The Man Who Planted Trees
"Who says a single person can't make a difference? This Academy Award-winning short film, based on a story by Jean Giono, was created in 1987 by renowned animator Frederick Back. It beautifully showcases one shepherd's long and successful effort to re-forest a desolate valley in the foothills of the Alps near Provence in the first half of the 20th century."... posted on Nov 21 2022, 2,405 reads

The Gift of Lewis Hyde's
"Gifts pass from hand to hand: they endure through such transmission, as every time a gift is given it is enlivened and regenerated through the new spiritual life it engenders both in the giver and in the receiver. And so it is with Lewis Hydes classic study of gift giving and its relationship to art. The Gift has never been out of print; it moves like an underground current among artists of all k... posted on Nov 20 2022, 1,847 reads

How to Have a Community Conversation
"A Community Conversation is a form of group dialogue that often addresses issues of local or larger concern. Participation is usually open to all, and may lead to some form of action, consensus or objective by the participants. Regardless of the size of the gathering, when individuals assemble to engage in dialogue related to self-determination, it often becomes a community unto itself. Community... posted on Nov 19 2022, 1,415 reads

Just Be Nice
In this brief and moving glimpse into his life, Morne Pretorius shares how the experience of a car accident ten years ago which left him in a coma for a month, has impacted his perspective on life, leading him to living gratefully every day. He reminds us to make peace with what happens in our lives, realizing that our experiences do not define our future. Speaking from the knowledge gained from h... posted on Nov 18 2022, 2,262 reads

Activating Moral Discomfort & Spiritual Community for the Earth
"The Rev. Fletcher Harper believes that he felt God while mourning his fathers death on a solo camping trip in Montana. A violent hailstorm struck one night, and he sought shelter in the lee of a rock. "At about three in the morning, I felt this deep sense of well-being, he recalls. "I realized that I was going to be OK. I thought, 'I can move on with my life now.'"Later in his life and career whe... posted on Nov 17 2022, 1,902 reads

Agent of Illumination
"Some years ago, I was stuck on a crosstown bus in New York City during rush hour. Traffic was barely moving. The bus was filled with cold, tired people who were deeply irritated with one another, with the world itself. Two men barked at each other about a shove that might or might not have been intentional. A pregnant woman got on, and nobody offered her a seat. Rage was in the air; no mercy woul... posted on Nov 16 2022, 13,814 reads

Alison Thompson Responds with Heart
"I first met Dr Alison Thompson in Sri Lanka in 2005, when we were both involved in Sri Lanka's tsunami recovery effort. She immediately struck me as someone down-to-earth and highly motivated to get real, practical work done. Alison wasn't attached to a famous aid organization, let alone staying in a five-star hotel or shuttled around in a huge Land Rover. She wasn't someone interested in having ... posted on Nov 15 2022, 2,366 reads

The Inward Migration
"As the world falters, threatening native ecosystems and Indigenous lifeways, acclaimed Australian Aboriginal author Alexis Wright turns inward to the dwelling place of ancestral story. From here, she considers how her ancient culture has responded to ongoing destructionand how to bear witness to the creation of a post-apocalyptic world."... posted on Nov 14 2022, 1,748 reads

Why You Should Write That Thank You Note
"Students of mine in a political philosophy course at Indiana University are reading Daniel Defoe's 300-year-old Robinson Crusoe, often regarded as the first novel published in English. Marooned alone on an unknown island with no apparent prospect of rescue or escape, Crusoe has much to lament. But instead of giving in to despair, he makes a list of things for which he is grateful, including the f... posted on Nov 13 2022, 4,905 reads

Thanksgiving Address
Says Robin Wall Kimmerer,"You can't listen to the Thanksgiving Address without feeling wealthy. And, while expressing gratitude seems innocent enough, it is a revolutionary idea. In a consumer society, contentment is a radical proposition. Recognizing abundance rather than scarcity undermines an economy that thrives by creating unmet desiresThe Thanksgiving Address reminds you that you already hav... posted on Nov 12 2022, 3,682 reads