Humankind on Public Radio: Recent Episodes
David Freudberg
The 2023 film ‘Oppenheimer’ reminds us of our unfinished business in the nuclear age. Hear Ira Helfand, an emergency room physician, describe the main barrier to addressing this problem: our denial that nuclear arms could cause the gravest emergency of all.
To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind specials are heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in association with GBH Boston.
We travel to a Detroit program for pediatric cancer patients founded by a rabbi whose daughter died of cancer. He teaches martial arts to young patients, helping them find inner strength.
To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind specials are heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in association with GBH Boston.
What is the role of a patient’s attitude in facing a serious illness? Are the benefits that many people derive from faith also available to cancer patients who feel uncomfortable with religion? What are the connections between a person’s beliefs and their ability to attain physical healing?
To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind specials are heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in association with GBH Boston.
A community service organization in Cambridge, Massachusetts rescues food that would be routinely discarded by grocers, produce companies and others and delivers it to those in need including pantries and elderly meal sites.
To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind specials are heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in association with GBH Boston.
Have our courts – intended by America’s founders to be an independent arbiter of justice – turned into another political battlefield? Are today’s judges mere “politicians in robes”? This public radio documentary series looks at crucial flashpoints in recent decades. Will rulings follow the predictable blocs of liberal and conservative justices, strongly associated with the party of the president who appointed them?
To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind specials are heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in association with GBH Boston.
Have our courts – intended by America’s founders to be an independent arbiter of justice – turned into another political battlefield? Are today’s judges mere “politicians in robes”? This public radio documentary series looks at crucial flashpoints in recent decades. Because federal judges are nominated by the president and confirmed the U.S. Senate, inevitably the process is somewhat politicized. But as hyper-partisanship has corrosively swept across American life, we’ll explore whether our judiciary has been infected.
To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind specials are heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in association with GBH Boston.
We explore the significant benefits of home-cooked meals, including improved family dynamics, greater likelihood of healthy ingredients, lower costs, reduced carbon footprint and taking time together to appreciate the food we receive.
To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind specials are heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in association with GBH Boston.
We consider the dramatic increase in income inequality—now at levels that preceded the Great Depression—and how this wealth gap relates to a host of conditions, from personal illness to incarceration.
To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind specials are heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in association with GBH Boston.
We examine current trends in charitable giving by individuals and foundations with Stacy Palmer, long-time editor of The Chronicle of Philanthropy, and one of America’s most knowledgeable journalists about the nation’s $316 billion charitable sector.
To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind specials are heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in association with GBH Boston.
We hear the story of Mary Gillespie, a woman born with normal hearing and vision, but who developed several illnesses starting at age ten. Gradually, she became deaf-blind. Now living in Los Angeles, Mary is a regular volunteer at the Braille Institute, where we recorded this remarkable episode of Humankind.
To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind specials are heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in association with GBH Boston.
Chris Hedges, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of “Empire of Illusion”, maintains that our popular culture cannot distinguish between reality and fantasy, dangerously relying on spectacle, false idols, and snake oil salesmen.
To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind specials are heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in association with GBH Boston.
Nearly 5 million direct care workers assist America’s older adults. They perform their duties in private homes, residential care settings and nursing facilities. Often paid low wages, many rely on some form of public assistance to make ends meet. A surprising number are homeless. Yet the labor can be arduous, helping sometimes disabled people with dressing, toilet care, mobility challenges, transferring in and out of bed. And sometimes the clients they serve are angry, even abusive.
To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind specials are heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in association with GBH Boston.
A look at how slaveholders mercilessly trafficked in human beings, the outrageous Fugitive Slave Act and the time Sumner was viciously assaulted for his beliefs on the floor of the U.S. Senate
To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind specials are heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in association with GBH Boston.
Millions of adult children or other relatives are caring for older loved ones. They do this out of love, but the cumulative burden can be heavy. We’ll hear stories of how different families manage the duties of eldercare. We also include useful suggestions from a leading professor of nursing on how caregivers can benefit from proven techniques of self-care.
To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind specials are heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in association with GBH Boston.
We examine the remarkable life of Charles Sumner, a U.S. senator from Mass. who boldly championed the abolition of slavery. Sumner coined the phrase “equality before the law” and was viciously assaulted for his beliefs.
To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind specials are heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in association with GBH Boston.
In this documentary we enter a rich dialogue with Joel Bauman, a remarkably gifted physician, trained in care for the elderly. He describes the special needs of palliative care for hospice patients, who have shifted from seeking a cure (which may no longer be realistic) to relief of symptoms and distress, as life draws to a close.
To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind specials are heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in association with GBH Boston.
George Mumford teaches top athletes the “superpowers” of mindfulness, concentration, insight, right effort and trust as techniques to strengthen performance and avoid the trap of spiritual demise.
To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind specials are heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in association with GBH Boston.
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 whether people can age in their own homes among neighbors they know — and avoid nursing facilities, where about 30% of Covid-19 deaths occurred. These shifts will accelerate a trend that began three decades ago with passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act: local communities are attempting to become more age-friendly. What changes will this mean for how families relate, how our streets and sidewalks are designed, how we use technology? On Aging in Community, a special project from Humankind public radio, you’ll hear stories of transition and dignity — and meet people who are showing the way.
To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind specials are heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in association with GBH Boston.
70 million Baby Boomers are now entering their retirement years. For the first time in history, there will be more older adults than children. On this special project from Humankind public radio, you’ll hear stories of transition and dignity — and meet people who are showing the way.
To see additional resources and out other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind specials are heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in association with WGBH Boston
A look at the problem of gun violence as a public health crisis, impacting not just emergency rooms but also long-term needs for healing from exposure to trauma.
To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind specials are heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in association with GBH Boston.
When a gifted artist and media producer near Los Angeles is stricken with ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease), a community of friends comes together to support him as he develops ingenious ways to continue creating his art work, even without the use of his limbs.
To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind specials are heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in association with GBH Boston.
The story of a bright inner city high school student from Boston, who has launched a series of citywide clothing drives inspired by the needs of fellow students who are homeless or displaced.
To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind specials are heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in association with GBH Boston.
The power of a patient’s self-reflection as a tool for coping with illness is explored by a nurse scientist who has studied meditation as a health technique, and by a cancer survivor who teaches other patients about the value of therapeutic writing in expressing their inward feelings.
To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org Humankind specials are heard on NPR and PRX member stations, in association with GBH Boston.
We consider the plight of tens of millions of Americans in families and relationships with alcoholics. How does the destabilizing influence of active addiction affect family systems? What emotional and life challenges are faced by people raised around alcoholism?
To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind specials are heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in association with GBH Boston.
Author Eileen Flanagan discusses her powerful essay on the lessons about life that can be derived from parenting—patience, unconditional love, and how to handle “a child who decorated the white carpet with pink sidewalk chalk.”
To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind specials are heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in association with GBH Boston.
We explore the duties and challenges of military chaplains from two nations: Britain and Canada. Ian Wheatley, recorded at the Defence Ministry in Westminster, London, serves as Chaplain of the Fleet of the Royal Navy in the United Kingdom. Next, we visit with Padre Guy Chapdelaine, a soft-spoken Canadian who currently serves as Chaplain General of the Canadian Armed Forces, directing about 400 chaplains from diverse denominations.
To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind specials are heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in association with GBH Boston.
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?
To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind specials are heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in association with GBH Boston.
The human survival instinct prods us to outlast afflictions and, if circumstances permit, to reach old age. Nothing, of course, could be more quintessentially natural than aging. Physician Andrew Weil gives his views on healthy longevity in which older people come to accept the challenges and discover the rewards of aging, plus a look at Okinawa home to the highest percentage on earth of people who live to be 100.
To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind specials are heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in association with GBH Boston.
New research suggests that people who actively cultivate gratitude in their lives become both more content and physically healthier, but Oakland, California writer Catherine Price wanted to find out for herself.
To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind specials are heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in association with GBH Boston.
