Commentary | From the Editors

Florida proudly proclaims itself the freest state. It’s a place where the pursuit of happiness is as complex as the people who seek it.

Smartphones are ubiquitous for modern teens. Parents, including this reporter, are wrestling with how to best help kids create healthy relationships with their devices and each other.

It's taken centuries for humans to begin to understand the true complexities of the nature around us. Now that modern ecologists are treating forests as dynamic ecosystems, healthy restoration can flourish.

It can be tempting to despair at the seeming intractability of drug problems worldwide. What doesn't make the news nearly enough are everyday examples of individuals freeing themselves from addiction.

The attempt to assassinate Donald Trump leaves no doubt that the United States is standing on a precipice. In the face of transformational change, will love win out?

The Donald Trump assassination attempt shows how U.S. polarization is moving toward dehumanization. The war in Gaza shows where that leads.    

American folk music is a kind of oral storytelling that dates back long before even the printing press. It is a vehicle to transmit culture from one generation to the next.

Research suggests that the long-term benefits of immigration are overwhelmingly positive. If the real issue is cultural, the question becomes how to build an effective and humane migration system.

In New York's bohemian haunts, a movement of new conservatives is growing in reaction to what they see as liberal dominance in art and culture. Their work reflects a nation in flux.

Reporting on the war in Ukraine can be grim and dangerous work. For this Monitor conflict reporter, the job is both a responsibility and a privilege.