Before I Go: A Neurosurgeon's Final Reflections On Mortality
Einstein was one of the first to confirm that time and space are truly relative phenomena, and no where is relativity more palpable than in the operating room of a hospital. For neurosurgeon Paul Kalanithi, time as he knew it underwent a radical shift when he was diagnosed with metastatic lung cancer. From the rush of the operating room to the tortoise trudge of rest and uncertain recovery, Paul, ... posted on Mar 30 2015, 66,071 reads

Opening Doors and Hearts
Opening a door is more than a physical act. It's about putting yourself out there, getting to know people, making them feel comfortable, and making them feel welcome. After being bullied, Josh Yandt decided to make a change that ultimately had a dramatic impact on his life and on the lives of his fellow students. Watch this sweet story of how the London, Ontario, high school paid forward Josh's ac... posted on Mar 29 2015, 5,330 reads

Duane Elgin On Voluntary Simplicity
Duane Elgin is an unusual social visionary, one with an MBA from Wharton and a master's degree in economic history. He is a passionate advocate for shifting away from the consumer mentality which has driven history for hundreds of years. According to Elgin we are now in a time of great transition, a time that can no longer sustain the materialism of a consumerist society, and that calls for new wa... posted on Mar 28 2015, 24,208 reads

A Gang You'll Want Your Kid to Join
The words 'gang' or 'posse' have negative connotations for most people. But not for Deborah Bial. After an aha-moment with a college drop-out, she would go on to form the Posse Foundation, one of the most comprehensive college access programs in the United States. How successful is the program? The list of former Posse graduates is undeniably impressive: Harvard grads, doctors, a college dean, a f... posted on Mar 27 2015, 6,158 reads

Black Madonna: A Song of Forgiveness
"In 1981, two white supremacists brutally murdered an eighteen-year-old black boy in Mobile, Alabama. During the trial, there was an astounding moment: one of the men expressed true sorrow for what he had done. Everyone took a breath. And the boy's mother, Beulah Mae Donald, forgave him." The ability of human beings to love, even those who have deeply wronged us, is a recurring source of amazement... posted on Mar 26 2015, 18,475 reads

How To Retrain Your Brain With Three Words
Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner, authors of the best-selling book 'Freakonomics,' are back again in an effort to help retrain your brain when it comes to solving problems. From small issues to major crises, in fields ranging from business and philanthropy, to sports and politics, Levitt and Dubner offer up a self-help manual for how to think more productively, more creatively, and more rati... posted on Mar 25 2015, 66,799 reads

Can Connection Cure Addiction?
"It is now one hundred years since drugs were first banned -- and all through this long century of waging war on drugs, we have been told a story about addiction...This story is so deeply ingrained in our minds that we take it for granted: There are strong chemical hooks in these drugs, so if we stopped on day twenty-one, our bodies would need the chemical. We would have a ferocious craving. We wo... posted on Mar 24 2015, 27,884 reads

14 Surprising Ways To Boost Your Creativity
One of the most pleasurable aspects of the human mind -- creativity -- also just happens to be one of the mind's most elusive aspects as well. So for many people, it is often very hard to get a firm grasp on the keys that unlock creative potential when searching for it. This article offers up 14 useful ways that could help spark the inner creativity we all yearn for.... posted on Mar 23 2015, 62,156 reads

The Girl Who Gets Gifts From Birds
"Lots of people love the birds in their garden, but it's rare for that affection to be reciprocated. One young girl in Seattle is luckier than most. She feeds the crows in her garden - and they bring her gifts in return." Read on for more about 8-year old Gabi, her generosity toward her winged friends, and their sweet relationship!... posted on Mar 22 2015, 26,511 reads

My Father's Gift
'Gift' is a short film that conveys a profound message on the importance of giving, and the true value of wealth. It illustrates how we touch others when we selflessly give of our time, love and kindness. 'Gift' is about a boy who grew up believing that his father was poor, unintelligent and unsuccessful. After his father's death however, the son discovers the true reach of his parent's generosit... posted on Mar 21 2015, 6,778 reads