdom, courage, and passion. In this piece Wayne Muller tells a powerful story from the Civil Right's movement that illustrates how true transformation... posted on Nov 10 2014, 22,342 reads

Wisdom In The Age of Information
"We live in a world awash with information, but we seem to face a growing scarcity of wisdom." Maria Popova shares her insights about the difference between information, knowledge, and wisdom, and how storytelling can play a crucial role in helping us navigate the "open sea" of our technological age.... posted on Nov 09 2014, 20,021 reads

An Innovation That Is Lighting India's Villages
Worldwide about 1.5 billion people lack access to electricity, a statistic hard to fathom in our current digital age. In India, more than 400 million people have no electricity. Gyanesh Pandey, who grew up in a village in Bihar, India without electricity, and three of his friends are creating a different reality for thousands of people through a company they founded known as Husk Power Systems. Re... posted on Nov 08 2014, 14,557 reads

Turning The Soup Kitchen Upside Down
If you've ever volunteered in a soup kitchen, you know the feeling of having served others. But what about those on the other side of the food line? Are they getting what they need most? Robert Egger, the founder of DC Central Kitchen, didn't think so. He set out to train homeless people on the streets of Washington, D.C. -- many of whom were drug addicts cycling in and out of a life of crime -- h... posted on Nov 07 2014, 5,210 reads

What I Wish I Knew When I Was A Freshman
What would you say to your younger self if you had the chance? Charles Howard, the University Chaplain for the University of Pennsylvia, shares his reflections on ego and insecurity, and the advice he would have given himself at the age of 18.... posted on Nov 06 2014, 22,355 reads

The Compassionate Instinct
Although many question whether true compassion exists at all, recent studies are showing that compassion is deeply rooted in our brains, our bodies, and in the most basic ways we communicate. Dacher Keltner -- a professor of psychology at the University of California, Berkeley -- shares more about the compassionate side to human nature in this article.... posted on Nov 05 2014, 22,271 reads

The Healing Power Of Joy
Laughter is a natural medicine - it lifts our spirits and makes us feel happy. Laughter is contagious. It brings people together and helps us feel more alive and empowered. Laughter therapy aims to use the natural physiological process of laughter to help relieve physical or emotional stresses or discomfort. There are over 70 organizations committed to the healing power of laughter around the worl... posted on Nov 04 2014, 3,872 reads

How We Die: The Art of Living & Dying Meaningfully
Sherwin Nuland writes about death, but not in the way that you might expect. He wants to clear the fog of the fear of death away from our eyes. Death, in his view, has everything to do with how we live. In his own words: "The honesty and grace of the years of life that are ending is the real measure of how we die. It is not in the last weeks or days that we compose the message that will be rememb... posted on Nov 03 2014, 24,719 reads