What Women Can Teach Us About Compassion
It is said "[t]he road itself has power ... that suffering itself can have an inner door ... that there is a resilience even in the midst of it." In this conversation with Gitanjali Babbar, we get glimpses of the power of resilience -- both Babbar's, as well as the thousands of women and children whose lives she touches, and that touch hers. Babbar started a nonprofit named "Kat Katha" or "Puppe... posted on Dec 23, 8948 reads

Vegetable Seller to Reputed Oncologist
Dr. Vijayalakshmi Deshmane is one of India's most reputed oncologists who dedicates her life to service through medicine. But, when she was just a child, born into a "backward caste" and a socio-economically disadvantaged family living in the slums of India, with little access to food and basic amenities, leave alone educational opportunities, it was not obvious she would have such an illustrious... posted on Oct 3, 6122 reads

The Secrets to a Happy Life
What is the secret to a happy life? Ask anyone you know, and each will provide a different and widely varying response. In 1938, 268 men volunteered for a intriguing study conducted by Harvard University -- one in which their personal happiness might be measured throughout the years. Though no single study could ever predict the outcome of a man's life, there were some interesting revelations. Two... posted on Oct 25, 29235 reads

Desert Solitaire: A Love Letter to Solitude
In the late 1950s, Edward Abbey became a seasonal park ranger at Arches National Monument in Utah's Moab desert. Between April and September, between the canyons and the pages of his journal, he found a great many of the things we spend our lives looking for. His book maps the maze of the interior landscape as he wanders the expanse of the exterior.... posted on Nov 25, 11383 reads

Six Pillars of the Wholehearted Life
In what has been named as one of the best commencement speeches of all time, Parker Palmer, author, educator, and founder of the Center for Courage and Renewal, shares six pillars of a wholehearted life. The first, be reckless in matters of the heart: "Fall madly in love with life. Be passionate about some part of the natural and/or human worlds and take risks on its behalf, no matter how vulnerab... posted on Nov 3, 59460 reads

BJ Miller: What Really Matters at the End of Life
"At the end of our lives, what do we most wish for? For many, it's simply comfort, respect, love. BJ Miller is a palliative care physician at Zen Hospice Project who thinks deeply about how to create a dignified, graceful end of life for his patients. Take the time to savor this moving talk, which asks big questions about how we think on death and honor life."... posted on Nov 16, 66066 reads

One Man's Journey Back from the Brink
In late 2012, Brice Royer was lying on a bed in terrible pain. He had been diagnosed with stomach cancer -- and, in unbearable pain, was contemplating taking his own life. But something kept him going, long enough to find a purpose within his suffering. From the ashes of hardship, he realized the blessing of unconditional love. Read on to be inspired by one man's miraculous journey.... posted on Nov 15, 7657 reads

Choosing Suffering Over Safety
"Can you walk, sweetheart?" I say these words to our dog Stella who is dying. Its time for breakfast and if she walks from our bed to the kitchen, maybe that will be a sign. Maybe she will be alright. So I ask her again, Can you walk? As I ask, I remember eleven years of sleeping twisted like a pretzel so the dog could get a good nights sleep. I remember mornings, how she rose at dawn and stomped ... posted on Nov 23, 15156 reads

Debt As A Relationship Based On Love
For all that debt contains and constrains us, debts worth having are all around when we care to look for them. The debts that are worth having are those that allow us to be more fully ourselves, that we honor with our freedom rather than our servitude. This article presents a revolutionary way of looking at debt and provides a vision for a more compassionate and relationship-based debt system.... posted on Dec 7, 8785 reads

How to Move Beyond Pain
We will all feel pain in one form or another many times throughout our lifetimes, whether it be the heartbreak of lost love, or perhaps some sort of perceived humiliation at the workplace. And while the pain may be real and lasting, there are fundamental actions we can each take to help bring about healing. The following article offers three crucial steps that can help facilitate someone to "move ... posted on Dec 26, 17597 reads