Bill Siemering, NPR’s first program director and the author of its inspiring mission statement, recounts the network’s early goal of honoring diversity by including a variety of American voices.
To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind specials are heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in association with GBH Boston.
Renewable energy (including low-carbon sources like solar and wind) is rapidly shifting to a higher profile sector of the way Americans derive electricity to power homes and workplaces.
To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind specials are heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in association with GBH Boston.
In these special Humankind documentaries, ‘Beyond War’ takes a look back at the last time the U.S. military had major involvement in the Middle East. We examine the true human costs of organized violence (for both soldiers and civilians). And what happens when citizens protest against war?
Hear accounts from Yugoslavia to South Africa—of non-violent movements that ousted unjust leaders. Also, comments by two Nobel Peace Prize winners: Bernard Lown, MD and Archbishop Desmond Tutu; military spending; and media images of the military.
To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind specials are heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in association with GBH Boston.
In these special Humankind documentaries, ‘Beyond War’ takes a look back at the last time the U.S. military had major involvement in the Middle East. We examine the true human costs of organized violence (for both soldiers and civilians). And what happens when citizens protest against war?
How fully do we exhaust peaceful options before resorting to military action? When has nonviolence been effective and when has it been dangerous? What constitutes a just war “just”—or do no ends justify large-scale killing of human beings? What are the social, moral and spiritual values held by pacifists and conscientious objectors?
Hear accounts from Yugoslavia to South Africa—of non-violent movements that ousted unjust leaders.
To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind specials are heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in association with GBH Boston.
Having lost almost everything in the Madoff scam, best-selling author John Robbins tells how, in “an age of less,” he had to step back, reassess what’s important and build a new, more fulfilling life.
To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind specials are heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in association with GBH Boston.
How the daughter of two holocaust survivors ventured into formal dialogues with children of Nazi-era Germans and what they learned from each other in a new era.
To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind specials are heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in association with GBH Boston.
The stress of having a seriously ill loved one being treated in a hospital in a strange city is lessened by a compassionate army of volunteers in Boston who open their homes to provide lodging and a sympathetic ear.
To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind specials are heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in association with GBH Boston.
The surprising power of imagining positive outcomes in life is explored by NY Times best-selling author David Allen who finds that when people vividly picture the solutions to problems, it can reset their nervous system and remove self-imposed obstacles.
To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind specials are heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in association with GBH Boston.
We ride along in a van of “Crisis Responders”, who are sometimes deployed instead of police by Seattle’s new CARE Dept. Also heard are the deputy police chief and the chief of the CARE Dept, a married couple at the center of public safety efforts there. And we learn about the history of a model pioneered in Seattle of “diverting” people to social services for mental health concerns, rather than involving law enforcement.
To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind specials are heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in association with GBH Boston.
This is the intriguing story of how, in some venues, public safety is being expanded to include not just police and fire services but also social workers and other professionals.
To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind specials are heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in association with GBH Boston.
What happened to a group of 1st graders in Oakland, CA when a local realtor said she’d pay for their college education if they graduated from high school?
To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind specials are heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in association with GBH Boston.
Canada’s highly popular healthcare system covers all citizens for a fraction of what Americans spend per person, but it also has some problems. We consider a “public option” for the United States. Experts heard: Toronto physician Danielle Martin and Yale professor Jacob Hacker.
To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind specials are heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in association with GBH Boston.
A fascinating conversation with John Bogle, founder of Vanguard and one of the world’s most famous investors, on what it means to have “enough”, both financially and spiritually.
To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind specials are heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in association with GBH Boston.
Bay Area physician and Univ. of California medical professor Martin Rossman, author of “The Worry Solution”, describes ways to distinguish between what we can change and what we must learn to accept.
To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind specials are heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in association with GBH Boston.
Making light of our stress-inducing, 24/7 society, author and humorist Loretta LaRoche brings her one-of-a-kind perspective on living an optimistic and resilient life that re-connects with what really matters.
To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind specials are heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in association with GBH Boston.
Pultizer Prize-winning historian Gordon Wood discusses how the founders of America intended to thwart the ascendance of demagogues, who could provoke mobs, in the fledgling democracy they were building.
To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind specials are heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in association with GBH Boston.
This program explores one of the most basic questions facing our democracy: who may participate?
To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind specials are heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in association with GBH Boston.
William Ury, the coauthor of “Getting to Yes,” a classic on negotiation, maintains that conflict is inevitable—and sometimes desirable—but that violent confrontation can be much more easily prevented than is commonly believed.
To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind specials are heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in association with GBH Boston.
Although being teased and picked on are typical challenges for kids growing up, the effects can be traumatizing when a child is relentlessly bullied. The most common targets of bullying are young people who are perceived as gay, or who are disabled or overweight. But any kid who is singled out for harassment may feel overwhelmed, sometimes resorting to self-destructive behaviour.
To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind specials are heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in association with GBH Boston.
The coauthor of “Getting to Yes,” a classic on negotiation, maintains that conflict is inevitable—and sometimes desirable—but that violent confrontation can be much more easily prevented than is commonly believed.
To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind specials are heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in association with GBH Boston.
In the second half of this Humankind documentary, we listen to nurses in the Twin Cities who are drawn to their profession by compassion for patients. Providers reveal the difficulties of remaining emotionally “present” in a high-stress medical setting, and several patients tell what it’s like to be treated unkindly or to feel undervalued. We consider the primary importance of listening to patients as a way of conveying respect.
To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind specials are heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in association with GBH Boston.
Patients often complain about rushed doctor visits and, of course, the cost of medical services. But a number of studies in recent years highlight a different concern: whether as a patient you actually experience kindness when receiving health care. In this Humankind documentary, we examine that challenge, from the perspective of both health care professionals – often serving in a stressful environment – and patients who come for help.
To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind specials are heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in association with GBH Boston.
Jon Kabat-Zinn, founder of the renowned Stress Reduction Clinic at the Univ. of Massachusetts Medical School, discusses how the technique of “mindfulness” can be physically and mentally therapeutic.
To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind specials are heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in association with GBH Boston.
In a country as wealthy as the United States, “working poor” should be a contradiction in terms. But tens of millions of Americans fall into that category, affecting a growing population of children.
To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind specials are heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in association with GBH Boston.
In this provocative profile of David Allen, we hear the sounds of communications technology coming at us, and later we stroll through the peaceful garden in Ojai, California where for him “time disappears.” We also hear how he brilliantly defines the widespread problem of “overwhelm” along with very practical solutions that can increase relaxation for everyone.
To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind specials are heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in association with GBH Boston.
How can we deal with the modern sense of feeling overloaded? It is emerging as a broad social problem that takes its toll on both work and home life—and can impinge on our ability to function with personal clarity. Best-selling author David Allen discusses new ways we all can learn to focus—in an age of ever-multiplying inputs of information. And he raises the question of what we are focusing on, from routine daily tasks to the big picture of life’s meaning.
To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind specials are heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in association with GBH Boston.
Christal Presley, an English teacher in Virginia who experienced “secondary trauma” in response to the extreme behavior of her father, a Vietnam-era veteran with PTSD, tells how the family began a journey of recovery.
To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind specials are heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in association with GBH Boston.
Because laughter is surely good medicine, we visit with professional comedians who are also cancer survivors, as well as a top surgeon at New York’s renowned Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, to understand the role of humor and a positive attitude in surviving the disease.
To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind specials are heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in association with GBH Boston.
A Harvard medical professor tells the story of how he united with a Soviet cardiologist to launch a physicians movement to end nuclear war that recruited 150,000 doctors worldwide and won the Nobel Peace Prize.
To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind specials are heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in association with GBH Boston.
It’s been said that we’ve learned how to speak but not necessarily how to communicate. Rarely are we taught the art of deep listening or how to respond to someone without accusation or blame or the ability to articulate our own needs without putting others on the defensive.
To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind specials are heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in association with GBH Boston.
