can’t be engineered or programmed like one. Thinking of it as such is a category error with ramifications that are both deluded and dangerous. A four-billion-year reversal of entropy Ultimately, this machine metaphor is based on a simplifying assumption, known as reductionism, which approaches nature as a collection of tiny parts to investigate. This methodology has been resoundingly effective in many fields of inquiry, leading to some of our greatest advances in science and technology. Without it, most of the benefits of our modern world would not exist—no electrical grids, no airplanes, no antibiotics, no internet. However, over the centuries, many scientists and ... posted on Sep 12 2021 (4,715 reads)

straight for the next 20 years, so that she can help turn her daughter twice every night in bed, so that she doesn’t contract bed sores.  With this unconditional love and support, Preethi has rebuilt her life with grit and dignity. From being denied admission to a correspondence course, she is now pursuing her Ph.D. from one of the world’s most prestigious institutes, IIT Chennai -- perhaps the first person with a severe 90% disability to achieve this feat. She uses voice technology, which some strangers gifted her and jokingly challenges people around her that she can type faster than anybody else on computers. She secured a full time job writing film reviews online. ... posted on Sep 18 2021 (4,524 reads)

lecture as popular entertainment — was keenly interested in the mystery of animal magnetism. A century after him, Nikola Tesla — a dazzling mind epochs ahead of his time in myriad ways, whose legacy shapes so much of our daily lives and whose name is now the measuring unit of magnetic fields — stood a chance of cracking the mystery, given with his twin passions for pigeons and magnetism, but the opprobrium of the scientific establishment was too impenetrable and the technology was not yet there. It wasn’t until 1958 that a young German graduate student — Wolfgang Wiltschko — was tasked with disproving animal magnetic navigation once and for all.... posted on Sep 26 2021 (4,209 reads)

effects we see in forest bathing, where heart rate and blood pressure drop. Beyond the physiological, there are prosocial effects to awe: less concern for self, increased generosity, and more cooperation. This might be why research suggests there is less violence when trees are incorporated into low-income housing developments. What a prescription looks like Researchers from Finland suggest that five hours a month is the minimum to have lasting effects (though you should leave the technology behind, or at least keep it in your pocket). It doesn’t have to be the forest; water, even urban parks, can be healing, too.  For those with the resources, I prescribe breaks ... posted on Oct 25 2021 (6,674 reads)

an unending stream of atrocities and injustices, each of which might have a legitimate claim on our time and our charitable donations, but which add up to something no human could ever effectively address comprehensively. Once you grasp that fact fully, it’s good to consciously pick your battles in charity, activism, and politics—and devote your spare time only to those specific causes. Focus your capacity for care, so you don’t burn out. Embrace boring and single-purpose technology Digital distractions allow us to escape to a realm where painful human limitations don’t seem to apply: scrolling idly around online, you need never feel bored or constrained in yo... posted on Dec 12 2021 (13,561 reads)

will turn out well but the certainty that something makes sense, regardless of how it turns out.” For many of us, it is an imperative to march for peace, to work for the ending of nuclear proliferation, to put pressure on the US government to re-sign the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. It makes sense to shelter the homeless, including those fleeing from war and climate devastation; it makes sense to support compassion and care in medicine in spite of the increasing presence of technology that stands between patients and clinicians. It makes sense to educate girls and vote for women. It makes sense to sit with dying people, take care of our elders, feed the hungry, love and ... posted on Nov 15 2021 (4,269 reads)

to be cynical about the idea of capital “T” truth because it’s relative. But that leaves a hunger in most people for something that will settle big questions about how to live. And it seems in our time that people have a handful of non-philosophical, common secular options to deal with that relativism and uncertainty that they fear is all there is. They can despair, and become nihilistic. Or they can become hedonistic and distract themselves from the abyss with pleasures and technology, and the virtual reality fantasy it creates. Or they can become ideological, and embrace a simple-minded, righteous approach that reduces all problems to a few issues, which often leads to ... posted on Nov 10 2021 (11,762 reads)

in Taiwan made entirely from trash, solar-powered pavement in Hungary, and 3D-printed homes made of biodegradable materials in Italy. As you've likely heard, electric vehicles are gaining traction around the world. In Norway, 9 in 10 cars sold are electric or hybrid. In July, Germany reached its goal of 1 million electric cars on the road. In the U.S., five governors are building a shared network for charging electric vehicles. A new technology enables electric buses to charge wirelessly while resting, while an electric school bus powers the electric grid while kids are in school. This year, car manufacturers l... posted on Jan 4 2022 (14,814 reads)

use it as a tool, but see its limitations. So I want to ask you a question just in light of all these things we’ve been discussing. What — just kind of right now, this week, today, what makes you despair, and where are you finding hope? Beckerman:Give me one second. [laughs] Tippett:That’s allowed. [laughs] Beckerman:I think despair is easier for me [laughs] to answer right away. I have a 12-year-old and a 9-year-old, and I worry about the role that technology has in their lives and the way that they’re losing a capacity to focus and sustain attention in a way that I think is important, not just to do things like read books, which matter to... posted on Apr 18 2022 (6,604 reads)

is given to us by the extraordinary generosity, the infinite bounty of the ecology. The economy is an opportunity to be economical with how we use the gifts of that extraordinary ecological system.” I remember it was like … People were like [LAUGHTER]. But at the same time, I got unbelievable response from that talk. I’ll just say that there’s a way of living where we realize that everything, the computer on which I am speaking to you, the microphone that makes this technology possible, is from the earth. These are medals from the earth. We have so mined and extracted the things that we love so much from the earth that we now have this enormous power to now re... posted on Mar 12 2022 (2,982 reads)

