Author Annie Leonard, whose film “The Story of Stuff” has had over 10 million hits online, discusses ways to reduce the huge environmental toll from holiday-related purchases, but still connect with loved ones. To view additional resources for this episode please visit our website at humanmedia.org. Human Media performs public broadcasting productions and distribution activities in association with WGBH/Boston, […]

This episode examines the level of stress experienced by many secondary school students in America. We probe the causes and effects. And we look at positive coping skills kids can learn—and ideas on how to restructure school life to minimize stressful conditions. To view additional resources for this episode please visit our website at humanmedia.org. Human Media […]

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. […]

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. 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 distribution activities in association […]

Cultivating our capacity for gratitude is one of the core spiritual traits advocated across all the great traditions. Being grateful can restore our perspective when the slings and arrows of life temporarily bend us out of shape. To reinforce this focus, some people maintain a “gratitude journal” in which they record various things they are […]

More than a million Americans are locked in jails and prisons. Helping them recover from earlier trauma can safeguard society. Hear the stories of ex-prisoners who’ve begun to heal, through the inspired work of Robin Casarjian. 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 […]

More than a million Americans are in jails and prisons — a human tragedy. Many committed grave offenses. Some have experienced racial disparities at the hands of courts and police. They may have endured deep emotional wounds as children; a high number of inmates were abused. Many are caught up in addiction from opioids to alcohol. People […]

A woman who was severely burned in an accident reveals her personal journey of healing and self-acceptance and describes what she’s learned from working with young people who are also coping with burns. 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 […]

Learning how to focus on different life horizons—from daily responsibilities to broader personal goals—is covered in this enlightening dialogue about “Making It All Work,” the new book by best-selling author David Allen. 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 distribution […]

Stricken blind and deaf by a fever at infancy, Helen Keller once described herself as “an optimist in spite of all.” This truly inspiring biography recounts how Keller emerged from solitary confinement in silent darkness to become one of the 20th century’s greatest women and greatest human spirits. To view additional resources for this episode […]

We examine current federal dietary recommendations that Americans significantly increase our intake of vegetables and fruits, and – particularly for men and boys – to cut back on consumption of protein. Yet, sale of meat products is setting records. And the portion sizes served in restaurants are often twice and sometimes triple what we need […]

In this Humankind documentary, we hear from a growing movement of physicians and others who — concerned by the rising rates of obesity, diabetes and heart disease — are placing greater emphasis on advising patients about more healthful eating. But changing our diets is notoriously difficult, especially in a culture that heavily promotes unhealthy foods. […]

Donna Hicks, author of Dignity, recounts her experiences as an international conflict mediator that led her to an understanding of how an assault on the dignity of a person or a group must be healed, before strife can stop. To view additional resources for this episode please visit: humanmedia.org/EPISODEPAGELINK Follow “Humankind on Public Radio” at: https://www.humanmedia.org/podcast/ Human […]

Former NY Times science reporter Daniel Goleman, the best-selling author of Emotional Intelligence, discusses current research on the importance and mechanics of attaining personal focus. 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 distribution activities in association with WGBH/Boston, NPR and […]

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 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 distribution activities in […]

Elementary school students learn about ethics, language and common sense when a folklorist leads them through a fascinating exploration of age-old wisdom sayings and their relevance to everyday life. 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 distribution activities in association […]

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. 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 distribution activities in association with WGBH/Boston, NPR and […]

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 […]

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 […]