Why Giving Thanks In Hard Times Helps
"It is vital to make a distinction between feeling grateful and being grateful. We don't have total control over our emotions. We cannot easily will ourselves to feel grateful, less depressed, or happy. Feelings follow from the way we look at the world, thoughts we have about the way things are, the way things should be, and the distance between these two points. But being grateful is a choice. A ... posted on Sep 12 2013, 96,617 reads

The Man in the Red Bandana: A 9/11 Hero
Welles Crowther began carrying a red bandana when he was 6 years old. It soon became his signature, and a link between father (his dad carried a blue one) and son. When Welles turned 16, he signed up as a junior firefighter at the local fire station -- Empire Hook and Ladder Co. No. 1. On September 11, 2001, Welles was working as an equities trader on the 104th floor of the South Tower of the Worl... posted on Sep 11 2013, 5,805 reads

Dad & Daughter: The Unstoppable Kindness Duo
"People talk about how if they win the lottery they can help so many people. You hear that all the time. But if you start actually doing small acts... it really is a great way to see the human connection and how little things really do matter -- even if it's just a compliment or a smile. It doesn't necessarily have to do with money." Geoff Nedry is a long-time kindness agent who early on found an ... posted on Sep 10 2013, 23,648 reads

Steve McCurry: Family Matters
Steve McCurry has been a one of the most iconic voices in contemporary photography for more than 30 years, with scores of magazine and book covers, over a dozen books, and countless exhibitions around the world to his name. He brought the world the first visuals of the conflict in Afghanistan, putting a human face to the issue with the celebrated image of the Afghan Girl and many other such powerf... posted on Sep 09 2013, 8,296 reads

How to Train Your Brain to See What Others Don't
Remember the last time you had an 'aha' moment? The pleasure of a new and profound insight can leave us with that feeling of freshness and awe at witnessing something for the very first time. It is a deeply satisfying in itself and needs no external rewards. Cognitive psychologist, Gary Klein researches the science behind these epiphanies and shares his findings so that we can cultivate habits ... posted on Sep 08 2013, 107,500 reads

Wearing The Be Love Sign
"I go to the library in Santa Monica to write quite often. The other day, I went there to get some work done, and I see this man standing and looking at some books. New nonfiction. He has a sign on his chest that says "Be Love." I ask him if I can take a picture, and he happily obliges. I turn around to get some money in my wallet. (He's homeless -- that much is evident.) I turn back around, and... posted on Sep 07 2013, 50,501 reads

Mindfulness in Politics
"Mindfulness meditation" is a growing movement, but can it unstick the modern political gridlock? Congressman Tim Ryan thinks so, and is calling for a "quiet revolution" in America. "Practicing mindfulness may not get everyone on the same page in detailed policy terms, he believes, but it could help to find more common ground between different views." This interview with Ryan shares more of his wo... posted on Sep 06 2013, 28,179 reads

We Are Gardeners of the Wilderness
"We've entered what some scientists are calling the Anthropocene -- a new geologic epoch in which human activity, more than any other force, steers change on the planet. Just as we're now causing the vast majority of extinctions, the vast majority of endangered species will only survive if we keep actively rigging the world around them in their favor ... We are gardening the wilderness. The line b... posted on Sep 05 2013, 14,395 reads

How the Internet Helped Us Learn How To Share
In 1996, poet and essayist John Perry Barlow created "A Declaration of the Independence of Cyberspace." It was intended to serve as a bold announcement -- that a new era of human empowerment was near. "We will create a civilization of the Mind in Cyberspace," he offered. "May it be more humane and fair than the world your governments have made before." And though, there were a few first rocky step... posted on Sep 04 2013, 17,855 reads

5 Reasons to be Kind
In a dominant paradigm weighted towards self-interest and self-orientation, we must make a special effort to question our mode of being. Can we afford to be narrowly self-focused? Can we grow to anywhere near our true potential if we look out only for ourselves? What role do kindness and compassion play in bridging a world that is growing increasingly fragmented? What follows are five powerful rea... posted on Sep 03 2013, 155,699 reads