How Music Can Help The Terminally Ill
"Alternative medicine is increasingly accepted as part of palliative care and some studies show music is one method to ease pain and stress at the end of life. One of these methods includes live harp music, played at the bedside by a certified music practitioner. Carol Joy Loeb, a former opera singer, is a certified music practitioner and registered nurse. When she arrives at a patient's bedside, ... posted on Jun 03 2012, 4,386 reads

Peace Artist Gifts Half A Million Works of Art
April 23rd, a little after lunch. 1991. That was the moment Joe Murphy, decided that he would make something for peace. The details weren't clear to him at the time, but he knew that it would be something symbolic of connection, a chain of sorts. He knew that he would create small art pieces, and that he would give them away, and that he would do this for the rest of his life. This idea evolved in... posted on May 25 2012, 3,370 reads

4 Ways Happiness Can Hurt You
The recent explosion of scientific research reveals precisely how positive feelings like happiness are good for us. We know that they motivate us to pursue important goals and overcome obstacles, protect us from some effects of stress, connect us closely with other people, and even stave off physical and mental ailments. This has made happiness pretty trendy. The science of happiness made the cove... posted on May 24 2012, 21,854 reads

How I Changed My Life, In Four Lines
"Changing your life can seem an incredibly tough and complicated thing, especially if you've failed a great number of times (like I did), found it too hard, and resigned yourself to not changing. But I found a way to change. And I'm not any better than anyone else, not more disciplined, not more motivated. I just learned a few simple principles that changed my life. So what are the principles that... posted on May 21 2012, 45,700 reads

Can Positive Thoughts Help Heal Another?
For decades, scientists have tried to test the power of prayer and positive thinking, with mixed results. Now some scientists are fording new -- and controversial -- territory. Gail Ironson an AIDS researcher from the University of Miami noticed that a number of patients with HIV inexplicably never got sick. In trying to understand why, she discovered something surprising. "If you ask people what'... posted on May 18 2012, 26,127 reads

Staying Sober Through Service
What does making coffee at Alcoholics Anonymous meetings have to do with staying sober? A whole lot, according to recent studies that show that the physical and psychological benefits of service also benefit those with addictions. Addicts who help others, even in small ways - such as calling other Alcoholics Anonymous members to remind them about meetings or making coffee - can significantly impro... posted on May 16 2012, 11,222 reads

An 18 Year Old's Ode to the Ordinary
"The ordinary...is the part of our world where beauty is interlaced in each detail...It's the part of our world that can knock our socks off...but so many of us walk by everyday, never knowing, never caring...But some see..." This lovely 7-minute video on the blessing of vision -- both metaphorically and explicitly -- was filmed by Dietrich Ludwig, an eighteen year old on a budget of $25, using on... posted on May 13 2012, 5,149 reads

177 Messages of Kindness
"Out of all the afterschool programs offered in their school, three energetic 11-13 year old girls chose to join this one. The 'Random Acts of Kindness Class,' the first of its kind, was an innovative experiment, offering children the opportunity to use their creativity and artwork to inspire their school and community by doing random acts of kindness. A few weeks ago, I spent an unforgettable aft... posted on May 03 2012, 5,435 reads

A 39-year-long Lesson in Forgiveness
A 12 year-old boy named Larry did something that he realized probably hurt his seventh-grade teacher. Over the decades he searched the internet in an attempt to locate that teacher -- and apologize. His efforts were in vain ... until a few months ago, 39 years after the original event, his search turned up an online article featuring the long lost teacher. Larry shot an immediate email to the new... posted on May 02 2012, 42,589 reads

10 Evolving Expressions of Simplicity
Voluntary simplicity gives voice to ways of living that are vital for building a workable and meaningful future. In the "garden of simplicity", as described in this classic article by Duane Elgin, there are many flowering expressions of the simple life, and he goes on to describe ten of them. According to Elgin, the great diversity of these expressions and their intertwined unity, are creating a r... posted on May 01 2012, 34,227 reads