Geoffrey Canada designated a crime-ridden 24-block area of New York as the Harlem Children’s Zone and works tirelessly to provide a healthier community for kids who are otherwise vulnerable to developmental and social ills.
To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind specials are heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in association with GBH Boston.
Tracy Gary, Pillsbury heiress and noted philanthropist, calls charity the “new American dream” because it is uniquely able to create change in our world. A founder of over a dozen charities herself, Gary has given nearly all of her inheritance away.
To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind specials are heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in association with GBH Boston.
“The Meaning of America”. Filmmaker Ken Burns, philsopher Jacob Needleman and others take us on a journey through the ideas and beliefs of America’s founders to understand their social and spiritual vision for the United States. Includes historic readings and the sounds of Independence Hall, Monticello and elsewhere.
To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind specials are heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in association with GBH Boston.
On this special two-part episode of Humankind, we explore the basic American right of citizens to follow the dictates of their conscience in their own personal pursuit of happiness. Hear PBS Filmmaker Ken Burns (top), philosopher/historian Jacob Needleman, and the words of America’s founders, as we try to uncover the true meaning of America.
To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind specials are heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in association with GBH Boston.
The integration of the man-made and the natural environments constitutes a green infrastructure we should restore and preserve for the sake of more livable communities, and as an act of social justice in the interest of low-income people unable to take expensive vacations in distant rural locales.
To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind specials are heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in association with GBH Boston.
Amid medical bureaucracy, the patient’s humanity can get lost. What are the obstacles? How is information and support conveyed to the patient? We look at some solutions. We also learn about the fascinating health benefits of common integrative techniques such as acupuncture, meditation and stress management.
To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind specials are heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in association with GBH Boston.
In this segment, we visit medical students at the third largest U.S. college campus, Ohio State University in Columbus, who are committed to a greater focus on wellness. We hear their vision of health care in the future. Medical education is in transition—but not rapidly enough, according to several other reformers we’ll hear.
To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind specials are heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in association with GBH Boston.
The practice of integrative medicine has achieved high success with heart patients and is now covered by Medicare. We hear from Doctors, patients and other experts about how this practice fits into today’s healthcare landscape.
To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind specials are heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in association with GBH Boston.
More than three-fourths of U.S. medical costs are attributed to largely-preventable illnesses related to our lifestyle behaviors – what we eat, whether we exercise, how we manage stress, if we smoke.
Yet in most health care today, visits to the doctor are often too brief to get a handle on these complicated challenges. The focus is usually on disease treatment (with a heavy reliance on drugs, high-tech procedures and tests) rather than disease prevention.
To get to the root of this all, our special public radio project, The Search for Well-Being examines a fascinating new model of health care: integrative medicine.
To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind specials are heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in association with GBH Boston.
We learn about the birth of the International Criminal Court, how it operates, and how cases fall under its jurisdiction — all toward ensuring human rights for people who get caught up in the crossfire of war.To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind specials are heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in association with GBH Boston.
We learn about the birth of the International Criminal Court, how it operates, and how cases fall under its jurisdiction — all toward ensuring human rights for people who get caught up in the crossfire of war.To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind specials are heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in association with GBH Boston.
Can the rule of law can help to limit the worst horrors of war — and hold transgressors accountable? This question may soon face Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, for whom the Hague prosecutor is seeking arrest warrants for war crimes. We also hear about the indictment of Vladimir Putin for the invasion of Ukraine.
To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind specials are heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in association with GBH Boston.
Step inside the garden of Cathrine Sneed, a prison social worker, who has found that when inmates leave their cells and connect with nature their rate of recidivism drops.
To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind specials are heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in association with GBH Boston.
Perhaps more than any other trait in a spiritual caregiver, recipients of care yearn for the attention of an open-hearted person who can bear witness to their challenges. But what does it mean to bring that presence into an encounter with someone who may be up against adversity?Spiritual caregiving can offer deep personal rewards to practitioners, who are drawn to helping people undergoing distress in a wide range of settings. But by its nature, this kind of work can be emotionally and physically draining. So taking care of oneself also becomes an essential requirement of doing this work.
To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind specials are heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in association with GBH Boston.
In the second part of this Humankind documentary, we visit two venues where leaders are taking strides toward an enlightened educational experience for young people – and for faculty. The stories you will hear in each part are truly inspiring. But in the first case, it has meant coming to terms with, then gradually working past a national tragedy.
To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind specials are heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in association with GBH Boston.
Faced with the deep divisions roiling America, can education that is “pro-social” provide an alternative path for healing and understanding? And can schools cultivate students’ skills for social awareness and self-reflection?
To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind specials are heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in association with GBH Boston.
Several chaplains reflect in-depth on the experience of connecting with people who are facing challenges related to mental health, addiction and homelessness. We hear from a social worker, Larry Clum, who explores what it means to companion homeless people without an intent to “fix” their problem.
To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind specials are heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in association with GBH Boston.
Sharon Salzberg, an author and teacher of Buddhist meditation, describes the technique of “lovingkindness,” a way of seeing others and relating to oneself that allows the practitioner to get past resentments and have a clearer view of reality.
To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind specials are heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in association with GBH Boston.
What was the carbon footprint of your dinner last night? Physician Walter Willett, who served as the long-time Nutrition Dept. chair at Harvard, describes the benefits of eco-friendly eating to your health and to the environment. And you’ll meet Olivia Calkins, Liam Reardon and Genesis Butler, youth activists for a “thriving planet”.
To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind specials are heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in association with GBH Boston.
Agriculture is a huge emitter of greenhouse gases associated with climate change. This is an important emerging topic as Americans grapple with record-breaking heatwaves, drenching rains, coastal flooding, prolonged droughts, sprawling wildfires and other weather extremes as “the face of global warming”.
To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind specials are heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in association with GBH Boston.
Rev. Chris Antal, a Unitarian Universalist minister, was drawn to service in response to the attacks of 9/11. He entered military chaplaincy partially as a way to help soldiers who are prone to harming themselves in the wake of war. In this profile, Rev. Antal also explores how he was drawn to faith-based engagement with indigenous religious leaders, where he was stationed at Kandahar Air Base.
To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind specials are heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in association with GBH Boston.
Austrian-born author and Benedictine Brother David Steindl-Rast, recorded at his monastery near Corning, NY, believes that acquiring an attitude of “gratefulness” can calm the mind and give life a simple joy.
To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind specials are heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in association with GBH Boston.
This documentary explores the transition of a young mother from addiction treatment to a clean and sober life, with the help of a family mentoring program known as “shared family care.”
To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind specials are heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in association with GBH Boston.
Rev. Sally Bingham of San Francisco, lay organizer Steve MacAusland of Boston and members of a concerned church discuss the movement for a religious response to climate change that has spread to more than 4,000 U.S. congregations.
To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind specials are heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in association with GBH Boston.
Nationwide, even with more people covered through the Affordable Care Act, nearly 28 million Americans remain without medical coverage.
To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind specials are heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in association with GBH Boston.
In this documentary, we ask why it is that the wealthiest Americans live as many as fifteen years longer than the poorest. It’s a troubling question at a time when income inequality has reached levels not seen since the run up to the Great Depression.
To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind specials are heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in association with GBH Boston.
The author of “Taking Back Childhood,” education professor Nancy Carlsson-Paige, examines the impact on kids of media violence, overly structured school days and a culture that preaches rampant consumerism.
To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind specials are heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in association with GBH Boston.
In this documentary we explore how federal courts enforced fugitive slave laws. Historians, actors and legal scholars re-create the famous case of a young escaped slave who was sent back by a Boston judge, provoking America’s largest abolitionist protest.
To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind specials are heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in association with GBH Boston.
After a court declared his murder conviction a miscarriage of justice, Rubin ‘Hurricane’ Carter has been a tireless advocate for other wrongly-convicted inmates who face an uphill battle behind bars, in a nation that imprisons more people than any other.
To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind specials are heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in association with GBH Boston.