Shelagh Was Here: An Ordinary, Magical Life
"Shelagh Gordon was another name in the obituaries, an ordinary woman who had died suddenly." Or was she? Here's what her passing revealed about Gordon: "Her relationships were as rich as the chocolate pudding pie she'd whip together...She was both alone and crowded by love...She was the interpreter, she made sure everybody understood each other's feelings...You could put your heart on the table ... posted on Jan 18, 110035 reads

The Pollination Project: The Power of Small & Philanthropy
The Pollination Project has a unique approach to philanthropy. It grants small donations of up to $1000 each day, to causes spanning all geographies, all unmet needs, and all issues. The common element for each grantee is that their work spread compassion. Founder Ari Nessel defines compassion, "being this ability to see yourself in others, and others in yourself. Wanting to reduce our collective ... posted on Jan 31, 10619 reads

The Quest for Control Over Our Own Lives
"The basic nature of life is that it is ever-changing, uncontrollable. When we think we have stability in life, something comes up to remind us that no, we don't. There is no stability, no matter how much we'd like it. And this kinda freaks us out. We don't like this feeling of instability, of loss of control. So we do things to cope, out of love for ourselves. These are strategies for control, se... posted on Mar 10, 15501 reads

To the Child Who Gets My Little Brother's Heart
On March 2, 2016, Jason Longhurst's 11-year-old brother Eric was hit by a truck while crossing the street. The trauma knocked him unconscious, the damage to his brain quickly stopped his breathing, and it was soon clear that Eric wouldn't survive. Eric's family decided to do that which Eric would have wanted -- donate a part of himself to help others. And what part of him would be Eric's greatest... posted on Apr 1, 10254 reads

Generosity: The Most Powerful Animating Force of Art
Annie Dillard notes, "People love pretty much the same things best. A writer, though, looking for subjects asks not after what he loves best, but what he alone loves at all...Why do you never find anything written about that idiosyncratic thought you advert to, about your fascination with something no one else understands? Because it is up to you. There is something you find interesting, for a rea... posted on Apr 15, 12750 reads

Living Reverence: There is a Spark in Everything
In a world that has been relentlessly primed to favor the myths of independence and certainty over the truths of interconnection and mystery, the practice of reverence can seem foolish and unfashionable. But no one exists independent of all others. And the vast complex of our knowledge, though impressive, is erected on the shores of an ocean of unknowns. Reverence is a glad acknowledgement of thes... posted on Apr 23, 17523 reads

The Disease of Being Busy
How did we get so busy that we no longer have time for each other? What happened to a world in which we can sit with the people we love so much and have slow conversations about the state of our heart and soul, conversations that slowly unfold, conversations with pregnant pauses and silences that we are in no rush to fill?... posted on Jul 17, 37584 reads

5 Life Lessons from My Specially-Abled Son
Global tech executive VR Ferose has been celebrated for his considerable accomplishments in the business world. The guiding inspiration and motivating force in his life? His five-year-old son Vivaan who was diagnosed a few years ago with autism. "My journey as a parent of a specially-abled son has been one of extreme emotions -- from disappointment to hope; from pain to joy; from love to anguish -... posted on May 2, 14990 reads

Peace Pilgrim: The Four Relinquishments
On New Year's Day a woman named Mildred Norman Ryder left behind her home, her family and her name, to begin what would turn into a 28-year walk for 'a meaningful way of life'. Peace Pilgrim's fearlessness, love and simplicity have inspired generations of people worldwide. Here she shares the four relinquishments that powered her way of life. "Once you've made the first relinquishment, you have fo... posted on May 4, 19936 reads

The Dream We Haven't Dared to Dream
What are your dreams? Better yet, what are your broken dreams? Dan Pallotta dreams of a time when we are as excited, curious and scientific about the development of our humanity as we are about the development of our technology. Pallotta asks us to "Imagine living in a world where we simply recognize that deep, existential fear in one another -- and love one another boldly because we know that to ... posted on Sep 7, 15219 reads

