What Matters

  • The Dark Side of Self-Awareness

    Dorothy had always excelled after everything she did. She was the first in her class from kindergarten through law school. She was a star lacrosse player. She had a drive that was truly exceptional. But that excellence came with a price. She was so self-conscious that...

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  • Curiosity and Learning

    Dr. Givens had just had a difficult meeting with the Governor of her state. The Governor had received numerous complaints that graduates of the university were functionally illiterate. “They can’t do anything, and they don’t seem to recall anything they learned,” the...

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  • Becoming Curious

    Zach was anxious. It was his turn to present in the What Matters series at his senior center. Every resident was asked to do a presentation of what matters in their life to their friends at the center. Zach had chosen curiosity. After introducing his topic, Zach...

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  • Artificial Intelligence and Curiosity

    It was a competition that few in the country had ever heard about: the selection of All American Roses. This competitive lasted two years as roses were judged on disease resistance, hardiness and vigor, floral quality, and the overall structure of the rose plant....

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  • The Centipede Effect

    In 1871, Katherine Craster published a short poem called The Centipede’s Dilemma. The poem goes like this: A centipede was happy-quite! Until a toad in fun Said, “Pray, which leg moves after wich?” This raised her doubts to such a pitch, She fell exhausted in the...

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  • Starting Small

    Chang Yen was born in 1937 in Taiwan. Growing up, she was witness to the horrors of war as Japan occupied Taiwan. When she was 8, she began physical and emotional care for her brother. It was her father’s death, that lead her to become more engaged with her Buddhist...

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  • Quiet Inspiration

    Margaret Fuller was born in Massachusetts in 1810. Unlike many women at the time, she was encouraged by her father to obtain an education. She was thought to be the best read person in all of the New England states. Her father’s death at a young age left her without...

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  • Doing More With Less

    Smallpox, one of the deadliest diseases in the history of the human race, is also the only virus completely eradicated. The history of its eradication offers lessons for us today. Smallpox is believed to have originated over 3,000 years ago. By the 18th Century it had...

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  • Crucible Moments

    Santiago Ramόn y Cajal was a difficult child. He was born in 1852 in Spain. He never lasted long in any school he attended. He was disruptive and would not accept the behavioral practices in an authoritarian school environment. At home, he was no better. He was sent...

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  • Lessons from Jane Little

    Jane Little was born in 1929 into a musical family. Her mother was a pianist who worked at her aunt’s dance studio. While they couldn’t afford a piano at home, Jane taught herself to play the piano using one at a neighbor’s home. Jane had hoped to become a ballerina...

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