In this documentary we explore how federal courts enforced fugitive slave laws. Historians, actors and legal scholars re-create the famous case of a young escaped slave who was sent back by a Boston judge, provoking America’s largest abolitionist protest.
To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind specials are heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in association with GBH Boston.
After a court declared his murder conviction a miscarriage of justice, Rubin ‘Hurricane’ Carter has been a tireless advocate for other wrongly-convicted inmates who face an uphill battle behind bars, in a nation that imprisons more people than any other.
To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind specials are heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in association with GBH Boston.
As dramatized in a Bob Dylan song and ‘The Hurricane’ starring Denzel Washington, ex-prize fighter Rubin Carter tells how he was wrongly convicted of a triple homicide and ultimately exonerated by a federal judge, and trained his mind in prison to transcend hatred.
To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind specials are heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in association with GBH Boston.
The moving tale of the late Mae Bertha Carter, a sharecropper who raised thirteen children and also stood firm—against harassment—in her quest to integrate public schools in Sunflower County, Mississippi.
To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind specials are heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in association with GBH Boston.
In the second half of our documentary on the history of Alcoholics Anonymous, we examine the AA recovery principles that have promoted sobriety for millions of recovering alcoholics and have created a template to help people worldwide who struggle with many forms of addiction.
To view additional resources for this episode please visit our website at humanmedia.org.Human Media produces public broadcasting productions and distribution activities in association with WGBH/Boston, NPR, and PRX.
We hear from chaplains and students on a college campus (Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennesee) with a long tradition of promoting dialogue among various groups.
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Human Media performs public broadcasting production and distribution activities in association with WGBH/Boston, NPR and PRX.
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Overworking has become a cultural norm in Rabbi Arthur Waskow’s opinion. Waskow’s coalition “Free Time/Free People” is spearheaded by members of various faiths, and insists that a workable culture must actually work less, and a functional population functions best when there’s less to do. . A timely and persuasive philosophy, Waskow and his associates urge people to consider how life incorporates true meaning and whether we are doing our best to find meaning in the time we have on Earth.
To view additional resources for this episode please visit: humanmedia.org/EPISODEPAGELINK
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Human Media performs public broadcasting production and distribution activities in association with WGBH/Boston, NPR and PRX.
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At the typical nursing station of today’s hospitals, it can sometimes seem like high-tech medical machinery supersedes a personal connection between the patient and nurse or other health care professional. But for many caregivers, that one-to-one relationship is the essence of their service. To view additional resources for this episode please visit: humanmedia.org/EPISODEPAGELINK Follow “Humankind on […]
What does it mean to set aside one’s own agenda and truly focus on another person, perhaps someone who is suffering?
There’s a kind of mystery in sitting calmly, patiently, attentively and tuning into someone else’s personal story and life journey. In this special program, you’ll hear the reflective insights of people who listen for a living: physicians, counselors and clergy. To view additional resources for this episode please visit: humanmedia.org/EPISODEPAGELINK Follow “Humankind on Public Radio” at: https://www.humanmedia.org/podcast/ […]
Although many people crave the break from daily work they receive upon retirement, in some cases the experience of an “endless vacation” eventually causes individuals to feel purposeless. Marc Freedman has been tracking the trend of seniors returning to the workforce to give something back to society in areas such as education, health care, and […]
This program recounts how American and Soviet physicians joined together on a mission to educate their governments and their peoples about the medical effects of nuclear war beginning in the early 1960s. Calculating the medical consequences of a nuclear war eventually led to the founding of the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War, […]
Parenting today is performed in the face of an almost impossible arsenal of influences. Such influences can cloud, distract, and even displace the parent from his or her greatest responsibility: guidance. The Kabat-Zinns, a couple from Lexington, MA, authors, and parents, reach out to their fellow parents in this thoughtful and clarifying episode of Humankind. […]
We consider the moral implications of scientific research, especially when the aim is to develop military arms. Are the scientists involved morally responsible for the use of these weapons on civilians? Author and historian Robert Neer recounts the top-secret research conducted at Harvard in the early 1940s, which yielded the weapon napalm. We also hear […]
This is the second part of our special on the revered journalist and ‘Catholic Worker’ founder Dorothy Day. Recalling the words of her grandmother, Kate Hennessy recalls, “She always said they did not intend to start a soup line. They did not intend to open up houses of hospitality. That this just happened because of […]
When Pope Francis addressed Congress in 2015, he cited four great Americans: President Abraham Lincoln, civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr., theologian Thomas Merton, and Dorothy Day, the famous writer and activist. Day, who died in 1980 at age 83, was a remarkable 20th century figure: journalist and founder of the “Catholic Worker” movement, […]
The United States incarcerates more people than any other nation in the world. Some in this diverse population are dangerous and apparently don’t seek rehabilitation to a more productive life. For many others, though, incarceration is a forced opportunity for self-examination and positive change – a process that can be supported and stimulated by spiritual […]
America’s founders recognized that without a king, the fledgling nation would need an informed citizenry—or their bold experiment in democracy would fail. So in early America, the government subsidized newspapers, established the postal system to facilitate information flow and drew up plans for public education. But now in the digital age, does the demise of […]
The second part of our documentary on the brother of Unabomber Ted Kaczynski who reminds us that, “We’ve got to take back the ideal of justice, we’ve got to take back this principle of human dignity. We’ve got to take it back from vengeance, from hatred, we’ve got to say: look, we’re all in this […]
Actress Joanne Hamlin looks at the role of outstanding women in America’s spiritual history. Among other women of strong faith, Hamlin re-creates the life and philosophy of Christian Science founder, Mary Baker Eddy. To view additional resources for this episode please visit: humanmedia.org/EPISODEPAGELINK Follow “Humankind on Public Radio” at: https://www.humanmedia.org/podcast/ Human Media performs public broadcasting production and […]
In a remarkable contrast within one family, we meet social worker David Kaczynski, who in early 1996 had a “dark night of the soul” when he realized that his older brother Ted was the “Unabomber,” a serial murderer. Supported by his wife, and later by his mother, David felt compelled to notify federal authorities, leading […]
Our system of public defenders—who provide legal representation to indigent clients—is widely regarded as malnourished due to inadequate funding. On the fiftieth anniversary of the Supreme Court decision that affirmed the right to a fair trial as guaranteed by the Constitution’s Sixth Amendment, Eric Holder, then U.S. Attorney General, pronounced the system to be in […]
We hear diverse voices of Quakerism, known as The Society of Friends, a rich American tradition dating to before the United States was founded. The Friends have long been a vocal presence in expressing concerns about warfare, inequality, and prejudice.
Because laughter is surely good medicine, we visit with professional comedians who are also cancer survivors, as well as a top surgeon at New York’s renowned Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, to understand the role of humor and a positive attitude in surviving the disease.
To view additional resources for this episode please visit: humanmedia.org/EPISODEPAGELINK
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Human Media performs public broadcasting production and distribution activities in association with WGBH/Boston, NPR and PRX.
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Most of us hold misconceptions about who is struggling to get by on low income, and whether the social safety net — intended to prevent vulnerable people from falling through the cracks — is actually adequate. The number of folks using these services has noticeably increased as the Covid-19 crisis has tapered off. At the same time, emergency benefits for many families have been scaled back.
More than two decades have elapsed since the historic creation in 2002 of the UN’s International Criminal Court (ICC), headquartered in The Hague. The Court was intended to investigate allegations of the worst human rights crimes (including genocide and war crimes) and to be a forum where victims can tell their truths and obtain justice.
To view additional resources for this episode please visit: humanmedia.org/EPISODEPAGELINK
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Human Media performs public broadcasting production and distribution activities in association with WGBH/Boston, NPR and PRX.
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Tao te Ching by Lao Tsu is the masterwork of Chinese philosophy. Its reflections on maintaining life’s delicate balance are as relevant today as when first written some 2,000 years ago. Next to the Bible, no other book has been more widely translated. Yet the Taoist wisdom ideas and sayings are often subtle and hard to convey. To carry the meaning faithfully, Jonathan Star devoted 12 years to learning the ancient dialect in which the original Chinese text was written.
