Therese Ojibway wanted to be able to "find things" with her son, who has autism, in their walks on a local forest trail in Millburn, New Jersey. She built and placed tiny fairy homes in the nooks and crannies they could "discover" together. As time went on and she added more and more homes, it became known as the Fairy Trail and loved by locals. "She thought this was a dynamic way of getting little children into nature, getting them to use their imaginations, getting them to tap into their creativity and stimulate both early childhood and special needs children." The local conservancy thought ..read more

Danny Hillis, a pioneer in super computing, shifted from high-speed tech to contemplating time on a larger scale. He initiated the Clock of the Long Now project, to build a clock that will last 10,000 years, to challenge how we think about our relationship with time ..read more

Mystic-poet Lucy Grace shares her profound insights around human suffering and its transformative potential. Recalling a pivotal insight at school, the day after a frightening encounter with a gang at the age of eight, she describes, "I looked at my thumb and I said to myself, 'Lucy, don't worry, it's really hard now, but this thumb is part of your future. This thumb exists on the adult that you are gonna be when you make your life better for yourself.' And so I held that thumb and I felt like, here's a piece of my life when it's good. It's not good now, but it will be. I used to hold my thumb ..read more

A father-son trip turns out to be the beginning of a 3 year journey into inventing the world's largest percussion instrument spanning 3.5 acres across a cave, Luray Caverns, in Virgnia, U.S. In 1954, mathematician and electronics scientist Leland Sprinkle invented the Great Stalacpipe Organ. The mesmerising otherworldly sound created by the mallets striking against the perfectly tuned stalactites selected by Sprinkle is a marvel that brings your whole being to the point of stillness in the now. Otto Pebworth, a long time cave organist says, "It's like you are becoming one with the instrument i ..read more

While hiking and allowing his mind to wander, Alex Messenger suddenly started to notice his body. "My breath quickened, my eyes widened, my pulse doubled immediately, my airways opened." It took some time for his conscious brain to catch up in time to see a 600 pound bear that "swatted him to the ground with a blinding blow to the head." Alex survived and, looking back, wondered how his body knew danger was coming before any of his five senses, and long before he was consciously aware of the bear. BBC Correspondents, Matt Warren and Miriam Frankel, highlight Alex's experience and numerous othe ..read more

In an era dominated by individualism and self-interest, one retiree emerges as a beacon of community-centric spirit in Fort Worth, Texas. When Apryl Goodwin, 46, was diagnosed with uterine cancer, she found herself in a tight predicament: "I had no transportation and I didn't know what to do." In parallel, retiree Lyn Story, 64, had free time on her hands. When she read about Goodwin's situation on a neighborhood community app, she offered to drive her. Goodwin was apprehensive: "I kind of ignored it cause it's a stranger. So she messaged me again and said, 'I'll take you. I mean it. I'm hones ..read more

"I wonder if you all will find the courage to step out onto the dance floor and to dance with those who are our enemies," says Rev. Chaz Howard, as he invites us to look beyond our differences and tap into a space of being human. A soulful presence, the youngest ever chaplain of an Ivy League university narrates the heart-warming experience of his students from different religious settings coming together in service, and how, 20 years later, one of them is still willing to give that magic of dancing a try in today's times ..read more

Robert Glazer describes a failure to communicate clear and precise ground rules and boundaries up front around a shared backyard. Fear of confrontation as time went on prevented him from seizing opportunities to clarify intentions and social norms. Consequently, a seemingly simple situation turned into an awkward eruption and ended the possibility of friendship. He cautions that “addressing problems promptly and with candor not only can prevent a boiling point moment, but it also strengthens our relationships and builds trust ..read more

Jay Coen Gilbert explores leadership questions of the heart during his address at Gandhi 3.0 in January 2024, sharing his own story about the friction he experienced when he found himself “tethered and constrained” to “somebody else’s dharma” and how that led to exploration with like-minded leaders. Gilbert confronts the systemic beliefs prevalent today including a “system and culture of shareholder primacy” and how “wealthy persons matter more than others.” Gilbert offers  an alternative model for change in response. The current system’s  genetically hardwired source code propping u ..read more

"Losing all of the basic functions of being a human being was the greatest teacher," says Madhu Anziani. "It was an opportunity to go fully into the teachings I had received around energy, sound, and vibration." At 23, a serious accident left him paralyzed from the neck down, incontinet, and unable to breathe on his own. Left to face the flurry of emotions in his mind, the musician was forced to discover the gaps between his thoughts, and the healing potential of his own voice. He began to apply sound practices from his hospital bed day and night. Two and a half months later, he walked out of ..read more