All From the Editors
CommentaryThe real social network: kindnessHumanity's age-old social network, which we benefit from and which we extend to others, is fueled by kindness. Researchers now believe that kindness is a powerful, self-reinforcing force.
CommentarySpy world: The cost of digging too deepSpying has a long a colorful history. It has been amped up to extraordinary levels today by the National Security Agency and other super-secret operations. But there's a price for all that capability.
CommentaryWarriors with lasting legaciesThey were soldiers once and young. Now they have gray in their hair and are returning to Vietnam to help that country -- and themselves.- CommentaryTesting, testing: A new CSMonitor.com is on the way. Here's what you'll see.We're testing new approaches to our website aimed at making CSMonitor.com more accessible and deepening your engagement with the award-winning journalism of The Christian Science Monitor.
CommentaryThe 'WYSIWYG' leaderIt's difficult to know how revolutionary a new leader will be. Is that smile just a pleasant first impression? Or is this really a case of 'what you see is what you get?'
CommentaryWho's responsible for health care?Amid all the controversy over the troubled launch of the Affordable Care Act's public health exchanges, another revolution is taking place in the much larger world of employer-provided health care.
CommentaryGo with tech's flow -- but also say 'no'Older generations are always leery of the new fad, trend, or technology that younger generations embrace. That's as true for today's "touch-screen generation" as it was for the rock 'n' roll generation.
CommentaryWhat a dig can and can't findWe can extract fascinating and useful information from the relics of past civilizations. But the stories archaeology tells are always sketchy and subject to revision -- especially where the Holy Land is concerned.
CommentaryThe quest for energy security: long, slow, increasingly successfulFor decades, energy security was a major concern to consumers, businesses, and governments. There was no magic solution to the problem. Instead, persistent effort and incremental improvement made the difference.- CommentaryA new way to read the Monitor WeeklyOur new app is designed to give you smooth, dynamic, timely access to the Monitor Weekly. If you subscribe, please give it a try. If you don't yet subscribe, this is another reason to do so.
CommentaryCyber war: Different look, same aimLike 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.
CommentaryIs this the era of the 'quiet leader?'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.
CommentaryThey saw the crash comingBefore 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.
CommentaryWhy we should listen to the worldLocal 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.
CommentaryMLK's dream is the American dreamFifty 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.
CommentaryWhat we do, what they knowEven 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.
CommentaryRethinking mental health careDe-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.
CommentaryTolerance: The Nile's age-old lessonTo 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.
CommentaryThe making of AmericansThe "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.
CommentaryIt's the 'Bicycle Spring'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.