To view additional resources for this episode please visit: humanmedia.org/EPISODEPAGELINK
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Human Media performs public broadcasting production and distribution activities in association with WGBH/Boston, NPR and PRX.
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Most people regard forgiveness of others to be a virtue worth striving for, even as many of us struggle to forgive, especially when we’ve been deeply hurt. In this remarkable program, we examine misconceptions about forgiveness (that it is a form of excusing bad behavior) and explore how forgiving someone for misconduct can release us from the effects of the other person’s confusion.
To view additional resources for this episode please visit: humanmedia.org
Follow “Humankind on Public Radio” at: https://www.humanmedia.org/podcast/
Human Media performs public broadcasting production and distribution activities in association with WGBH/Boston, NPR and PRX.
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Why does God allow suffering? This age-old question is considered by Rabbi Harold Kushner, author of “When Bad Things Happen to Good People,” who arrived at some soothing answers after facing his young son’s death.
Here we consider the constant imperative of distinguishing fact from falsehood online. How can we tell whether information is reliable? We’ll hear from the CEO who leads Wikipedia, which tests for valid information in the 50 million articles they’ve published online; a librarian who wrote the American Library Association poster, “How to Protect Yourself from Fake News”; and the Executive Director of the Digital Public Library of America.
In this segment, we examine the importance of early literacy, starting with the simple act of reading aloud to a very young child. Librarians, pediatricians and others weigh in on how these bonding experiences demonstrate for children that reading can be a source of pleasure (just ask a toddler who requests to be read the same story over and over). But it also enhances crucial brain development in the first years.
Sociologist Eric Klinenberg treats libraries as hallowed spaces. “We are sitting here today in an incredible public library solely because you and I have inherited from the generations that came before us an institution born of a principled commitment to advance the public good…because everyone should be able to make something better of themselves.”
Dr. Rees Cosgrove, a gifted brain surgeon who has performed thousands of high-stakes operations, conducts operations on a variety of patients, including children. In this dialogue, he describes what it’s like to conduct such a procedure and what he has learned about that which skilled doctors can and cannot control. Find out more.
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Why do our hearts sometimes harden and impede the flow of compassion? Getting a handle on this question requires deep awareness of the underlying impulses that drive our shifting moods. Compassion teacher Frank Rogers suggests that our fears, obsessions, angry attitudes and stress reactions are often an expression of “some deep need that is aching to be tended,” some old, open wound.
In 2019, Americans visited the library more often than they went to a movie theater or attended a sporting event. In fact, Gallup found that going to the library was – by far – the most frequent cultural activity in the United States. A Pew survey reports that over ninety percent of Americans view libraries as “welcoming and friendly places.”
In a world afflicted with so much violence, it would be easy to underestimate the impact of basic human compassion in actually solving conflict. Yet time and again, people are transformed—sometimes profoundly—by gentle acts of caring.
We hear stories of peacemakers who draw from their lives and traditions as a basis for breaking down barriers and promoting conflict resolution.
Many of our ancestors were far more in tune with the rhythms of nature, and family customs for using these healing plants were passed down through the generations. Now this understanding, updated by modern science, is again available to health care consumers.
History proves over and over that violence breeds more violence. Victims are traumatized by brutality — as are perpetrators, and the cycle is uninterrupted. The Power of Nonviolence from Humankind, seeks deep solutions to this vexing problem. We turn to wisdom teachings across our great spiritual traditions for guidance — and inspiration — on how the lasting wounds can be healed.
David Kaczynski was hailed as “a true American hero” by a federal prosecutor, after notifying authorities in 1996 that he’d come to suspect his estranged older brother Ted was the domestic terrorist known as The Unabomber.
We learn about the intriguing history of plant medicine — in some cases records date back many thousands of years. Much of this knowledge originated in ancient China. The Middle East was also a center of botanical learning. And in the west, we have Native Americans to thank for teaching us various effective herbal cures.
At the Wellness Community, a free program with centers located in more than twenty U.S. cities, cancer patients find a powerful connection in supportive dialogues with other patients who “understand.” Identification with others who share your experience is profoundly liberating. We hear how people face — and counter — the natural fears associated with a diagnosis that is potentially life-threatening.
We explore the bitter legacy of racial division left over from the Civil War and how it’s still affecting American life today.
We visit the herbal remedies section of a local store, as well as a garden where these healing plants are grown. We also travel to Leicester, England for a fascinating conversation with a second-generation practitioner of herbal medicine. And we hear from physician and botanist Andrew Weil about tensions between this ancient form of health care and modern western medicine.
Are we still living with the racial divide left over from the Civil War? This provocative audio documentary explores the history of a conflict that nearly tore America apart.
Frances Moore Lappe is committed to helping us understand the hidden connections between the foods we choose to eat, the earth on which they’re grown, and the fact that there are more than 800 million hungry people in the world today. In this fascinating episode of Humankind, Lappe tells of her world journey to visit with citizen activists, from Brazil to France to Kenya, who are implementing new ways for food to be healthy, eco-friendly and generously available.
Herbal remedies: Do they work? Are they safe? In The Medicine Garden, a special series drawn from our archives, you’ll take a fascinating tour of this relatively low-cost form of health care. It’s an approach to healing that has become enormously popular among Americans dissatisfied with conventional medicine.
Do you still worry about Nuclear War? Recent threats from terrorism and conflicts among countries that possess nuclear weapons have brought this all too real problem back into our consciousness. In this episode of Humankind with David Freudberg, Jonathan Granoff discusses how close we have come in the past to a nuclear disaster and what we can do as concerned global citizens to avoid it in the future.
The author of “Lost Christianity,” Prof. Jacob Needleman reports on his conversations with contemporary seekers who seem to have re-discovered a living dimension of God as taught by Jesus. Includes readings from the “Desert Fathers.”
We dive into a rich dialogue with Joel Bauman, a remarkably gifted physician, trained in care for the elderly. He describes the special needs of palliative care for hospice patients, who have shifted from seeking a cure (which may no longer be realistic) to relief of symptoms and distress, as life draws to a close.
The social and economic pressure to approach the December holidays as a breathless buying spree is enormous. But so is the environmental toll from the millions and millions of well-intentioned gifts that are manufactured, used and thrown away. This program explores other ways of showing our affection to the people we care about in the hope that it may bring us closer to the original intent and meaning of these festive occasions.
In this episode, we hear from physician Ralph Snyderman, MD, a proponent of preventive medicine, who believes that our health care system should place greater emphasis on preventive practices (such as healthy diet and stress management), because it is more humane to avoid disease than to cope with it, and because it is a far cheaper mode of health care.
There’s a kind of mystery in sitting calmly, patiently, attentively and tuning into someone else’s personal story – their experience and life journey. In this special program, we hear the reflective insights of people who listen for a living: physicians, counselors and clergy.
Vietnam veteran Steven Stratford tells the story of his post-traumatic descent into addiction and how, finally in jail, he realized he would have to “replace bad memories with good memories” by returning to Vietnam to help civilians.
We hear the moving story of Kathleen DiChiara, suburban housewife who became very concerned about human hunger in the 1970s. This motivated her to start collecting food at church, and eventually other sites, and then to organize distribution to people in the nearby inner city.
There’s a kind of mystery in sitting calmly, patiently, attentively and tuning into someone else’s personal story – their experience and life journey. In this documentary, we hear the insights of people who, in a sense, listen for a living: physicians, counselors, clergy and others. What does it mean to set aside one’s own agenda and truly focus on another person, perhaps someone who is suffering?
As we grope for a “new normal”, has humanity reached a kind of turning point? It feels that way — in the wake of the Covid pandemic, intensifying impacts of climate change, the war in Ukraine, mounting threats to our democracy, repeated mass shootings and so much more. In this second part of our documentary, we learn about the simple self-care techniques that can help relieve the tensions now being felt by so many.
