High school and college-aged winners of the Laws of Life essay contest tell personal stories about tolerance, optimism, family and other values they feel are essential to leading a life of meaning and integrity.

"I walked out of the awards assembly with a trophy half the size that I was and a check in my hand that would pay for my first semester of college and I knew I was going to be a published writer and I knew people were going to read my thoughts." --High School Essayist

We consider the moral implications of scientific research, especially when the aim is to develop military arms. Are the scientists involved morally responsible for the use of these weapons on civilians? Author and historian Robert Neer recounts the top-secret research conducted at Harvard in the early 1940s, which yielded the weapon napalm. Use of napalm was widely accepted in WW2 and killed more Japanese even than the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. But when napalm was used by the U.S. military during the Vietnam war, peace activists decried the substance -- a gasoline-based gel that sticks to human skin and burns to the bone at extremely high heat -- to be inhuman. An iconic photo showed a 9-year-old girl, who was burned severely by napalm. Yet the chief scientist who developed the weapon later disavowed responsibility for its use. We also hear from Harvard science historian Everett Mendelsohn, who signed an anti-napalm petition in 1967 and has since studied and taught about the gap between weapons research and a deep awareness of how weapons development can lead to great human suffering.

Parenting today is performed in the face of an almost impossible arsenal of influences. Such influences can cloud, distract, and even displace the parent from his or her greatest responsibility: guidance. The Kabat-Zinns, a couple from Lexington, Mass., authors, and parents, reach out to their fellow parents in this thoughtful and clarifying episode of Humankind. How to inspire wise choices in your children, create spaciousness in the clutter of the modern world, and foster a creative spirit that will shepherd your child through difficult periods are just some of the topics this vocal and dynamic couple explore.

This is the story of brave veterans who return to Vietnam to heal their emotional wounds. The Veteran's Vietnam Restoration Project was founded in 1988 to conduct peacemaking trips back to Vietnam. Americans who once fought there now help to build much needed medical clinics. Steven Stratford has gone back to Vietnam four times. The guilt and pain he felt as a result of his experiences in the Vietnam War drove him to use drugs and eventually landed him in prison. His involvement with the VVRP on the return trips to Vietnam along with the extraordinary spirit of forgiveness by the Vietnamese people he has met, has helped him learn to begin to heal the wounds of war.

The value of "Philosophical" inquiry as a method of self-understanding is articulated by Jacob Needleman, author of "The New Religions" and other books. He celebrates the human "love of meaning" but warns against "romanticizing the wish for truth."

Medical reformer Rachel Naomi Remen, author of "Kitchen Table Wisdom," believes the idea that doctors must fix the patient gets it wrong. In this provocative, deeply moving episode of Humankind, Dr. Remen explains a different vision of the doctor-patient relationship, in which the patient is viewed not as "broken" or as a "victim," but as someone whose strengths have not yet been fully uncovered. She views the assumption that medical science will fix everything as arrogant. Instead, Dr. Remen says, we need to acknowledge the element of mystery that we can't control, as a guiding force in health and illness. In 1992, she developed a course for medical students called "The Healer's Art," which stimulates reflection on these themes. Today the course is taught in seven countries, including about half of U.S. medical schools. Well over 10,000 physicians have studied these principles. The plight of medical students -- and need to nourish their sense of service and purpose -- are also considered.

Should a church take a stand on political refugees or operate a shelter for the poor? On this episode of Humankind with David Freudberg, we'll meet a committed parish minister, who believes that a congregation has a responsibility to support social justice in the community at large. Reverend Steve Shick, a Unitarian Minister from Haverhill, MA, practices what he preaches with his own congregation. He believes people in a religious community should connect to share ideals and join together to help others in need in the community. His study entitled "Just Congregations," found that when a congregation reaches out to others, and takes on a purpose, the congregation tends to grow in size and becomes more active. This reaching out leads to healthy communication amongst its members; the entire community benefits when people get involved.

From deep recession to global warming, terrorism to pandemic illness, a remarkable confluence of challenges calls America to summon its inner strengths. But this is not the first time our nation has faced a heavy burden. Historically, how has America risen to the occasion of adversity and bounced back? An inspiring, thought-provoking program-- hear historians, archival audio from FDR to Obama, psychologists and stories of ordinary Americans.

More than a decade has elapsed since the historic creation in 2002 of the UN's International Criminal Court (ICC), headquartered in The Hague. The Court was intended to investigate allegations of the worst human rights crimes (including genocide and war crimes), and to be a forum where victims can tell their truths and obtain justice. After closure of the World War II tribunals, which prosecuted Nazi and Japanese leaders, human rights advocates called for a permanent court. But the road to establishing it was long and winding. David Scheffer (now a law professor at Northwestern University), was designated by the State Department to represent the United States at those talks. In his recent memoir, All the Missing Souls, Amb. Scheffer recalls his experiences in setting up this court -- and reveals the behind-the-scenes struggle by the Pentagon to insulate Americans from legal liability.

The hows and whys of charitable giving. Hear how a young Boston couple started a tiny philanthropy as a way of giving back to their community. Also listen to an older husband and wife who have methodically tithed their wealth for their entire marriage. And consider the provocative comments of a highly successful investor who has analyzed the process of calculating how much we can spare for charitable purposes. A very beautiful testament to the joys of giving, this episode will get you thinking and talking about that very real human quality: charity.