Sometimes, when we finally get a taste of meaning and purpose, we pursue it without taking care of ourselves. But helping the world is not about denying yourself. How can you take care of the world if you are too tired or too hungry or too stressed or too depressed? If you can’t sustain yourself, […]
Purpose and Meaning
The problem of materialism and the solution in five minutes
A video written by my friend and colleague Tim Kasser. It presents a unifying theory of what’s wrong and what to do about it.
Is progress good or bad?
I spent much of this morning on the phone with a friend who is one of the top leaders in corporate sustainability. He wanted to know my thoughts on "innovation" and "progress." Did I think they were good or bad? Did I think the drive for both helped or hindered the quest for a life […]
Advice from an Accidental Activist
The following article was originally published in Yes! Magazine at this location. Other articles I've published in Yes! include: "Ten Ways to Change Your Life," "Fight Climate Change: Live the Good Life," and "Christmas with No Presents." So many of us have good ideas for helping the world. But we tuck our ideas away. I […]
Becoming your real self to help the world
Recently, I gave a talk in Chattanooga, Tennessee at the Girls Preparatory School. The talk was more or less about how the world is in so much trouble that it needs every sort of talent and passion in order to help it. In other words, if you care about world problems, you don't have to […]
May each go his own way
The other day I published a post called about finding your own path to helping the world by trusting yourself. What I didn’t say was that the post was inspired by something I read in the recently released book of secret writings by Carl Jung collected in The Red Book. The book is, in a […]
Trust the spark within and find your own path
Since the release of the No Impact Man book and film I have been privileged to be in conversation with many groups. And always, someone asks me with great earnestness, “What can I do?” Many times, in other words, people ask me for how-to-save-the-planet directions. “Just start,” I say. And then I pause while they […]
If you’re at a loss for how to help
This post is dedicated to my friend Amy Wilson. Lately, I’ve been giving a lot of talks and answering a lot of questions and, often times, people ask how they can help. This is a wonderful question, but waiting for someone else to answer it is not quite as wonderful. Let me say why. The […]