Diversity: The one thing we have in common.

I really liked this tweet from OU's Community Office:

Diversity is the one true thing

we all have in common.

Celebrate it every day.

Small acts of kindness and love

Here is a fuller version of Gandalf's words (from J. R. R. Tolkien): “Some believe it is only great power that can hold evil in check, but that is not what I have found. It is the small everyday deeds of ordinary folk that keep the darkness at bay. Small acts of kindness and love. Why Bilbo Baggins? Perhaps because I am afraid, and he gives me courage.”

The Divided Brain.

This is an RSA Animate adaptation of Iain McGilchrist's talk about the right and left brain, which is not the old myth/stereotype about logic on one side and imagination on the other side; instead, it's about how we pay attention, and also about empathy: The Divided Brain.

The Dalai Lama on Tolerance and Compassion

Here is what the Dalai Lama said in his Ocean of Wisdom (via Wikiquote):

It is the enemy who can truly teach us to practice the virtues of compassion and tolerance.

The Dalai Lama's words have been rephrased and memed as in the graphics below, and I made one here with the quote itself:

Buddha image by Angela Marie Henriette

Here are the graphics which inspired me to make my own; they come from 20 Quotes That Can Change Your Thinking And Perception.

In the practice of tolerance,

one's enemy is the best teacher.

The Empathic Civilization

This is an RSA Animate adaptation of Jeremy Rifkin's ideas about empathy: The Empathic Civilization.

The Power of Outrospection

This is an RSA Animate adaptation of the social philosopher Roman Krznaric's ideas about empathy: The Power of Outrospection.

Brené Brown on Empathy

More about Brené Brown. This is an animated version of Brene Brown's RSA talk; you can see the full talk here: The Power of Vulnerability.

Here's a lovely still from the video:

Compassion and Tolerance

Every single person has at least one secret that would break your heart. If we could just remember this, I think there would be a lot more compassion and tolerance in the world. — Frank Warren, creator of Post Secret.

All That We Share

Here's a great video from Denmark's TV-2 about empathy: All That We Share. You can read more here in this HuffPo article about the video.

Be together. Not the same.

Yes, it's an ad for Android... but the message applies to much more than phones:

Be together. Not the same.

Open Heart, Open Mind

Jake Morgan was a student in Myth-Folklore a couple of years ago, and I am very glad to share his TEDxOU talk here: Understanding mental illness through empathic storytelling: Jake Morgan and Neal Walia at TEDxOU.

See more videos / read more articles in this series: OU Mental Health.

Our dreams are interconnected.

This is a lovely cartoon by one of my favorite cartoonists, Grant Snider. See more at his website, Incidental Comics.

Our dreams are interconnected.

We live in a small place

alone, apart

but interconnected.

Chasing ambitions,

confronting fears,

making minor revisions.

Seeking escape,

creating pointless conflict,

staying open to beauty.

Other people remain a mystery;

their lives are stranger than we can imagine,

their dreams as vibrant as our own.

We can't shut out the world;
we live in a small place;
our dreams are interconnected.

The Present

The animation in this film is delightful... and the message is a beautiful one: be sure to watch through to the end!

The Present

You can learn more about the film at Jacob Frey's website, and here is the film's adorable little dog:

Be kind.

This is one of the lovely graphics from BuddhaDoodle.com.

Be kind;

everyone you meet

is fighting a hard battle.

Future of Storytelling: Empathy, Neurochemistry, and the Dramatic Arc

This is a short video about the neurochemistry of storytelling and what happens in your brain (the chemicals that are released, the areas of the brain that light up) when the drama of a story engages your attention and even provokes distress while there is also an empathetic reaction where you use your imagination to connect with the characters in the story. You can find out more about the brain chemicals cortisol and oxytocin at Wikipedia if you are curious to learn more!

Future of Storytelling:

Empathy, Neurochemistry, and the Dramatic Arc

Future of Storytelling: Empathy, Neurochemistry, and the Dramatic Arc

This is a short video about the neurochemistry of storytelling and what happens in your brain (the chemicals that are released, the areas of the brain that light up) when the drama of a story engages your attention and even provokes distress while there is also an empathetic reaction where you use your imagination to connect with the characters in the story. You can find out more about the brain chemicals cortisol and oxytocin at Wikipedia if you are curious to learn more!

Future of Storytelling:

Empathy, Neurochemistry, and the Dramatic Arc

Real Heroes

I really like this graphic from StoryPeople:

Anyone can slay a dragon, he told me,

but try waking up every morning

and loving the world all over again.

- Brian Andreas

Everybody, Not Just Us

This lovely graphic comes from QuoteMirror.com.

Untold Story

More wisdom from Lori Dechesne at TinyBuddha.com:

Everyone has a story left untold, so never judge someone as if you know their entire story because the truth is, you probably don't.

Helping one person

Here's a lovely graphic from Chibird: Helping one person might not change the whole world... but it could change the world for one person.