knew the clinical evidence of the benefits of qigong and regularly prescribed it to my patients, many of whose lives were similarly enhanced. But Teacher Wei rephrased his original statement, making what I’d heard unmistakable: “Don’t die to your intentions.” Then, a double dose of surprise: “And don’t die to qi.”  Qi is the Chinese word for the ubiquitous, subtle, and life-giving energy that’s beyond what modern science and technology can measure — it’s thought to comprise over 95% of the universe, knowable only by indirect measurement and inference. Qi is what, through daily practice, I’d learned ... posted on Mar 17 2022 (5,343 reads)

you know, and to share with other people on the telephone and all that. So to not do it and to say, Wait a minute — apropos of you said before, “wise effort” — to say to yourself, Wait a minute, this is not the right road. Literally, this is not the right road. There’s a fork in the road here. I could become indignant, I could flame up this flame of negativity, or I could say: Recalculating. I’ll just go back here. Tippett:Well, this is an example of technology instilling us with spiritual discipline. [laughs] We find so much to criticize. Boorstein:[laughs] And no matter how many times I don’t make that turn, it will continue to say, Rec... posted on May 8 2022 (4,378 reads)

in these massive cycles and phases, and there are always agents of change who ideate and practice and push and grow those shifts. She reminded us that there are changes available to us that are distinct to this time, and she urged us to be present to the opportunities that are current. She knew that we are not individuals simply living these solitary lives in a vacuum; we are the cells of our time-body, the collective physical body of this moment, interacting with each other and the earth and technology in ways that will create an age. Grace also said, “We must transform ourselves to transform the world,” which is taking me years to understand and embody. The way I think of ... posted on Jun 30 2022 (3,498 reads)

poetry” and “verse.” Serious poetry was studied; it was officially sanctioned, used to teach literary elements like iambic pentameter, rhymed couplets, metaphor and alliteration. Verse, on the other hand, was unsanctioned – playful, irreverent and sometimes offensive. It was embraced by children for the sake of pleasure and delight. By the late 20th century, classrooms and curricula began to value the sciences over literary expression and information and technology over art. The study of any poetry – serious or not – became marginalized, seldom occurring except in AP courses preparing students for college literature study. Poetry in... posted on Jul 12 2022 (2,857 reads)

modern world is surprisingly different. Somehow we have accepted the idea that survival is no longer dependent on how we relate to our natural environment. Instead we have been made to believe that a few clever or powerful people can and should make those decisions for us. And over the past very few centuries these powerful people have created enormously complicated systems based on supposedly scientific theories of government. And this took place at the same time that science and technology made it possible to make and use ever more energy to drive a civilization that allows a few of us to live lives of luxury and ease unknown in the entire history of humankind. The great majo... posted on Aug 17 2022 (3,653 reads)

Age began with the invention of the printing press. The Post-Modern Age, I think, with electronic media and all that. But so many churches are stuck in the Modern Age when we’re now living in a Post-Modern Age. And so bringing in VJ’s and DJ’s and rap and even B-Boys to lead us, is integral to the spiritual experience. It’s not that different from the 12th-century revolution of stained glass in Europe. The invention of stained glass was absolutely stunning. It was a technology and a craft, but above all it was a reinvention of architecture. The Gothic architecture allowed so much more glass, for so much more sunlight and so much more color. And these geniuses who... posted on Sep 8 2022 (3,116 reads)

do I support children’s journeys? Who do I need to be?” He’s always reflecting that. Pavi:   You’re in India and he’s here in California, What’s your process of connecting with him? SACHI:    John and I have a monthly call. Usually, whenever I'm facing some issues, I write to him and share what’s going on. He’ll immediately respond or call back. PAVI:    Yeah. There’s one of the gifts of technology. And you know John, right? Each email he sends is like a little poem. And it’s often non-linear, too. Not like, “This is your problem. Here’s the solution.” I think ... posted on Jan 9 2023 (2,471 reads)

hard to talk about individual well-being these days without talking about what’s going on in the world, whether that’s the mental health fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic, political polarization, or global crises like climate change. All of us are affected by these problems, and that’s reflected in Greater Good’s 2022 selection of top scientific insights. But this research doesn’t just suggest how we might cope with bad situations. These studies also show us the power of connecting, working together, and being open to other perspectives—and the hope for a less gloomy future. The top insights also give us practical ideas of ways to grow, b... posted on Feb 4 2023 (7,930 reads)

into the brain, so small you typically don't feel it, but it has a measurable impact. Now if you apply this stimulation during sleep in young, healthy adults, as if you're sort of singing in time with those deep-sleep brainwaves, not only can you amplify the size of those deep-sleep brainwaves, but in doing so, we can almost double the amount of memory benefit that you get from sleep. The question now is whether we can translate this same affordable, potentially portable piece of technology into older adults and those with dementia. Can we restore back some healthy quality of deep sleep, and in doing so, can we salvage aspects of their learning and memory function? That is my ... posted on Feb 15 2023 (11,198 reads)

to limit our physical interactions to a bare minimum for the foreseeable future. Levine invites us to call this practice physical distancing rather than social distancing. “The sense of helplessness and social disconnection affects the immune system. You don’t want to break that social fabric,” Levine says. Families can play together, dance, and sing with each other, but we cannot forget those who live alone or are grieving. We must continue to socially connect through technology, or forego the Internet and, as Levine suggests, bang pots and pans like the Italians to show that we are all in this together.  Expansive thoughts, emotions, and actions tend to tr... posted on Apr 18 2023 (25,858 reads)