Culture

A black and white image split into two sections: a half globe on the left and a crowd of people on the right, with the text "More Humans Are Better" in the center and the number 3 in the top right corner.

The overlooked virtues of a crowded world

In a world of rising cynicism, a celebration of our capacity to create, adapt, and thrive.

Jason Crawford

A graphic titled "Humanity vs. Nature" showing a human evolutionary timeline, biocentrism, ecocentrism, and ethos depictions of nature, including a tree, a bird, and marine life.

Why harmony with nature is a myth

Slowing growth and limiting development isn’t living in harmony with nature—it is surrendering in a battle.

Jason Crawford

Entertainment

How the internet changed news, according to The Onion

Freethink spoke to Onion staffers about parodying news from the print era into the digital age.

Tim Brinkhof and Stephen Johnson

Entertainment

Freethink's favorite behind the scenes insights from 2019

Join Freethink's directors behind the scenes to discover the experiences and insights that went into creating some of our favorite videos from 2019.

Amanda Winkler

Series| Through the Looking Glass

VR trips help treat depression in the elderly

4:08

In the U.S., about six million people over the age of 65 experience late life depression. So one organization is providing virtual reality excursions for seniors to help them experience life to the fullest.

Fertility

Breaking the taboo of male infertility

Male infertility contributes to up to half of infertility cases. Why is it so hard to talk about?

B. David Zarley

UTEC an organization that is helping young people overcome poverty

Building Community

Can friendship keep at-risk youth off the streets?

In partnership with Stand Together

Carlos felt addicted to the thrill of crime at a young age. Today, he yields a different, positive influence on the streets with UTEC.

Linda Wang

Building Community

How Old Skool Café helped this teenager overcome adversity after trauma

In partnership with Stand Together

After suffering a violent gang beating, Desiree Maldonado experienced major medical and emotional issues. She turned from a shy and nerdy 14-year-old kid to a hard and angry rebel. This is how one restaurant job changed her trajectory.

Lise Metzger

Startups

Disrupting the fear of failure

6:02

Failure is a universal experience, yet the stigma attached to it undermines our ability to talk about it openly and honestly. One provocatively named organization, F*ckup Nights, is hoping to turn the tide.

Archaeology

Will Hunt finds humanity underground

In Will Hunt’s book Underground, the journalist and "urban explorer" details his expeditions through caves, mines, tunnels, catacombs, and sewer systems around the world and the depths of the information he's found.

B. David Zarley

Series| Catalysts

The mental health movement for Chicago’s inner city youth

5:19

In partnership with Stand Together

A remarkable transformation is taking place in several inner-city Chicago schools, and it's resulting in fewer gangs, drugs, and homicides. Could this new model of group therapy be the cause, and is it scalable?

Mental Health

Wilderness experience helps army vet adjust to life after war

Meet Thomas Weinheimer, an army veteran whose 53-day wilderness experience on a North Carolina trail helped ease his transition back to civilian life.

Teresa Carey

Mental Health

Wilderness therapy: A path to healing for Veterans

10:12

These long-distance treks use the power of nature over three to six months of exploration to help heal the invisible wounds of war, and the results are incredible.

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