Have we entered an age of unrelenting chaos? As we grope for a “new normal”, has humanity reached a kind of turning point? In this timely audio documentary, you’ll hear inspiring stories of survivors. We also listen to health care providers, clergy and others who offer specific guidance to help people navigate these choppy waters. […]
Health care chaplaincy has increasingly been a subject of evidence-based research. In this episode of the podcast, we review findings of some recent studies by the American Cancer Society, the Mayo Clinic, Pew and other sources. Two leading researchers offer their perspectives.
In a country as wealthy as the United States, “working poor” should be a contradiction in terms. But tens of millions of Americans fall into that category — affecting a growing population of children.
The heir to the Oscar Mayer fortune, Chuck Collins, examines income inequality, sustainable local economies and his personal journey in a provocative new book, “Born on Third Base.”
From firefighters to police officers to the Red Cross and many others, First Responders play an essential role in protecting public safety and helping people cope with emergencies. In this segment, we consider the work of providers of disaster spiritual care. These folks look after both survivors of tragedies and the responders, who are sometimes reeling […]
Journalist, mentor, gardener, camp counselor and community activist Katie Davis has undertaken a one-woman campaign to save kids in her inner city neighborhood of Washington, DC.
Youth leader Tajae Gaynor of the Bronx has dedicated his life to conflict resolution and school mediation activities after he witnessed the senseless stabbing of a friend.
Perhaps more than any other trait in a spiritual caregiver, recipients of care yearn for the attention of an open-hearted person who can bear witness to their challenges. But what does it mean to bring that presence into an encounter with someone who may be up against adversity? We explore this powerful realm in a […]
Cancer patients confront their fears, real and imagined; and a scientific look at the mind/body connection.
Daniel Goleman is a former New York Times science reporter specializing in how brain function affects the way we feel and perceive life, particularly how people develop different levels of empathy.
For many nurses, the one-to-one relationship with a patient is the essence of their service. This episode of The Spiritual Care Podcast considers how connections can uplift the patient being cared for, as well as nurses – who spend more time with patients than other medical professionals. It also can help to sustain and revitalize nurses, who […]
Few institutions can be as stressful as today’s public schools—both for teachers and students. So what happens when a suburban Boston high school introduces relaxation training into academic life? A look at how some public schools have integrated stress management techniques to help teachers and students, with Herbert Benson.
The stories of people in recovery from alcoholism, who had to work through denial and sometimes harsh consequences on the road to sobriety, which can present its own ongoing emotional challenges.
We explore the duties and challenges of military chaplains from two nations: Britain and Canada. Ian Wheatley, recorded at the Defence Ministry in Westminster, London, serves as Chaplain of the Fleet of the Royal Navy in the United Kingdom. Next, we visit with Padre Guy Chapdelaine, a soft-spoken Canadian who currently serves as Chaplain General […]
We explore the significant benefits of home-cooked meals, including improved family dynamics, greater likelihood of healthy ingredients, lower costs, reduced carbon footprint and taking time together to appreciate the food we receive.
We hear about the dilemma of people whose inner conscience creates conflict with the demands of their workplace, from Parker Palmer, founder of the Center for Courage and Renewal and popular author of Let Your Life Speak.
The United States incarcerates more people than any other nation in the world. For many prisoners, incarceration is a forced opportunity for self-examination and positive change – a process that can be supported and stimulated by spiritual care providers. In this segment, we explore in-depth the experiences of two chaplains from Boston and Seattle. We also […]
A visit with Mothers Out Front, a fascinating group of mothers who come together (usually at house parties) to focus on the threat that climate change poses to their children and to future generations.
The story of a man who spent 26 years behind bars for opposing South Africa’s apartheid system and who, after release, became a member of Parliament calling for forgiveness as the way to heal racial wounds.
Among the hundreds of thousands of social workers currently serving in the United States and beyond, some see their role, in part, as spiritual care providers on a non-denominational basis. In this program, we hear the stories of two contemporary hospital social workers, Sue Best, an Oregon-based palliative care social worker and Melissa Stewart, senior clinical […]
Physician, philosopher and best-selling author Rachel Remen describes her remarkable course, “The Healer’s Art,” taught at medical schools throughout the United States.
Ira Helfand, a former emergency room physician, describes the psychology of denying that nuclear arms pose an existential threat, and he maintains that even governments fail to grasp the true potential of these weapons.
We visit a shelter at Seattle’s Mission for a rich exchange with a formerly homeless man who feels the spiritual care he received from mental health workers helped him develop the ability to transition into housing. We hear from a social worker, Larry Clum, who explores what it means to companion unhoused people without an […]
Albert T. Murphy comments compassionately on lessons gained from his life’s work with special needs children and helping their parents cope.
Take a trip to a pristine spot in Maine for an afternoon spent with Palestinian and Israeli youth as they come together to play, connect, and discuss the imperiled region they struggle in eleven months out of the year. Despite the hardened conditions in which they were raised, the teenagers here reveal an innocence and […]
At the end of life, when most people need medical care and emotional comfort from family and friends, some turn also to chaplains for spiritual support. In this episode, we hear from two caregivers in Massachusetts. We also listen to the candid reflections of a dying patient, Brian Noone, recorded with his devoted wife Rosalie […]
President George Washington signed the Judiciary Act, establishing America’s court system back in 1789. The Constitution specifies that once federal judges are nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate, they can hold their office “during good behavior,” in other words for life — unless they’ve misbehaved, that is. The average American today lives […]
A majority of Americans now disapprove of the Supreme Court. When the decision to overturn Roe v. Wade decision was first leaked, the court’s popularity sank to the lowest level ever recorded. Now that the Supreme Court has revoked federal protection of abortion rights — in a 5-4 decision — new consideration is being given […]
What’s it like to be a spiritual presence in a war zone? What’s the duty to honor the lives of human beings who die in war, whether from your side or the “enemy”? Rev. Chris Antal, a Unitarian Universalist minister in the town of Rock Tavern, New York, entered military chaplaincy partially as a way […]
In this documentary, we explore what it’s like to experience “moral injury”— when soldiers witness or participate in war-time acts that violate their conscience. The impact they undergo confirms an enduring truth: on the battlefield, everyone is a victim. How does one come to terms with a deeply painful incident from the past? When deep […]
After war, our veterans face a new battle: emotional and spiritual conflict that is normal to human beings who’ve experienced intense brutality. In this documentary, we examine the effects of military violence and how people begin the journey of healing from it. We hear deeply moving stories of veterans who served in Iraq, Afghanistan and […]
We hear from chaplains and students on a college campus (Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennesee) with a long tradition of promoting dialogue among various groups. How can chaplains act as bridges between people of different traditions and what role can interfaith service activities play in breaking down barriers?
Dissatisfied with what they perceive as a distorted, negative picture from mainstream media, a Maine magazine publisher and a California radio producer created their own niches for presenting positive social trends.
The Prisoners Literature Project, an all-volunteer service based in Berkeley, California, packages and ships books to people who are incarcerated, as a humanitarian gesture and one that helps inmates prepare for re-entry into society.
Family therapist and Harvard lecturer Richard Weissbourd discusses how to help children find their moral compass, the ‘achievement craze’ that places intense pressure on young people, and parents’ role in athletic activities.
In the wake of shocking violence at abortion clinics, two apparent enemies — women representing pro-choice and pro-life factions in the Boston area, where shootings had occurred — were forced to communicate, for the sake of everyone’s safety. What unfolded over many months was one of the most mysterious and moving conversations among people of sharply differing ideologies. A remarkable encounter with continuing relevance.
We hear excerpts from Escape Fire a powerful new documentary that recently aired on CNN, along with comments by its young director, Matthew Heineman, about the over-scheduled work day of doctors and how too many pharmaceuticals don’t make us better.
A conversation with Bill Moomaw, one of the world’s leading climate scientists, and his wife Margot Moomaw, a consultant on energy use by homeowners, about the gorgeous all-solar house they built in an effort to live a climate-friendly life.
Although the consequences of climate change may turn out to be sweeping and dire, experts say there is still time to counteract the worst effects — provided positive steps are taken promptly. Thus pessimism in the face of daunting predictions is self-defeating, because it may sap people of the enthusiasm needed to undertake doable changes.