7 Lessons About Finding the Work You Were Meant to Do
"Finding your calling -- it's not passive," [StoryCorps founder Dave Isay] says. "When people have found their calling, they've made tough decisions and sacrifices in order to do the work they were meant to do."In other words, you don't just "find" your calling -- you have to fight for it. And it's worth the fight. "People who've found their calling have a fire about them," says Isay, the winner o... posted on May 13, 17433 reads

The Woman Who Rescued Over 200 Sloths
"Monique Pool first fell in love with sloths when she took in an orphan from a rescue centre. Since then many sloths have spent time in her home on their way back to the forest -- but even she found it hard to cope when she had to rescue 200 at once. It all began in 2005 when Pool lost her dog, a mongrel called Sciolo, and called the Suriname Animal Protection Society to see if they'd found it. Th... posted on May 12, 6658 reads

Buried Treasure: The Story of a Marriage
"Like most marriages, I guess, we were a mixed bag of personality differences, varied preferences, unexamined childhood traumas, weaknesses and strengths, hopes and passions. I think he and I partnered each other with as much love and courage as we could, making every mistake in the book on a daily basis but trying to learn from them and carry on." After her husband's passing away, writer Carolyn... posted on Sep 14, 19294 reads

On Art & Mindfulness
"The qualities that distinguish great art from the rest are, directly or indirectly, related to ethics. At the heart of great art you will find love and compassion. A great work of art cannot come from hatred or cynicism." What is it that makes some works of art stay alive long past the time in which they were made? Artist Enrique Martinez Celaya shares some powerful reflections.... posted on Jun 22, 4338 reads

Wendell Berry: What Are People For?
In these poems Wendell Berry — poet, novelist and environmental activist — writes about what it means to be human, the human experience of solitude, of community, of love and work, of desire and despair.... posted on Jul 18, 33343 reads

Elizabeth Gilbert: Choosing Curiosity Over Fear
Her name is synonymous with her fantastically best-selling memoir Eat Pray Love. But through the disorienting process of becoming a global celebrity, Elizabeth Gilbert has also reflected deeply on the gift and challenge of inhabiting a creative life. Creativity, as she defines it, is about choosing curiosity over fear not to be confused with the more familiar trope to "follow your passion, but ra... posted on Sep 5, 16700 reads

Street Books: Library on Wheels For People Outside
Recognizing that "those living outside or in temporary shelters are usually barred from borrowing books from regular libraries because they lack the required documentation," Professor Laura Moulton began lending books to people living on the fringes of society in Portland, Oregon. In 2011, Moulton founded a bike-powered mobile library, Street Books, to make sure those in isolated communities have ... posted on Aug 10, 11425 reads

Letting Love Come In: Lessons from a Nursing Home
"Two and a half years ago my grandmother was placed in a nursing home where she will live out the rest of her life. She has dementia and so her memory capacity has been marred. Somehow though she remembers kindness. She is my constant teacher. One of things we like to do is walk down the halls in the nursing facility saying hello to the other residents...When I go to the nursing facility, it i... posted on Jul 22, 15568 reads

The Loneliness of the Modern Nomad
Author Kira Newman shares insights from Melody Warnick's new book, "This Is Where You Belong," where Warnick chronicles her own journey toward "place attachment," a series of research-backed experiments and practices designed to make one love where one lives... posted on Aug 31, 14820 reads

From Royalty to Relics: India's Dinosaur Princess
Known as India's very own "Jurassic Park," the Balasinor Fossil Park lies nestled in the tiny Raiyoli village of Gujarat's Khera district. And guarding the Park's 65-million-year-old eggs is a fiercely passionate, dinosaur-loving former princess, Aaliya Sultana Babi. Aaliya fell in love with the fossil beds when she was a teenager and is now an enthusiastic promoter and protector of the precious a... posted on Sep 27, 11610 reads

