Finding Treasure In A Thrift-Store Couch
Imagine digging through the cushions on a secondhand couch expecting to find a few extra coins -- and pulling out, instead, over $40,000. Now ask yourself, would you then return the money? That's the question three roommates faced when they realized that the lumps in their newly purchased couch were actually large bundles of money. Money that had been set aside to care for a dying man's widow. Pur... posted on Jul 03 2014, 8,433 reads

The Far Shore of Aging
As life-prolonging technologies continue to lengthen our stay on earth, we still are learning how to confront the challenges of longer lives. How do we preserve human dignity and joy as our bodies struggle with the inevitable decline of age? Jane Gross and Krista Tippett explore this, and many other facets of what it means to grow old in today's world in this interview.... posted on Jul 02 2014, 27,929 reads

Beauty & The Dumpster
"I've been to archaeological sites, know the sun-bleached whiteness of bone, the tea-colored stains left by earth. Here, no layers of soil obscured the find." Join Meredith Sabini, founder of the Dream Institute of Northern California, as she explores the remnants of a life: the objects left behind by friends and relatives after a loved one passes.... posted on Jul 01 2014, 0 reads

Guiding Rage into Power
Jacques Verduin is painfully aware of the ugly statistics: one in 107 Americans are in prison; one in 28 children have an incarcerated parent; and within 18 months, 64% will be back behind the walls. Thankfully, Verduin has shown that the empowerment and transformation of prisoners is a big part of what prison reform can look like, and with it has created a successful social experiment that is one... posted on Jun 30 2014, 22,714 reads

All In On Love
Love others. Sounds simple, right? As Vinoba Bhave confessed, "I said it was simple; I did not say that it was easy." And this message of the simplicity of the idea, yet the ever-present challange of putting love into practice is found in all times, across all areas of life. Enter American singer-songwriter John Legend. A graduate of Penn, passionate about music his entire life, the greatest lesso... posted on Jun 29 2014, 29,749 reads

Meditations On An Apple
As you hold an apple, remember that the ancestor of all apple trees arose in southwestern Asia, in Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, and all across the Caucasus Mountains. Protected and nourished by observant stewards for thousands of years through their system of agriculture, their culture of the land, the apple contains their vision. We are all dependent on the living soil for o... posted on Jun 28 2014, 21,162 reads

The Dalai Lama: On Why I Laugh
Those who have had the chance to be in his presence, know him -- in part --- by his infectious laugh. "I have been confronted with many difficulties throughout the course of my life, and my country is going through a critical period. But I laugh often, and my laughter is contagious." In an excerpt from his book, "My Spiritual Journey", the Dalai Lama shares his beliefs regarding the healing power ... posted on Jun 27 2014, 63,703 reads

The Happiness Index
Bhutan is a country roughly the size of Vermont and New Hampshire combined, but with less than half the population, sandwiched between China and India. A Fulbright scholar on a visit there asks, is it demolition or progress for the country to move from an isolated, largely self-sustaining Buddhist kingdom to a modern democracy? As workers build a new road to a cliff temple and secret holy lake, h... posted on Jun 26 2014, 8,427 reads

Unleashing Empathy Through Emotional Learning
According to a recent Harvard study, cultivating empathy among students has been linked to a variety of desirable outcomes, including positive peer relationships, better communication skills, and fewer interpersonal conflicts. Author Lennon Flowers examines how it is part of a growing education trend broadly referred to as "social and emotional learning," where children, teachers and parents learn... posted on Jun 25 2014, 17,749 reads

7 Keys To A Good Death
"Some years ago, I helped tend to a friend of mine who was dying of cancer. Near the end of his life, he had reached a place of equanimity around dying. But instead of honoring his wishes for a peaceful death, his doctors ordered aggressive chemotherapy treatment, which did nothing to halt his cancer. The treatments caused him immense suffering, rendering him unable to sleep, eat, or converse with... posted on Jun 24 2014, 84,578 reads