Agent of Illumination
"Some years ago, I was stuck on a crosstown bus in New York City during rush hour. Traffic was barely moving. The bus was filled with cold, tired people who were deeply irritated with one another, with the world itself. Two men barked at each other about a shove that might or might not have been intentional. A pregnant woman got on, and nobody offered her a seat. Rage was in the air; no mercy woul... posted on Nov 16 2022, 13,859 reads

Alison Thompson Responds with Heart
"I first met Dr Alison Thompson in Sri Lanka in 2005, when we were both involved in Sri Lanka's tsunami recovery effort. She immediately struck me as someone down-to-earth and highly motivated to get real, practical work done. Alison wasn't attached to a famous aid organization, let alone staying in a five-star hotel or shuttled around in a huge Land Rover. She wasn't someone interested in having ... posted on Nov 15 2022, 2,390 reads

The Inward Migration
"As the world falters, threatening native ecosystems and Indigenous lifeways, acclaimed Australian Aboriginal author Alexis Wright turns inward to the dwelling place of ancestral story. From here, she considers how her ancient culture has responded to ongoing destructionand how to bear witness to the creation of a post-apocalyptic world."... posted on Nov 14 2022, 1,753 reads

Why You Should Write That Thank You Note
"Students of mine in a political philosophy course at Indiana University are reading Daniel Defoe's 300-year-old Robinson Crusoe, often regarded as the first novel published in English. Marooned alone on an unknown island with no apparent prospect of rescue or escape, Crusoe has much to lament. But instead of giving in to despair, he makes a list of things for which he is grateful, including the f... posted on Nov 13 2022, 4,932 reads

Thanksgiving Address
Says Robin Wall Kimmerer,"You can't listen to the Thanksgiving Address without feeling wealthy. And, while expressing gratitude seems innocent enough, it is a revolutionary idea. In a consumer society, contentment is a radical proposition. Recognizing abundance rather than scarcity undermines an economy that thrives by creating unmet desiresThe Thanksgiving Address reminds you that you already hav... posted on Nov 12 2022, 3,707 reads

Dancing in A-Yard
DANCING IN A-YARD is a documentary that takes viewers into California State Prison where maximum-security inmates serve life sentences. The film follows the story of four men who were convicted as teenagers and sentenced as adults.
All four sign up for a powerfully transformational dance class in prison with French choreographer Dimitri Chamblas. You can watch the trailer of the film here.... posted on Nov 11 2022, 2,103 reads

The Woman Who Saved Native Song
"In the early twentieth century, the U.S. government continued its assault on Native Americans by demanding they relinquish their tribal languages and belief systems, teach their children English, and enter the American mainstream. As a result of this concerted erasure campaign, the average American came to see indigenous peoples as living fossils on the brink of cultural extinction. Frances Densm... posted on Nov 10 2022, 3,504 reads

Messengers from the Past
"The Crown Jewel of our National Wildlife Refuge System, the Bosque del Apache, has been my annual pilgrimage site for a decade. The largest single population of sandhill cranes migrates to the Bosque late in the fall to overwinter along the Rio Grande. I have seen these cranes with crimson crowns in Southern California and at the Reifel Migratory Bird Sanctuary in British Columbia but they desce... posted on Nov 09 2022, 1,416 reads

Tyson Yunkaporta: Humans as a Custodial Species
"You don't need to believe in ghosts to balance spirit and live the right way in this world. You can use any metaphor you like--for example ego, id, superego and persona. Frontal lobe, monkey brain, neo-cortex and lizard brain. Athos, Porthos, Aramis and d'Artagnan. Harry, Ron, Hermione and Malfoy. Monkey spirit, Pig spirit, Fish spirit and Tripitaka. Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Whatever stories... posted on Nov 08 2022, 1,431 reads

Everything Happens for A Reason & Other Lies I've Loved
"In life's toughest moments, how do you go on living? Kate Bowler has been exploring this question ever since she was diagnosed with stage IV cancer at age 35. In a profound, heartbreaking and unexpectedly funny talk, she offers some answers -- challenging the idea that "everything happens for a reason" and sharing hard-won wisdom about how to make sense of the world after your life is suddenly, c... posted on Nov 07 2022, 7,186 reads