Most nonprofits begin with passion, and for good reason. A founder identifies a critical need and brings together a team that cares deeply enough to act. That kind of energy is what makes the early days possible. It drives long hours, resourceful problem-solving and a deep commitment to impact.
The labor of this kind of organizing was invisible and deeply exhausting. In a precarious workplace, where a so-called 'performance review' could amount to job loss, organizing meant building a bridge while standing on it.
"Are you okay?" These were Alex Pretti's last words, said to a woman after ICE agents had tackled and pepper-sprayed her. Videos from bystanders show Pretti holding up a phone, attempting to document what was happening before he himself was pepper-sprayed, wrestled to the ground, and killed by those officers. He lost his life not for committing violence, but for documenting it, and stepping in to protect someone facing it.
I've always thought it would be good to acquire an old warehouse in every town throughout the land and convert it into low-rent community workspaces for artists, local charities and small businesses getting off the ground. A kind of people's WeWork. What would others do with a humungous, but not unlimited, pile of dosh to benefit society? Roland Freeman, West Yorkshire Send new questions to nq@theguardian.com.
According to a new analysis, about 55% of the observed variation in longevity across a population is attributable to genetics - challenging previous estimates of 10-25%. Researchers say that earlier numbers were much too low because they did not effectively separate deaths caused by extrinsic factors, such as accidents, from intrinsic ones such as the gradual decline of organ function. Not all intrinsic causes of death are equally heritable, the researchers found - and the results don't indicate a genetically encoded 'destiny' for lifespan, because so much is determined by environment and lifestyle choices.
The change in the administration's tactics in Minneapolis is not a retreat. Instead, they are regrouping and planning another mode of attack, with the hopes that their repression might be met with resistance that is easier to control and contain. People who garner their relevancy and power through the dehumanization and oppression of others will do whatever it takes to cling to their soulless sense of self.
Virtues such as compassion, patience, and self-control may be beneficial not only for others but also for oneself, according to new research my team and I published in the Journal of Personality in December 2025. Philosophers from Aristotle to al-Fārābī, a 10th-century scholar in what is now Iraq, have argued that virtue is vital for well-being. Yet others, such as Thomas Hobbes and Friedrich Nietzsche, have argued the opposite: Virtue offers no benefit to oneself and is good only for others.
Caring is usually seen as an unquestioned virtue. We admire the devoted partner, the endlessly patient friend, and the person who is always available in a crisis. But in adult relationships, caring can sometimes become more than a loving response to another person's needs; it can become a relational pattern, a central way of organizing intimacy, identity, and self-worth. When this happens, it becomes a psychological role.
You know that moment when you're loading groceries into your car and you see someone just leave their cart in an empty parking space? Or worse, watch it slowly roll toward someone's car? I've been thinking about this a lot lately, especially after watching a guy in the pouring rain push his cart all the way back to the corral. No one was watching. No reward waiting. Just him, getting soaked, doing what he thought was right.
