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, 20,083 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, 14,584 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, 5,224 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, 22,397 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, 22,367 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, 3,875 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, 24,765 reads

From Personal To Planetary Transformation
Two million organisations are working to make a better world in spite of the negative factors that threaten to destroy us, according to Paul Hawken. The interdependence of all life is now an established scientific fact as it is now possible to connect all people in the world for the first time in human history. Yet, in 2007 three billion people barely manage to eke out an existence. Learn more abo... posted on Nov 02 2014, 5,160 reads

Garden Library: A Neighborhood Transformed By Creativity
"The Garden Library is like our mother," says Sudanese asylum seeker Najmeldien (Nadeem) Ahmed. "It felt like my life in Israel started when I found the library." The Garden Library is a nonprofit initiative founded by Israelis in 2009. It started with two bookcases in the center of Levinsky Garden, a public park in one of Tel Aviv's poorest neighborhoods, now home to many African asylum seekers. ... posted on Nov 01 2014, 19,076 reads

Dad Invents Bionic Pancreas For Diabetic Son
Inspired by his son David's experience living and managing Type 1 diabetes, Ed Damiano, an associate professor of biomedical engineering at Boston University, has invented a bionic pancreas that helps people with Type 1 diabetes manage their blood sugar. Read more to hear how the power of a parent's love has the potential to change the lives of millions of people living with diabetes.... posted on Oct 31 2014, 5,812 reads