What do stressed students and out-of-work professionals behind on their mortgages have in common? Beyond a mountain of stress, they both fear the emergence of a more cut-throat world where scarcity is the rule, not the exception.

Whether it’s a new myth, new metaphor, or new science, we need it: something that can help bind and direct the peacemakers among us. Harvard University’s new International Negotiation Program represents one move toward a unifying body of thought that could serve this role.

The Occupy movement is causing us to confront our denial head-on. People are finally talking about — and in some cases, even taking action to remedy — injustices that have been with us for far too long.

Embarking on a new path requires ending an old walk, and new birth always involves a death of some sort. New beginnings can’t really happen until we’ve genuinely parted company with old ways.

It’s been ten years since terrorists attacked the United States. Much has happened since then, but some of the lessons we learned seem to be the wrong ones. Instead of continuing down our path filled with rage, perhaps it’s time to learn from the examples of others and actually deal with our feelings. Only then we can move forward.

With the UK’s Prime Minister reportedly considering ‘shutting off’ social media sites in an effort to stem the rising tide of riots and other violence in London and across the country, the UK government has seemingly acknowledged that merely enforcing the law doesn’t fit their job description. Throughout history, when governments have lacked the finesse to enforce the law, they have often asked for — or simply siezed — bigger and bigger sledgehammers to control bigger and bigger sets of behaviours.

As the latest media circus in the U.S. demonstrates, having some regret simply isn’t enough to make a person mend their ways; and important lessons can be gleaned by distinguishing between selfish, personal regret and genuine repentance.