All From the Editors

Like it or not, militaries around the world are building cyber weapons. Hyped or not, concerns about the security of vital computer systems are driving this push.

Bold and loud makes the history books. Quiet usually doesn't. But you know what quiet leaders have accomplished by looking at the people they lead.

Before the financial meltdown of 2008, a handful of prophets raised warnings. Most people didn't listen. Why? Because most people have a hard time seeing outside the bubble of the present moment.

Local is crucial. Families, homes, and communities need our attention and care. But without a global perspective -- without making the effort to learn how other cultures are tackling problems ranging from education to health care, fighting terrorism to fostering innovation -- we miss valuable lessons developed in the laboratories of other nations. 

Fifty years ago, black Americans -- and many whites as well -- descended on Washington, D.C., to insist on one simple thing: that the United States keep its word that "all men are created equal." Fifty years later, progress on equal rights has been realized in some ways, but it remains a dream in others.

Even primitive humans left data trails in the form of footsteps, campfires, and arrowheads. But in the digital age, we are constantly generating data. Search engines and advertisers tap it. So does the National Security Agency. Convenience and security are the upside. Loss of privacy is the downside.

De-institutionalization of mental patients was better than locking them away, but outpatient treatment has often been inadequate and underfunded. Now a new effort is being made to coax those experiencing mental problems into programs that gently support them and foster their reintegration into society. 

To share the resources of the great river in the desert has always required one thing above all else: tolerance. In today's Egypt, that fundamental condition has been severely shaken.

The "melting pot" has been glorified, vilified, and dismissed as obsolete. But both census data and the stories of millions of individual immigrants indicate that the not-always-easy process of assimilation is alive and well.

Long shunted to the side of the road -- and sometimes denied the road entirely -- the humble, fragile, friendly bicycle is merging into mainstream traffic in unprecedented numbers around the globe. And it's not always a smooth ride. 

Free speech and freedom of religion are widely recognized as inalienable human rights. But there are other freedoms as well -- from want and fear, for instance. Determining the extent and limits of these freedoms is a never-ending job in a democracy.

Separation of church and state is enshrined in the US Constitution. But here's what's sometimes overlooked: While the state must not back any particular faith -- or even faith itself -- it also must not restrict expressions of faith. That distinction is crucial to how public schools treat religion.

Long the province of mountain men and rugged individualists, the Intermountain West is drawing a new generation of entrepreneurs, knowledge workers, and venture capitalists keen on experiencing the region's natural wonders while staying connected to the global economy.

The rise of Massive Open Online Courses is presenting higher education with a powerful challenge. Access to great teachers will help millions. But will MOOCs cause a massive college shakeout as well?

The newest trend in time off doesn't involve tweeting from Tahiti, competing in a triathlon, or climbing Mount Everest. The newest trend is unhooking, powering down, and reconnecting -- with family, friends, your own backyard, and even that little inner voice.

+

Almost out of nowhere -- after a devastating war, the near ruin of the 1990s Asian financial crisis, and the constant threats of annihilation from its nemesis to the north -- South Korea has moved into the first ranks of innovative, economically confident nations.

Yahoo's Marissa Mayer and other CEOs have called a time-out on telecommuting. It's clear that just as some workers thrive on their own and some need to be in an office, some types work are better done in isolation and others in collaboration. It's also clear that telecommuting is only going to increase in the years to come.

Investing is an individual decision. How you view the stock market depends on where you are in your earnings cycle and what your past experience has been. The only thing the market may be telling everyone right now is that the bad old days of the last decade appear to be over.

The start of a new fiscal year finds The Christian Science Monitor reaching more readers than ever, in its strongest financial position in more than half a century, and continuing to pursue meaningful news around the world.

The globalization of ideas via the Internet, air travel, and migration is profoundly affecting the world. In once-isolated communities, exposure to the new and different can prompt a reaction of anger, fear, even terrorism. But the tide of freedom and human dignity is immensely more powerful -- and ultimately unstoppable.