Without these reductions in violence it's very difficult to move forward at the most basic human level, and in spite of impressive reductions in poverty in last 15 to 20 years, the violence has got worse in Brazil.
After training in biochemistry at the Institute Pasteur, Matthieu Ricard left science behind to move to the Himalayas and become a Buddhist monk and to pursue happiness, both at a basic human level and as a subject of inquiry.
It is what keeps things civil, on a basic human level of understanding and respect in competition.
We can relate to each other at that basic human level, the one where we're confused and seeking and often in a great deal of pain.
His Casual Passer By series, which began in 1972, remains powerful at the most basic human level as a comment on anonymity and presence.
The brief, from the charity World Vision, was simple enough: visit eight countries – one for each of the UN's millennium development goals (MDGs) – and see, at the most basic human level, what effect those goals were having on reducing poverty, ending hunger, saving lives and improving education.
But on a basic human level, I just feel like someone gets me and wants to connect me to the stuff I like.
On the basic human level of things, given the proof that the stats and savings show, there's a deeper level of justice we are calling for -- one that brings back the humanity to error without losing the safety.
Although our lives may appear to be very different from the Greek villagers and their ancient predecessors, at the basic human level, they are the same.
But these people and their situations are nonetheless recognizable, familiar on a basic human level even if their particular predicaments are not.
With some bravery, a little conscious effort, and even just a smidge of creativity, we can begin to reverse the damage and actually start to reconnect with others on a basic, human level.