Forgiving My Brother's Killer
This year, as he has done every year since September 15, 2002, Rana Sodhi hosted a memorial for his brother, Balbir Singh Sodhi who was shot while planting flowers in front of his store just four days after the 9/11 attacks. His murder turned a generation of young people, like family friend Valarie Kaur into activists, who began helping communities organize against racism and violence. But after t... posted on Oct 4, 10697 reads

Community, Conflict and Ways of Knowing
"I argue that the relation established between the knower and the known, between the student and the subject, tends to become the relation of the living person to world itself." In this beautifully articulated piece Parker Palmer reflects on how we should be thinking about the nature of community in modern higher education, what role conflict plays in community, and the two types of love that are ... posted on Nov 13, 12477 reads

What We Should Know About Animals
It's easy to assume that animals experience happiness (just think of a dog wagging its tail), but what about higher-level emotions and qualities like selflessness, empathy, or even love? In "Beyond Words: How Animals Think and Feel," conservationist Carl Safina shares stories from decades of observing animals and combines it with new brain research to paint a picture of animals' emotional landscap... posted on Jun 28, 2931 reads

Welcome to My House
Welcome to My House, a collaboration between non-profit Voices of the Children and band Luc and the Lovingtons, features American teens and Syrian refugee youth singing a cross-cultural message of joy, love and peace. The video was filmed on site at the Zaatari Refugee Camp and Wadi Rum in Jordan as well as in the Skagit Valley of Washington State, USA. Most of the youth, participants and location... posted on Oct 31, 2252 reads

11 Tips to Leading a Creative Life
In this TED article, Elizabeth Gilbert, author of "Eat, Pray, Love" and the new book "Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear," offers wit and wisdom for people living with creativity -- which, according to her, is everyone! Creativity is not always easy to tap into, but thankfully there are lots of things we can do to help. To start, we can reframe "creativity" as "curiosity," consider fear boring... posted on Jan 11, 28116 reads

I Am Not I: Jacob Needleman on How We Become Who We Are
In 'I Am Not I' Jacob Needleman delves into the timeless, searching questions of humanity. "Out of the inquiry itself arises an immensely hope-giving offering -- a sort of secular sacrament illuminating what lies at the heart of the most profound experiences we're capable of having: joy, love, hope, wonder, astonishment, transcendence." Maria Popova shares more.... posted on Dec 24, 10666 reads

Why We Love Our Own Creations
In this article, behavioral economist Dan Ariely explains why we feel joy and engagement when we make things ourselves. He discusses "The Ikea Effect" and how even small contributions to an item's creation can lead to more affection and attachment to that item. He shares: "The lesson here is that a little sweat equity pays us back in meaning -- and that is a high return."... posted on Dec 26, 15530 reads

12 Questions Around Volunteerism
In this thoughtful piece ServiceSpace founder Nipun Mehta fields twelve probing questions on how to nurture and sustain a volunteer culture."Since 1999, ServiceSpace has been volunteer-run. It's a constraint and an asset. It opens us up to sensing multiple forms of capital...Leadership turns into laddership. Compassion is contagious; instead of pushing, we count on the pull. The metaphor shifts fr... posted on Jan 12, 18974 reads

Remote Wonders: A Conversation with Elaine Ling
"Ling was petite. That didn't stop her from lugging her 4x5 view camera to the most remote places in the world. And she was a doctor. "I love photography and medicine. Doing my Mongolian book, my guide was a Mongolian doctor. He took me around and everywhere we went we connected with doctors in the field. Often they would come with me, so we bombed along the steppes in a jeep full of singing docto... posted on Dec 14, 3039 reads

Heal the World: Child Prodigy Cover
Nirali Kartik and Kartik Shah of Maati Baani, bring together 45 child prodigies from across the globe to "Heal The World." Working online with musicians ranging from 5 to 13 years of age, MaatiBaani released this video as a tribute to Michael Jackson on what would have been Jackson's 58th birthday. Let this message of love and peace carry us forward throughout the year.... posted on Jan 20, 3860 reads

