Caught in Political Divide, Church Runs Kindness Campaign
Pastor Adam Hamilton was considering giving up being a pastor after years of refereeing debates at his church about polarizing issues of our times. Instead, he decided to begin a Campaign for Kindness....
View ArticleConversation with the 'World's Happiest Man'
In this video interview, Matthieu Ricard, called “the world’s happiest man,” shares stories, insight, and humor on some very timeless questions based on his own life’s journey, and his experience as an...
View ArticleWhat Does Love Mean? How 4-8 Year-Old Kids Describe Love
This wonderful capture of kids responding to the question, “What does love mean?” reminds us that they are magnifying and mirroring those around them. They are watching, and they are listening. From...
View ArticleThe Giant Study Showing How Dancing Affects the Brain
Dancers and audience members alike talk about synchrony - a feeling of being connected with the dancers, others in the audience, and the dance. They describe it as “the ‘knowing’ that can happen in the...
View ArticleMatchmakers Spark Friendships Between Teens and Elders
Andrea Levitt, 82, and Angelo Williams, 16, are paired by one of several nonprofits “that work to make US society less segregated by age to get the generations together.” Griffin, a non-profit...
View ArticleDivisions Bring Some Together in this US County
Residents of Port Angeles, Washington gather weekly to exchange ideas and thoughts on current issues. When the primarily Democratic group didn’t reflect the community’s politics, they reached out to...
View ArticleResponding to Parkinson's ... with Rock Climbing?!
Inspiring and courageous rock climbers with Parkinson’s achieve extraordinary results with the help of a non-profit. As the reporter said, “There's no real understanding of how these people can do...
View ArticleCan Purpose Affect Your Lifespan?
While we might assume that life satisfaction would lead to a longer life, recent studies suggest that having a purpose in life could be a better indicator. The long-term and wide-ranging study found...
View ArticleAncestors in Focus
The “Descendants Project” amplifies the voices of Native Peoples whose ancestors were photographed over a hundred years ago, one of whom is Shawnee Real Bird. She grew up on a reservation, and...
View ArticleThe Value of Nothing
In this brief video, Dr. Talithia Williams talks about zero -- the value of nothing. She explains that “by giving ourselves permission to sit and ponder about nothingness and to give it structure, to...
View ArticleTracy Cochran: Coming Home to Yourself
Editorial Director of Parabola magazine and author of Presence: The Art of Being at Home in Yourself shares one nourishing story after another. In one, she speaks of her 93-year-old father: “He was...
View ArticleThe World Longs for More Poets of the Everyday
In this poetic piece, Deepa Iyer misses the little connecting moments in our everyday lives – how we don’t seem to listen to one another or even see one another: “It is the ache of loneliness that...
View ArticleDo We Need to Love Ourselves Before We Love Others?
Studies linking self-compassion and compassion for others show different results. Some studies show compassion dependent on a person’s own well-being in that if they are doing well, they will treat...
View ArticleCanoeist Paddles the 6,000 Mile Great Loop Out of Gratitude
"I guess for me these expeditions are not only my college and my education, but it’s also my form of worship in a way, my giving thanks to the world for being alive and being able to walk,” remarked...
View ArticleResearchers Study the Impact of Singing on Wellbeing
The Sing for Happiness project involved more than three hundred people singing in choir sessions “in an experiment to discover if singing can improve mental health and wellbeing.” Participants...
View ArticleAll Life is Sacred: A Conversation with John Malloy
"By the time John Malloy was seventeen, he had moved forty-four times. In his young life as a rolling stone, Malloy learned to rely on himself. Whatever allies and friends he might have begun to...
View ArticleHow a Group's Ornament Exchange Helps with Grief During Holidays
Grieving Gracefully is a virtual support group that gives people a “place to go” with their grief. Founder Kelly Sammon said they hoped to "shine just a little bit of light in somebody's life" during...
View ArticleGlimpses of Hope in 2024
In the midst of what may seem like only bad news and more bad news, enjoy these ten examples of what Solutions Journalism Network calls “hope with teeth -- not naive assumptions everything will resolve...
View ArticleThe algorithm says crisis. The social worker says trust.
Los Angeles County social workers are getting a little help from an Artificial Intelligence (AI) system to identify people at risk of losing their housing using digital warnings such as “repeated...
View ArticleWhen kindness becomes a habit, it improves our health
Research through the years shows volunteering and acts of kindness increase happiness and psychological well-being. Newer findings reveal they can improve physical health as well. Some results: less...
View Article