He's got the plan for how we can share our resources instead of plundering them.Lester Brown-head of the Earth Policy Institute and, for nearly a half century, sounder of the alarm about the environmental and economic calamities facing humankind-has a plan for saving us from ourselves. It's a grab bag of core solutions to every challenge you've ever heard of-climate change, food insecurity, peak oil. He calls it Plan B (Plan A being our current, unsustainable path).Brown's fixes recall Buckminster Fuller: His faith that humanity will respond to grand ambitions causes him to make fantastic prescriptions, like the total replacement of coal-fired power plants with renewables by 2020. Plan B 3.0, the latest edition, requires a "wartime mobilization" comparable to the overhaul of the U.S. economy in the months after our entry into World War II. One component is eliminating poverty, which Brown views as the only way to stabilize the earth's population at 8 billion and avert a future populated byhungry citizens of failed states. "The number of chronically hungry and malnourished people in the world, which had fallen to 800 million in 2000, has now climbed to a billion and is projected to increase to at least 1.2 billion by 2017," he notes.Brown has been right in the past-eventually. In 1995, he wrote a book declaring that China would imperil world food markets by becoming a net importer of food. It didn't happen in the 12 years Brown predicted, but experts now agree that China is one crop failure away from proving him right. Still, Brown is optimistic about the future. He's enthusiastic about the nearly vertical growth curve for one of his solutions: installed wind turbines. With luck, he'll be right about our sustainable future-what remains to be seen is when.Photo by Rebecca Harms (via Flickr)Return to interactive site
Add Good to your Google News feed.
Say goodbye or make amends.Image via Canva - Photo by Inna Postnikova
Friends recording on a camcorder.Image via Canva - Photo by capturenow
This is an AI-generated image using the language "A beautiful woman with long eyelashes and red lips surrounded by swirls of colorful makeup." AI/Canva/Elyssa Goodman 
Wiman hiding her face behind a bunch of cashCanva
A mansion and its reflection in the swimming poolCanva
Salzburg at nightCanva
Fancy homeCanva
Happy volunteersCanva
Parents of young children get more time with them if they work from home.Photo credit: Canva
Grieving couple comforting each other
This response to someone grieving a friend might be the best internet comment ever
When someone is hit with the sudden loss of a friend or loved one, words rarely feel like enough. Yet, more than a decade ago, a wise Redditor named GSnow shared thoughts so profound they still bring comfort to grieving hearts today.
Originally posted around 2011, the now-famous reply was rediscovered when Upvoted, an official Reddit publication, featured it again to remind everyone of its enduring truth. It began as a simple plea for help: “My friend just died. I don't know what to do.”
What followed was a piece of writing that many consider one of the internet’s best comments of all time. It remains shared across social media, grief forums, and personal messages to this day because its honesty and metaphor speak to the raw reality of loss and the slow, irregular path toward healing.
Below is GSnow’s full reply, unchanged, in all its gentle, wave-crashing beauty:
Why this advice still matters
Mental health professionals and grief counselors often describe bereavement in stages or phases, but GSnow’s “wave theory” gives an image more relatable for many. Rather than a linear process, grief surges and retreats—sometimes triggered by a song, a place, or a simple morning cup of coffee.
In recent years, this metaphor has found renewed relevance. Communities on Reddit, TikTok, and grief support groups frequently reshare it to help explain the unpredictable nature of mourning.
Many readers say this analogy helps them feel less alone, giving them permission to ride each wave of grief rather than fight it.
Finding comfort in shared wisdom
Since this comment first surfaced, countless people have posted their own stories underneath it, thanking GSnow and passing the words to others facing fresh heartbreak. It’s proof that sometimes, the internet can feel like a global support group—strangers linked by shared loss and hope.
For those searching for more support today, organizations like The Dougy Center, GriefShare, and local bereavement groups offer compassionate resources. If you or someone you know is struggling with intense grief, please reach out to mental health professionals who can help navigate these deep waters.
When grief comes crashing like the ocean, remember these words—and hang on. There is life between the waves.
This article originally appeared four years ago.