Tag: culture

  • The Solution to Unemployment? Turning Job Seekers into Job Creators

    The Solution to Unemployment? Turning Job Seekers into Job Creators

    75 million youth worldwide are currently looking for work, with many more not being accounted for as they live and work in informality. In terms of youth unemployment, the ILO has warned of a “scarred” generation of young workers facing a dangerous mix of high unemployment, increased inactivity and precarious work in developed countries, as […]

  • What is Altruism?

    What is Altruism?

    What is altruism? Put simply, it’s the wish that other people may be happy. And, says Matthieu Ricard, a happiness researcher and a Buddhist monk, altruism is also a great lens for making decisions, both for the short and long term, in work and in life.

  • How finding internal balance helps the natural environment

    How finding internal balance helps the natural environment

    According to Buddhist teaching, there is a very close interdependence between the natural environment and the sentient beings living in it. Some of my friends have told me that basic human nature is somewhat violent, but I told them I disagree. If we examine different animals, for example, those whose very survival depends on taking […]

  • Giftivism: the practice of radically generous acts that transform the world

    Giftivism: the practice of radically generous acts that transform the world

    Nipun Mehta is the founder of ServiceSpace (formerly Charity Focus), an incubator of projects that works at the intersection of volunteerism, technology and gift-economy. What started as an experiment with four friends in the Silicon Valley has now grown to a global ecosystem of over 350000 members. Nipun has received many awards, including the Jefferson […]

  • Second lowest minimum for Arctic ice

    Second lowest minimum for Arctic ice

    The sea-ice extent on 10 September stood at 4.14 million sq km, some way short of the 3.39 million sq km record low in 2012. Arctic sea-ice cover grows each autumn and winter, and shrinks each spring and summer. It has long been regarded as a sensitive indicator of change to the Earth’s climatic system. […]

  • Green School Bali: teaching children about sustainable living

    Green School Bali: teaching children about sustainable living

    American Cynthia and her partner, Canadian designer John Hardy, have lived on Bali for over thirty years. In 2007, after selling their renowned jewelry company, they formed a school as an alternative to the walled-in international schools around Bali. Based upon the 19thcentury education model of Rudolf Steiner, which emphasizes experiential learning, the Green School […]

  • Outdoor learning ‘boosts children’s development’

    Outdoor learning ‘boosts children’s development’

    Outdoor learning can have a positive impact on children’s development but it needs to be formally adopted, a report suggests. Childhoods were dramatically changing, with fewer opportunities to spend time outdoors, researchers observed. The loss of exposure to the natural environment would have negative long-term consequences, they warned. Establishing an “outdoor learning hub” would help […]

  • Altruism: The Power of Compassion to Change Yourself and the World

    Altruism: The Power of Compassion to Change Yourself and the World

    In this major work, Matthieu Ricard presents a global vision based on decades of personal experience and insight, a road map for the 21st century. It is a fresh outlook on an ardent struggle, and one that just might make the world a better place by simultaneously benefiting ourselves and our society. The book paints […]

  • 11 Reasons to Smile on World Smile Day

    11 Reasons to Smile on World Smile Day

    Whether you woke up on the wrong side of the bed, picked a fight with a loved one or struggled through that morning commute to a job you don’t particularly enjoy, it can be a tough task to plaster a smile across your face when you’re feeling less than chipper. But by choosing to smile, […]

  • Manifesto for a Happier World

    Manifesto for a Happier World

    We all want to lead a happy life. But in our quest for ‘progress’ we’ve been pursuing priorities that put our happiness at risk – not just for us as individuals, but for society as a whole. Our collective aim should be a society with the greatest possible human happiness and wellbeing – with policies, […]