Gandhi's Ten Rules for Changing the World
Change the world; we hear those words thrown around quite frequently, and to some, the notion seems incredulous. However, if we take an inner approach, rather than an outer one, and transform our individual selves into adopting the qualities we wish to see in the world, then the task at hand won't seem as daunting. In the wise words of Mahatma Gandhi, "As human beings, our greatness lies not so... posted on Jun 28 2013, 1,379,565 reads

A Lesson In Empathy
Our lives intersect with others all day, everyday. Sometimes we know these other lives well; frequently, though, the points of connection are brief and transient. Who are these people? How might they tell their own stories? What thoughts preoccupy their minds? What joys and troubles are coursing through their feelings? This short film, produced by the Cleveland Clinic, reminds us that empathy is o... posted on Jun 27 2013, 6,939 reads

Radical Generosity: From Me to We
Radical Generosity is based on the idea of a gift economy in which the primary question is, "how can I serve you?" rather than, "how can you help me?" It's a shift from 'me' to 'you,' practiced in countless different ways by people all over the world. Some pass along a smile, a kind word, or an anonymous gift of flowers. A bread-maker asks that you pay only what you think his product is worth; a r... posted on Jun 26 2013, 24,270 reads

The Man with 10,000 Tales
"Harold Scheub first went to South Africa on a safari of sorts. In 1967, at the height of apartheid, Scheub--an earnest Midwestern twenty-something with a stint in the Air Force under his belt and a freshly awarded Master's degree in English -- packed a rucksack and hopped a bus for the backcountry. But instead of guns and ammo, he was armed with a bulky tape recorder and D batteries. Scheub wasn'... posted on Jun 25 2013, 13,658 reads

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, 14,773 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, 83,944 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, 36,687 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, 83,052 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, 29,393 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, 4,625 reads