We explore how embracing uncertainty enables us to move beyond climate anxiety and despair to hope and action, with author and activist Rebecca Solnit.| Greater Good
Boys get a lot of messages about masculinity and how to be men. Unfortunately, they often sound like this: “You act like a girl.” “Take it like a man.” “Don’t be a beta.” “Grow some balls” “Never let them see you cry.” Masculinity is often defined by dominance, stoicism, physical strength, and the ability to provide. It has, perhaps, been even more defined by what it is not: soft, sensitive, emotional, feminine, or “queer” in any way. For many men and boys, there is ...| Greater Good
It was a Words with Friends chat that first gave Megan Phelps-Roper pause. Along with much of her family, Phelps-Roper belonged to the infamous Westboro Baptist Church, a cult-like sect that spreads hateful messages about gay and transgender people. But in online conversations with her Words with Friends opponent, C.G., Phelps-Roper began to see the church through his eyes and recognize its cruelty, which led to still more questioning. “Little by little,” she wrote in her memoir, Unfollow...| Greater Good
Many students in higher education feel alone. They don’t know that everyone else is feeling the same fears—of failure, of disappointing their families, of not being enough. As educators, we balance course content with the added complexities students are bringing into the classroom. And we often do so without formal training in psychology, counseling, or crisis management. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed. This past year, I made a point to focus on connecting with students by reframing my a...| Greater Good