The Gift Hidden in the Heart of Disaster
"Disaster reveals what else the world could be like - reveals the strength of that hope, that generosity and that solidarity. It reveals mutual aid as a default operating principle and civil society as something waiting in the wings when it's absent from the stage." In this interview with Rebecca Solnit, she explores the reasons behind the paradoxical truth that when disaster strikes, the better p... posted on Jun 24 2013, 14,731 reads

Eckhart Tolle: The Easier Path
To the uninitiated, his persona -- a soft German-accented voice, his boyish visage, his love of vests -- doesn't exactly scream 'guru!' Yet Tolle is one of the world's most popular spiritual teachers and a literary powerhouse whose best-selling books 'The Power of Now' and 'A New Earth' have influenced millions. Born in Germany, educated at the universities of London and Cambridge, Tolle writes ... posted on Jun 23 2013, 83,843 reads

A 3-Step Guide to Practical Contentment
"We start out in life thinking that we're awesome. We can dance in public as 5-year-olds and not care what others think of us. By the time we're adults, that's driven out of us." We doubt, judge, and criticize ourselves as we strive for happiness. In this article, Leo Babauta discusses how to reclaim contentment and why it can be a better thing to strive for than happiness. In this piece the autho... posted on Jun 22 2013, 36,609 reads

The Night I Died
In this beautifully written piece, a writer describes an experience in which she moved between two realities. When attacked and almost choked to death, she tuned into a presence that utterly transformed the experience and arguably saved her life. She begins her description of the event: "I read a story about how no animals were found among the dead after a tsunami; sensing the infinitesimal vibrat... posted on Jun 21 2013, 82,860 reads

A Romanian Truck Driver's Love of Underdogs
Truck driver Tamara Raab has made a couple of 2,000 mile round trip journeys to drive a massive load of donated dog and cat food, veterinary supplies and pet beds to animal shelters in Romania -- a global hot spot for animal cruelty and neglect. But this time she didn't have the 3,500 Euros required to pay the fuel. So she sought support from a nonprofit that sponsors major animal protection effor... posted on Jun 20 2013, 29,352 reads

A Volcanic Eruption of Kindness
"I run a hotel in London. During the problems with the now infamous ash cloud, I spent the morning listening to people calling in to a radio show on London's LBC radio station to tell their stories of woe. The story that struck me the most was a call from a man named Peter who had just gotten married the previous weekend to Maz. They were due to leave for their honeymoon to the Dominican Republi... posted on Jun 19 2013, 4,622 reads

Tiny Superheroes: Acknowledging The Heroism of Children
How many of us have seen children tie towels around their shoulders and race around as superheroes? In just four months, Robyn Rosenberger has given 500 children battling difficult medical conditions that feeling of invincibility by making custom capes for each one. She posts stories of these Tiny Superheroes to give each child a voice and a face for their condition. These capes are more than just... posted on Jun 18 2013, 6,029 reads

Are You Humbitious Enough to Lead?
What is humbition? It is that particular blend of humility and ambition that drives the most successful businesspeople, and is an antidote to the arrogance that can often trip up companies and entrepreneurs. The wisest leaders are the ones "smart enough to admit that they cannot take all the credit for their success. More likely than not, what they've achieved is some combination of good fortune, ... posted on Jun 17 2013, 26,103 reads

A Moving Letter from Fiona Apple
Opening up her heart to her fans or "a few thousand friends I have not met yet" in her own words, Fiona Apple lays her vulnerabilities bare in this touching and most-humane note to cancel an upcoming concert tour so she can be with her dying dog. Her words share the deep joy and dedication she feels for her most cherished companion of 14 years, Janet - a rescued pitbull who seems the embodiment o... posted on Jun 16 2013, 22,070 reads

10 Hypotheses on the Commons
"Question: before refrigerators, what did people do when they had too much food? Answer: they threw a party!" What happens when we adopt an attitude of abundance, and embrace this natural phenomenon in our lives? In this excerpt from his keynote address at the International Conference on the Commons, Roberto Verzola explores 10 connections between systems of abundance and the re-emerging "commons"... posted on Jun 15 2013, 21,230 reads