The world of humanitarian aid offers little time for reflection. Often, aid workers move from crisis to crisis, with barely a moment to absorb the lessons from their last posting before they are confronted with a fresh new disaster in a different land.

In the spring of 1992, Reginald Denny was getting beaten to death on live television. After inadvertently driving into the center of a riot, the thirty-three year old truck driver found himself caught in a crossfire of racial violence...

What does it take to keep your head as your country descends into homicidal madness? How could one man, through sheer courage, cleverness and the well-chosen use of a network of favors built up over a period of years, save the lives of 1,268 people at a time when 800,000 Rwandans were murdered in 100 days?

I was not the only one who said no. There were thousands of other people in Rwanda who were also unimpressed by the propaganda and put their lives in jeopardy to shelter fugitives. Individual acts of courage happened every single day of the genocide.

In Rwanda today the government is a tiny group of elite. There are Anglosans, who came from Rwanda and went to Uganda in the late 50's and early 60's. Rwanda is a French-speaking country, so only those from Uganda speak English.

In the world of humanitarian aid, Medicins Sans Frontiers, a.k.a. Doctors Without Borders, is a bit of an outlaw. Shunning the silence imposed on volunteers by organizations like the Red Cross, MSF workers are unafraid to call for international action in regions where they practice.

A recent article in New Scientist named altruism as one of the ten great mysteries of human behavior, alongside kissing, blushing and laughter.

The call that would save a young girl's life almost went unanswered. It was a fall day in 1988, a day off for Dr. Jenifer Preston, but she happened to swing by the Ohio office where she practiced veterinary medicine.

Bob Watt possesses striking qualities from both parents. His father shined shoes by day but at night played jazz trumpet with the New Jersey Squires of Rhythm and was known for the quality of his warm sound.

There are many examples of everyday altruism, but some of the most outstanding arise from extremely tragic events in human history.

For the past eighteen years, I've taught medical ethics at Case Western University Medical School, and since 2001 I've run a research institute dedicated to exploring the extraordinary power of giving.

Now more than ever, in this age of violence and confusion, there is an urgent need for parents to take on the role of spiritual teachers to their children.

It was Christmas Eve when award-winning author and documentarian Douglas Rushkoff was mugged in front of his "hip" Park Slope neighborhood apartment in Brooklyn while taking out his trash.

Who are you? Who are we? In times of crisis, these are life-and-death questions. Thousands of people survived Hurricane Katrina because grandsons or aunts or neighbors or complete strangers reached out to those in need...

What is honor? Everyone cherishes that word. Everyone wants to somehow be honorable. It seems to be a noble and befitting way to be. I will tell you what honor is. Honor is when you don't play games and simply are your ulterior motive. That is being impeccable. That is not necessarily beautiful but it is impeccable. Being honorable is being up-front.