What can be done about what President Obama as a candidate presciently labeled the "empathy deficit"? The key thing is to recognize the value of relationships and the fact that we are not independent but interdependent.

Zero-sum" is when one's needs cancel out another's needs. I learned the meaning of this violent doctrine as a Russian kid playing "nozhichki." Nozhi...

If you live the vast majority of your time in a "me-centered" universe, then you are going to get more than your share of depression, angst, sorrow and all of the things that make life terrible.

This simple Samburu greeting is one of the latter. It is a simple method for coming present and connecting at a heartfelt level. We can do it anytime, anywhere with anyone.

It's important our kids learn a new set of ABCs too -- one that draws upon the very old values of Attention, Balance and Compassion.

Under ordinary circumstances, giving up an addiction, any addiction, is hard enough. But Obama isn't living under ordinary circumstances. Shouldn't we allow him his occasional cigs?

The balance of these two qualities--compassion and discernment--is essential in order to see where pity is masquerading as kindness.

I would so much rather know that I am getting all of a person --especially a person that I love so dearly -- than have it be easy and know that I was only seeing the surface of them.

Perfectionists like to stick to the protocol, play by the book, and not take chances in order to avoid mistakes and imperfections. A closed mind is a poor prerequisite to creativity.

When we talk about willpower or integrity, we tend to mean a certain fixed amount of some kind of moral stamina. It's not like that. Breaking points can be attenuated by a variety of factors.

Whether you believe you are boring or not, now is the time to look at your life and make some changes for the better. It's time to get excited about life again.

I started to think about all the other insomniacs like me who were sitting up feeling lonely, depressed, stressed out and wondering how they would function the next day.

In training ourselves through meditation, it is very practical to start with mindfulness practice to pull the mind in from a habitual state of distraction into a focused and clear state.