In this poignant profile taped prior to his death due to complications from a rare form of muscular dystrophy, child poet and peacemaker Mattie Stepanek showed wisdom beyond his years.
On one of our most popular programs ever, Robert Muller, Assistant Secretary General of the UN, radiates faith and positive thinking as the only antidote to bleakness in our world. Hear how unflagging optimism helped him elude the Nazis.
We examine the power of fasting—a spiritual discipline practiced in many world religions to foster gratitude for the food we’re given and to encourage an understanding of people who suffer from hunger.
Can the rule of law help to limit the worst tragedies of war? What are the consequences when a country violates these protections? A primary mission of international humanitarian law, like the Geneva Conventions, is to safeguard innocent men, women and children who fall victim to the crossfire of violent conflict. Or who are deliberately targeted, as appears to be Russian policy in its invasion of Ukraine that began in February 2022. We’ll consider the history of courts intended to safeguard civilians and hold offenders accountable.
Can the rule of law protect innocent men, women and children? Learn about the International Criminal Court in The Hague, which has opened an investigation into Russia’s ruthless invasion of Ukraine. And hear the history of earlier tribunals.
We hear excerpts of radio in some developing countries, where local broadcasting gives people a voice — and a taste of democracy — that can help to heal long-standing conflicts.
We hear the story of Mary Gillespie, a woman born with normal hearing and vision, but who developed several illnesses starting at age ten. Gradually, she became deaf-blind. Now living in Los Angeles, Mary is a regular volunteer at the Braille Institute, where we recorded this remarkable episode of Humankind.
A conversation with the long-time director of the UN Nobel Peace Prize-winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Dr. Rajendra Pachauri, who also directs the Yale Climate and Energy Institute.
We focus on the sad fact of modern warfare: civilian populations — innocent men, women and children — are the prime victims. This results in some cases from intentional strategy, or because technological weaponry is used. (We’re seeing this graphically on display in the battle over Ukraine.)
In this segment we hear the great historian Howard Zinn on the warped “moral calculation” that militaries use in deciding that the life of the soldier is of higher value than the life of the innocent civilians impacted. We also listen to historian Sven Lindqvist, recorded at his home in Stockholm, reflecting on the history of aerial bombardment — a peculiar development of the 20th century that is very much still in evidence today.
A look at the “voluntary simplicity” movement whose proponents seek to cultivate a lifestyle emphasizing frugal consumption, ecological awareness and personal growth.
The brutal Russian invasion of Ukraine renews questions we explored in this earlier series.
Whether it is a World Trade Center worker consumed in a fireball, a Balkan family shot point-blank in a spree of “ethnic cleansing,” or the civilians being savagely assaulted in Ukraine, war today is largely the slaughter of innocents. And, of course, for soldiers themselves — and for the loved ones they leave behind — the lasting effects can be devastating.
With this warscape as backdrop, Beyond War asks: What are the true costs of war? Is military action effective in enhancing national security? What happens to human beings amid the carnage of violence? Is war a necessary evil or is it sheer madness?
These sound-rich stories have aired worldwide. They offer many important questions worth pondering at this difficult moment.
A rabbi whose daughter died of cancer teaches martial arts to young patients, helping them find inner strength.
Whether or not people of faith, cancer patients go deeply into themselves to ponder their lives.
Author Cynthia Wachtell describes contrasting views of war in American literature, including the Civil War reflections of Walt Whitman and the fervent anti-war beliefs expressed by Mark Twain in several works.
A community service organization in Cambridge, Massachusetts rescues food that would be routinely discarded by grocers, produce companies and others and delivers it to those in need including pantries and elderly meal sites.
In this documentary, we look in-depth at the most controversial ruling in the history of the U.S. Supreme Court—the Dred Scott case. In that decision, the Chief Justice ruled that black people have “no rights which the white man was bound to respect.” Shortly afterward, a fellow justice resigned in disgust from the Supreme Court. We hear the whole amazing saga in a lengthy dialogue with Eric Foner, Pulitzer Prize-winning author and professor of history at Columbia University. We examine how these cases aggravated national tensions before the Civil War, stirred up abolitionist sentiment and harmed the legitimacy of the courts.
The dialogues among women with opposing views on abortion gave new insight into how to handle difference, without dehumanizing those we disagree with. Hear how the participants struggled to find understanding, to abandon needlessly inflammatory language and to establish meaningful friendships, however unlikely. Although no one expected determined advocates to abandon their belief systems, their […]
In the wake of shocking violence at abortion clinics, two apparent enemies — women representing pro-choice and pro-life factions in the Boston area, where shootings had occurred — were forced to communicate, for the sake of everyone’s safety. What unfolded over many months was one of the most mysterious and moving conversations among people of […]
This documentary features recent interviews with associates of Martin Luther King Jr. on his philosophy of nonviolent social change. In addition to archival sound from the civil rights movement, we hear interviews with King associates Dr. Vincent Harding, a King speechwriter and first director of the King Center in Atlanta; Dorothy Cotton, who served as Education Director of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference; and Rev. John Cartwright, a theology classmate of King.
When new medications are being tested, researchers have long been aware of the âplacebo effectââthat someoneâs mental attitude and preconceptions can impact how that person reacts to the drug. Routinely, scientists attempt to distinguish the placebo effect from the effect of the drugâs active ingredients, to determine how well the medicine itself works. But what is the mystery of the placebo effect? Why do our thoughts and ideas affect our healing from physical ailments? In this episode, we examine some of the historyâand promising applicationsâof this effect, sometimes called the âmeaning effectâ, because a healing response can be activated by how we perceive the meaning of a medical treatment (drug or otherwise).
In Providence, Rhode Island, a former Israeli army sergeant, Teny Gross, has become a powerful force in combating youth gang violence, in part by recruiting ex-offenders to serve as street workers, who offer intervention and advocacy for vulnerable kids.
A century later, we recall the remarkable Christmas Truce that spontaneously occurred â contrary to orders â among opposing troops in the frozen WWI battlefield of Flanders, Belgium.
Christal Presley, an English teacher in Virginia who experienced “secondary trauma” in response to the extreme behavior of her father, a Vietnam-era veteran with PTSD, tells how the family began a journey of recovery.
