Within a decade, America will be looking different. In addition to other demographic changes, 70 million Baby Boomers are now entering their retirement years. For the first time in our history, there will be more older adults than children. This huge societal change will affect how families provide eldercare, how older Americans access transportation, and […]

Humankind on Public Radio

Aging in Community (Part 1)

This is a fascinating dialogue with British historian Karen Armstrong, winner of the TED Prize and best-selling author of The History of God and Fields of Blood: Religion and the History of Violence. A one-time nun, Armstrong grew deeply disenchanted with religious life, only to evolve into a brilliant religious historian, based in London. She […]

Karen Armstrong

UCLA education professor Mike Rose tells some of the lessons he gained from an unusual tour of public schools around the United States. At a time when public education is financially stretched thin and frequently criticized for shortcomings, Rose set out to find examples of caring teachers and engaged students—what he called an “anthology of […]

The Good Classroom with Mike Rose

A profile of Harvard Medical School professor Dr. Herbert Benson whose pioneering work on the Relaxation Response has helped millions of people learn a simple meditative technique to reduce the harmful effects of stress. In this program, we visit Harvard’s Mind/Body Medical Institute and hear from patients who have benefited from learning relaxation practices.

The Relaxation Response

The chair of the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the winner of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize (along with former Vice President Al Gore), has made a surprising recommendation for the most immediate impact a person can have toward reducing greenhouse gas emissions: change what you eat. Emissions from automotive vehicles are one leading […]

Healthy Planet, Healthy People

Benjamin Ferencz is an impassioned, heart-filled advocate for human rights and global peace. Now in his 80s, Ferencz devotes all his time and energy to the daunting mission of changing our glorification of war to a reverence for peace. Meet one of the most inspiring leaders of today as he expounds on his experience of […]

Human Rights Defender Ben Ferencz

In this episode, we hear from a homeless public school student, one of an estimated 1.5 million in the United States: “We’d usually try to find a hotel. My Dad would spend what little money he had on the place. You don’t have to be very old to understand that that’s not the way it’s […]

Homeless Students

We hear from a variety of nurses about the stresses they face in today’s quick-paced medical setting—and how they struggle to find the time needed to treat the whole person. Caring for the “whole person” is a bedrock tenet of holistic nursing. It views the human spirit as a potent healing force in coping with […]

Holistic Nurses

In this documentary, we visit with a community of Americans who have embraced the peaceful path of the Sufis—an Islamic tradition known for inspiring poetry and a gentle universal appeal. Included in this program are remarks by the widely-revered Sufi master, M.R. Bawa Muhaiyaddeen along with comments by his students who try to practice Sufi […]

Portrait of a Sufi Master

Sid Caesar was one of American television’s first real superstars, a sensational comedian who delighted sixty million viewers in the nineteen-fifties with his live weekly programs “Your Show of Shows” and “Caesar’s Hour.” And he assembled a stable of zany writers and performers including future stars Woody Allen, Mel Brooks, Imogene Coca, Carl Reiner and […]

Sid Caesar

With her husband Tom, a social worker, author Eileen Flanagan has raised two healthy, energized teenagers at their home in the East Falls section of Philadelphia. And for Eileen, bringing up a family has offered her a rich fount of life lessons about patience, knowing when to let go, and just appreciating the wonder and […]

Parenting as a Path

The problem of American gun violence has been mired for decades in a bitter political stalemate. For some, it’s a solemn constitutional question. Or it’s about the influence of gun manufacturers and their powerful lobby. Or it’s about lifestyle in communities with a tradition of hunting. Or it may be just about the primal need […]

Epidemic of Gun Violence

Stricken blind and deaf by a fever at infancy, Helen Keller once described herself as “an optimist in spite of all.” This truly inspiring biography recounts how Keller emerged from solitary confinement in silent darkness to become one of the 20th century’s greatest women and greatest human spirits. Includes readings from her autobiographical reflections and […]

Helen Keller An Optimist in Spite of All, Pt1

How exactly can we build a future based on understanding and connection among people of diverse backgrounds— rather than prejudice, misinformation and suspicion that are the fuel for violence? According to the late journalist John Wallach, the answer is to instill this awareness at a young age. He went on to found a truly daring […]

Power of Nonviolence Pt3B

Power of Nonviolence, Pt3A

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