10 Things Creative People Know
Everyday creative activities like knitting and cooking can boost your levels of serotonin and decrease anxiety.
Health & Happiness
How Better Health Care for the Poor Makes a Stronger Economy for All
By keeping workers healthy, the Affordable Care Act will help the working poor achieve greater financial stability—and will probably boost the economy as well.
Unleashing Empathy: How Teachers Transform Classrooms With Emotional Learning
The secret to learning self-awareness, cooperation, and other “social and emotional learning” skills lies in experience, not in workbooks and rote classroom exercises.
5 Habits of Highly Compassionate Men
Having compassion leads to increased happiness, freedom from gender stereotypes, and better relationships with others.
You Can’t Bounce Off the Walls If There Are No Walls: Outdoor Schools Make Kids Happier—and Smarter
New approaches to kindergarten offer us a glimpse of what childhood used to be, and still could be—the modern re-creation of the children’s garden. If we looked to these examples, we might be able to rescue childhood.
Soul Food That’s Vegan and Healthy? A Cooking Remix Made in Heaven
From the author of Vegan Soul Kitchen, this cookbook charts a new course for southern, African American, and Caribbean cuisine.
A New Story for a New Economy
David Korten's new essay (available to read as a PDF) connects the work of finding a new sacred story with the effort to build a new economy.
A Happy Life or a Meaningful One—Do We Really Need to Choose?
Researchers continue to debate whether people face a genuine trade-off between seeking a happy life and a meaningful one.
Teenage Defender of First Nations Rights Becomes Literal Superhero
Shannen Koostachin, a teenage activist who died before ever seeing the results of her work, has inspired a new hero in the DC Universe.
The Radical Homemaker Turns 40
I've learned to embrace the dreams I most deeply desire, but also the burdens that so often work against them.
My Year Without Porn: Some Surprising Lessons
Since I quit watching porn a year ago, I've become more present in the moment, more loving, and a better friend to the women in my life.
This Couple’s Marriage Healed the Planet and Cost Just $3K—Here’s How They Did It
Four ways to have an equitable, earth-loving, and awesome wedding.
How an American Lama Finds Joy in Turbulent Times
Lama Tsomo is a Tibetan Buddhist lama, a former homesteader, and an heiress to a family fortune who lives a quiet life in the mountains of Montana. Now she is beginning to teach the practices and insights gained through years of solitary retreats and study.
How a Library with No Books Could Change the Way We Read (And Bring Us Closer Together)
The Empathy Library is a new digital archive where people can point to the books, movies, and other media that help us learn to understand one another.
“We Shall Overcome”: Democracy Now! Remembers Folk Icon Pete Seeger
Folksinger and lifelong activist Pete Seeger passed away on Jan. 27. He was a constant presence in the labor and antiwar movements, and an innovator in the use of music to create solidarity and social change. In this video, Democracy Now! commemorates Seeger's life and work.
Fresh and Fly: Denver Rapper Teaches Kids to Be Gardeners Not Gangstas
For Ietef "DJ Cavem" Vita, HIP HOP is not just a form of music, it's a way of life—one he's using to teach kids about cultivating the earth and eating fresh veggies.
With Only Months to Live, This 17-Year-Old Inspired Millions with Music and Love
When he was just 14 years old, Zach Sobiech learned that he had only a few years to live. He decided to use that time creating beautiful music, and inspired a lot of people while doing so.
Beyond Classic Disney: 5 Great Animated Kids’ Films Without the Racial Stereotypes
Many of the Disney classics contain outdated images of racial and gender groups. Luckily, recent animated masterpieces provide alternatives without sacrificing anything in the way of imagination.
A Chef’s Perspective on Revering Life—Even When It’s Raised to Be Slaughtered
I always knew the goats across the street were raised for food, but this was my first personal relationship with an animal that would later become my food.
Sitting Is the New Smoking: Why Walking Is the “Secret Sauce” for Better Health and Happier Communities
Whether you live in the ‘burbs, the city, or the middle of nowhere, the "wonder drug" of walking is just what the doctor ordered.
Get Hopeful For 2014: YES! Founder Sarah van Gelder Talks to Democracy Now!
From new leadership in the fight against climate change to an uprising in the education system, there's a lot to be excited about in 2014.
10 Hopeful Things That Happened in 2013 to Get You Inspired for What’s to Come
Beyond the headlines of conflict and catastrophe, this year’s top stories offered us some powerful proof that the world can still change—for the better.
The Ancient Greeks’ 6 Words for Love (And Why Knowing Them Can Change Your Life)
Looking for an antidote to modern culture’s emphasis on romantic love? Perhaps we can learn from the diverse forms of emotional attachment prized by the ancient Greeks.
Less “Big Bang Theory,” More Dana Scully: What It’s Going to Take to Lead More Girls Into Science
Only 25 percent of STEM jobs are held by women. YouTube science sensation Emily Graslie on how we can inspire them with better-quality pop-culture role models.
What I Learned About Living Well In My Mother’s Puerto Rican Kitchen
When I was growing up, the conveniences of modern life took over my mother’s kitchen, and our health declined as a result. Here’s what happened when we went back to the way our ancestors dined.
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