National discussions about mothering seem to crop up during presidential campaigns, so it is time now to analyze honestly what these rare discussions say about our values.

Texas has long been known as the state with big hair and a big heart. While the big hair is still true, the big-heartedness has waned. Yes, there are many great things here, but the ‘greatness’ has dimmed because of its policies and their results. This feels like cognitive dissonance — although many folks still proclaim how awesome Texas is, evidence contradicts this.

The health of a society can often be seen in its treatment of women. With the latest attack on women’s fertility, the United States seems to be following a dangerous path. It’s time we pay attention to the warning signs and head them off at the pass.

As long as people continue to seek retribution and revenge they will perpetrate injustice. But it is widely recognized that peace will come only when participants in conflict respect each other’s needs and aspirations. This is an on-going source of tension in the Middle East, and it applies equally to all human relationships and conflict.

The Girl Scouts are currently surrounded by controversy and some people are calling for a cookie boycott. Instead of fighting them, their opponents should take a page out of the Girl Scout handbook and learn how to deal appropriately with prejudice.

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.