The most hopeful courtroom in the world
From The Intelligent Optimist Magazine Winter 2017 It sounds unbelievable: a court where citizens can bring complaints against their own governments. But that’s just what happens at the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, France. Can thissuccess story be repeated on a global Read More...
Pathways to an inclusive society
From The Intelligent Optimist Winter 2017 Too many people feel left behind. Their frustrations stand in the way of a peaceful, nonviolent society. Can we revitalize government—the way we run society—so that more people feel included? By Jurriaan Kamp and Nancy Reed When our children were Read More...
Our enemies also have pain
From The Intelligent Optimist Winter 2017 All religions advocate the Golden Rule—Never treat others as you would not like to be treated yourself. Only when learn to implement this rule—24 hours a day—there can be a viable world. By Karen Armstrong All the great religious traditions of our Read More...
The healing force of constructive agression
From The Intelligent Optimist Winter 2017 Heal yourself in 12 empowering steps with Ruediger Dalhke’s transformative medicine. By Carol Greenhouse A formidable paradox lies at the heart of Western medicine. While modern health care is designed to bring about resurrection, its primary means is Read More...
An ode to tolerance
From The Intelligent Optimist Winter 2017 T.O.L.E.R.A.N.C.E is a sculpture created by French sculptor and painter Guy Ferrer in 2004, in reaction to the preoccupying rise in religious tensions and the risk of a new clash of religions. The sculpture, that has been presented at exhibitions around the Read More...
Iconic images of non-violence
From The Intelligent Optimist Winter 2017 Tiananmen Square After the death of pro-democracy leader Hu Yaobang in mid-1989, students began gathering in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square to mourn his passing. It was the beginning of large demonstration for greater freedom that lasted seven weeks. The Read More...
Non-violence issue: Earth I love
From The Intelligent Optimist Winter 2017 The economy is based on competition—violence. Nature is exploited to make money. There can only be an end to poverty and pollution when we discover the spiritual economy that is based on relationship, not ownership, with each other and with nature. Read More...
What the wilderness brings
From The Intelligent Optimist Summer 2016 Amy Domini, Founder and CEO of Domini Social Investments and author of several books on ethical investing. amydomini.com A recent trip to Southern California brought me within an hour’s drive of the famed Joshua Tree National Park, a 1,235-square-mile Read More...
The art of trying
From The Intelligent Optimist Summer 2016 Paulo Coelho, Author of international bestsellers, including The Pilgrimage and The Alchemist. paulocoelhoblog.com Pablo Picasso once said, “God is really only another artist. He invented the giraffe, the elephant and the cat. He has no real style. He Read More...
Inspiration: Products and Books for The Optimist
From The Intelligent Optimist Summer 2016 An herbal skin solution Our modern lifestyle makes us an easy target for inflammation. The environment around us and our diets are full of substances that inflame our bodies—and that’s where almost every disease begins. Mainstream medicine is good at Read More...