When Cancer Calls Everything Into Question
"Most of us walk through our lives feeling so certain of what we hold to be true; then along comes a crisis -- like cancer -- and sud?denly all bets are off. As humans, we crave certainty. Se?curity. We want to know, Why did this happen? Will I be OK? What if there are no answers and no certainty to be found? What if we can't know? Does that mean peace of mind and heart are no longer possible?" In... posted on Feb 15, 13707 reads

Protecterra's Farm
Protecterra Ecological Foundation was founded in 2011 with a vision and dream of a sustainable planet, a more sensitive people, and a global society that respects nature, and comes together in solidarity to heal and protect earth. Protecterra facilitates numerous initiatives principled on values of education, awareness, and outreach. This video documents one such initiative -- Protecterra's Farm... posted on Apr 5, 2881 reads

Should You Live for Your Eulogy or Your Resume?
Within each of us are two selves, suggests David Brooks in this meditative short talk: the self who craves success, who builds a resume; and the self who seeks connection, community, and love -- the values that make for a great eulogy. In this short talk, Brooks asks: Can we balance these two selves? ... posted on Mar 12, 48517 reads

Designing Companies that Are Loved
"When Scott Elias lost 80% of his hearing in kindergarten, his emotional and intuitive connection to the world went into overdrive like a sixth sense. When his hearing was surgically restored two years later, the medical miracle ignited his passion for music and science which he channeled into his wildly successful 30+ year career as the CEO of the worlds largest and most-awarded audio communicati... posted on Mar 16, 7805 reads

Healing Children & Communities One Breath at a Time
When he was just 6 years old, J.G. Larochette felt a deep calling to bring love and awareness to communities overwrought by racism, oppression, and inequality. While teaching in Richmond, CA, he recognized a significant gap between providing academic instruction and maintaining a sense of nurturance and compassion. "Reading is fundamental, but if we create a stressful environment, we counteract ed... posted on Sep 26, 10526 reads

Born Baffled:Musings on a Writing Life
In the fall of 1978, Parker Palmer gave a lecture to a small literature class. Word-of-mouth landed him a book deal and 26 years later, he has published multiple books on a range of topics that he describes as 'curious musings' on his many interests. Since his first publication 'The Promise of Paradox', he continues to write, fueled by his love of words. For budding authors and word enthusiasts, h... posted on May 9, 13242 reads

Jeannie Kahwajy: Catching Everything As Help
"I want to catch what people are offering, catch everything as help; like Aikido. Aikido is a martial art where it doesn't matter what intention somebody is moving towards you with. I can always catch it as helpful energy -- I get to develop this redirecting skill." Jeannie Kahwajy is an executive coach and the CEO of Effective Interactions. She believes an attitude of love is the most effective w... posted on Apr 11, 15309 reads

War Childhood: Finding Light in the Darkness
Jasminko Halilovic grew up as a 'war child' in Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina. Even though the war ended years ago, its effects linger in the atmosphere, the buildings, and the people. Between 2010 and 2013, Halilovic interviewed people online and in person about their experiences being children of war, and in 2013 published his book War Childhood: Sarajevo 1992-1995. From this book, Halilovi... posted on Aug 1, 6872 reads

Robert Bengston: Inspiration Campaign
In 2012 artist Robert Bengston started a new participatory, people-powered project, Inspiration Campaign, that involves beautiful, empowering, nothing-for-sale advertising. The aim was to inspire the human spirit, and to transform mainstream media into a source of inspiration. The campaign uses crowd-funding to run uplifting, crowd-sourced messages on traditional physical advertising spaces. Mess... posted on May 3, 10792 reads

Why Are We Here?: Lessons Gleaned on Life's Meaning
Perhaps one of the most asked and elusive questions since the dawn of human curiosity is 'what is the meaning of life?' What would you answer? Is there even an answer? In this inspired social project, Aljoscha Dreisorner asked people from all walks of life, from friends to strangers to children and the elderly, what they believe their meaning to be. The answers are as enlightening as they are vari... posted on Jul 6, 14943 reads