Following incarceration in New Jersey for a multiple homicide he did not commit, Rubin Carter managed to emerge from prison in 1985 with an astounding attitude about life. A famous prize-fighter on the outside, Carter suffered great deprivation behind bars: Not only more than nineteen years of his life had been taken, he also lost […]
As dramatized in a Bob Dylan song and ‘The Hurricane’ starring Denzel Washington, ex-prize fighter Rubin Carter tells how he was wrongly convicted of a triple homicide and ultimately exonerated by a federal judge, and trained his mind in prison to transcend hatred. After a court declared his murder conviction a miscarriage of justice, Rubin […]
Today over two million people partake of the storytelling, the good humor, the words of wisdom and the gallons and gallons of free coffee made available to attenders of Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. AA’s basic text has been translated into more than 60 languages and has sold over 35 million English copies. We consider the history […]
Alcoholics Anonymous marks its beginning when one hopelessly addicted drunk realized that connecting with a fellow-sufferer would create a safe zone in which both could stop their downward spiral. In the second half, we examine the AA recovery principles that have promoted sobriety for millions of recovering alcoholics and have created a template to help […]
“At the end of the day,” says Jonathan Star about his English translation of Tao te Ching from the original Chinese, “it’s not about attaining anything. The Tao keeps saying ‘it’s everywhere!’ It’s to notice another part of yourself that’s just overlooked. You know, we see what the mind shows us, but there’s another dimension […]
Jonathan Star took twelve years to master the nuances of ancient Chinese in his quest to produce a remarkably lucid and evocative English translation of Lao Tsu’s brilliant masterpiece of wisdom. Guidance in the subtle art of attaining mental and emotional balance pervades Star’s brilliant translation of Lao Tsu’s timeless poetic volume of Taoist philosophy […]
When we nurse grudges, the person clinging to a resentment often pays a high price in anxiety, hostility, perhaps depression. What follows from that for many people, says Robin Casarjian of the Lionheart Foundation, are health-related symptoms. “And it stops you,” she says, ‘from really being able to be fully present to yourself, and to […]
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 […]
Author and prison therapist Robin Casarjian reframes the act of forgiveness not to condone hurtful behavior, but as a shift in perception that allows us not to take someone’s else’s misconduct so personally. Casarjian has spent decades teaching forgiveness. Drawing on her own experience of having been abused — and learning how to move on […]
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 […]
The Constitution specifies that once federal judges are nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate, they can hold their office “during good behavior,” in other words for life — unless they’ve misbehaved, that is. But the average American today lives a lot longer today than in 1789, when President George Washington signed the […]
The Republican party has not won the majority of votes in six of the last seven presidential elections. And yet vacancies on the Supreme Court have allowed Republican presidents to appoint six of the last ten justices. Does this skew the Court in a way that’s out of step with public opinion? Here we explore […]
Have our courts – intended by America’s founders to be an independent arbiter of justice – turned into another political battlefield? Are today’s judges mere “politicians in robes”? This public radio documentary series looks at crucial flashpoints in recent decades. In this divisive climate, will the frequency of 5-4 decisions by the Supreme Court increase, as […]
Have our courts – intended by America’s founders to be an independent arbiter of justice – turned into another political battlefield? Are today’s judges mere “politicians in robes”? This public radio documentary series looks at crucial flashpoints in recent decades. Because federal judges are nominated by the president and confirmed the U.S. Senate, inevitably the process […]
Bay Area physician and Univ. of California medical professor Martin Rossman, author of “The Worry Solution”, describes ways to distinguish between what we can change and what we must learn to accept.
Rev. Chris Antal, a Unitarian Universalist minister in the town of Rock Tavern, New York, was drawn to service in response to the attacks of 9/11. He entered military chaplaincy partially as a way to help soldiers who are prone to harming themselves in the wake of war. He also wanted to bring a “liberal voice into a very conservative chaplaincy,” consistent with the commitment of his tradition of acceptance for people representing different faiths and sexual orientation backgrounds.
This episode of ‘Humankind on Public Radio’ is part of a special series, ‘The Spiritual Care Podcast’. For more episodes exploring the role of spiritual caregivers helping those in need, look for ‘The Spiritual Care Podcast’ on your preferred podcast platform. We hear from chaplains and students on a college campus (Vanderbilt University in Nashville, […]
This episode of ‘Humankind on Public Radio’ is part of a special series, ‘The Spiritual Care Podcast’. For more episodes exploring the role of spiritual caregivers helping those in need, look for ‘The Spiritual Care Podcast’ on your preferred podcast platform. The United States incarcerates more people than any other nation in the world. Federal […]
This episode of ‘Humankind on Public Radio’ is part of a special series, ‘The Spiritual Care Podcast’. For more episodes exploring the role of spiritual caregivers helping those in need, look for ‘The Spiritual Care Podcast’ on your preferred podcast platform. We visit a shelter at Seattle’s Mission for a rich exchange with a formerly […]
David Freudberg, host of Humankind public radio, announces a new podcast on the fascinating practice of “spiritual care”: stories of caregivers (chaplains, nurses, social workers, etc.) who provide nonsectarian support for people in need and sometimes in distress.
The new urban agriculture movement offers a way for us to re-connect our lives to nature.
Which foods have the largest global warming footprint—and which are most climate-friendly?
Public school cafeterias are changing! We visit two in New England where recent policies reflect much greater attention to healthy meal options than were typically available in the past.
Hundreds of colleges are now moving toward healthier, more climate-friendly food choices on campus.
Gas taxes you pay at the pump go into a huge pool of federal transportation funds. How should the money be divided up? Plus high-speed rail, pro and con.
What is the global warming footprint of cars vs. public transit? Story of a family seeking a low-carbon lifestyle. Also, hear the views of transportation experts, the president of AAA, and others.
Business people and environmentalists come together: improved public transportation helps to grow the economy, for lots of reasons. Bankers and the Sierra Club on the same side.
The story of a Virginia man who accepted his county’s “challenge” to go car-free for a month; plus voices of motorists filling up at the pump; bus riders in a low-income neighborhood and others.
Professors of medicine and nursing describe ways to treat the whole patient. And a look at medical use of acupuncture and meditation, for which evidence of effectiveness continues to grow.
With diet a factor in ailments from diabetes to obesity, medical students at the country’s third largest campus attend cooking classes to learn how to help patients. And future MDs tell how they would heal our health system.
The problem of rushed medical visits, now standard nationwide, can strain both doctors and patients. The story of a Calif. woman who was misdiagnosed with MS, until a different doctor had the time to listen and discovered the error.
This look at the emergence of “integrative medicine” begins with a visit to America’s busiest trauma center, in Baltimore, where patients receive both emergency care and natural treatments to soothe the challenges of serious illness.
A lively profile of “Granny D,” (Mrs. Doris Haddock of Dublin, New Hampshire) famous for her 14-month walk across the United States to promote campaign finance reform. (Part 2)
A lively profile of “Granny D,” (Mrs. Doris Haddock of Dublin, New Hampshire) famous for her 14-month walk across the United States to promote campaign finance reform. (Part 1)
Hear a diversity of voices and views on today’s debates over whether voters should be required to show ID at the polls. Some Americans believe that ensures honest elections; while others see it as an unnecessary obstacle to minority voters. And we consider whether people who’ve committed felonies should be allowed to vote, after serving […]
A fascinating history of the much-contested right to vote in America: from slaves freed after the Civil War, to women’s suffrage, to the civil rights movement. Included is the moving first-person story of a young woman who participated in the 1964 Mississippi Freedom Summer project for voter registration of African Americans.
We hear from veterans who wrestle with healing from “moral injury” which occurs after a violation of conscience, based on events they witnessed or participated in while on military duty.
We hear profiles of American soldiers who, after military duty, returned home to face another battle—the effects of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
When we’re in a disagreement, it’s sometimes hard simply to listen to the other person. But skillful listening is a core practice of conflict resolution and, potentially, a doorway to improved relations and greater self-understanding.
A return visit to the Seeds of Peace summer camp, when teenagers from opposing sides of conflict regions, including the Middle East, arrive for amazing encounters of dialogue and fun.
How can we avoid reacting furiously when someone provokes us? Hear a fascinating array of answers from theologian Frank Rogers, Rabbi Michael Lerner, Rev. Betty Stookey and legendary folksinger Noel Paul Stookey, who performs.
In a world given to so much brutality, it would be easy to underestimate the impact of basic human compassion in actually resolving strife, yet even in tense environments, people are transformed by gestures of understanding.
We hear stories of peacemakers who draw from their diverse lives and religious traditions as a basis for breaking down barriers and promoting conflict resolution.
We look back on the stunning display of forgiveness and nonviolence by the grieving families and congregants of Mother Emanuel church, where a gunman murdered black worshipers. Roof was sentenced to death today by a federal jury.
In this episode of Humankind, hear nuclear experts pro and con, an emergency room physician, and a variety of voices telling the story of a controversial reactor in Vermont. Part 1 of 2.
This episode explores the very human level at which some nurses interact with patients at their most vulnerable moments. What spiritual questions about life and death arise in such encounters? We do nurses turn for their own support? And we look at the concept of “compassion fatigue” and ways nurses can maintain open-hearted care.
How do nurses, who are exposed to continual suffering by patients, manage to keep their hearts open and maintain compassion? Nurses describe the centrality of communication with patients and the skills of “active listening.” Nurses are regenerated by the bond of caring they build with patients in need.
Inspiring stories of how active nurses use self-care techniques that help them manage, and transcend, the stresses of their essential work life, both on the job and after hours.
A no-holds-barred look at the stressful conditions in which many nurses work: the long hours, the emotional toll, the rapid pace, and the way that technology and institutional practices can make it hard to form a caring bond with patients.