17 July 2026 Looking for a Puppy
We had to move to Wellington relatively quickly, as my wife lost her online job. We put our house on the market and have been bouncing between three places - our house, our wee bach (holiday home) and the apartment we are renting in Wellington. Our goal is three weeks in Wellington, then two weeks at the bach - back and forth.
We had to rehome our large German Shorthaired Pointer when we moved to Wellington. First, he was way to big for an apartment and - more importantly - he has anxiety when travelling (so long ferry trips every few weeks would not have suited him). We were extremely sad about rehoming him, but we found a vegan family who fell in love with him immediately and we knew it was the right thing to do.
So, we have been maybe six months without our GSP, Nietzsche, and last week I saw my wife looking for puppies online. We decided on a much smaller dog, so that I could carry him onto the ferry and also so he wouldn’t pull on the lead the way Nietzsche did (this and his anxiety were his only shortcomings).
Moksha
Tracy asked me what I would want to name a puppy and I immediately said, “Moksha”! Liberation!
We are driving six hours north tomorrow morning to pick up Moksha and Tracy is so excited! When Tracy and I met, she did not like dogs, but she fell in love with Nietzche (after we got him) and now she is really looking forward to Moksha!
This is one of our first photos of Moksha, from the advert online. Will post more photos when we have them!
15 July 2026 Placing our Focus
We all want equality for ourselves. We get upset when it seems we are being denied something we think should be ours. We resent those who seem to be in our way. These thoughts are self-centred (both in the meaning of “selfish” and more generally centred on self). Equality and freedom are largely about us - this is one of the reasons that our societies are crumbling around us.
Focusing on Others
Once you shift the focus of these thoughts, you see the intense suffering around you. Your emotions shift from anger to intense sadness and grief. Countless trillions of sentient beings are murdered each year - without any rights. Your heart opens.
The Problem
Is the denial of rights the root problem, or is it our inability to think of others? Do we need more focus on our own rights, or do we need to look out into our world and see what others are experiencing?
We are all in this together. Think about someone else for awhile and try to open your heart to ALL and you will see a change. You will find yourself one step closer to freedom - to liberation.
14 July 2026 Expecting Others to Help
We go to doctors, therapists, nutritionists, phyical therapists, priests . . . the list goes on and on. We want someone else to heal us. We are so accustomed to looking outside of ourselves that when the answers are within us, we don’t know to look.
The Path
The end of suffering is within all of us. It is in the ways we think. It is maintained by our grasping for things that cannot be held. It is maintained by attempting to avoid things we cannot avoid.
Some speak of the “buddha nature” within all of us. Some speak of the “inner light”. There are many names, but the idea is the same - the truth, the joy, the way is inside of you.
The Saha
While the truth is in each of us, we grow together. You needed people to get where you are now and we all need each other along the path.
Look within yourself and then radiate that light out to others - we are in this together.
10 July 2026 My Fixation
Last night, I was having weekend drinks with my wife. As it is Matariki today, it is a holiday here in Aotearoa, so we were celebrating the end of the work week last night.
I began to talk about a former colleague - let’s call him “Mike” (not his name). Mike and I studied together in my Master of Counselling program. He was a very friendly fellow and made the program even more interesting.
I have found myself unable to reconcile him as a counsellor with his other actions. When I was still on Facebook, he would talk about all of the things he was eating and drinking and as I knew he was a diabetic, I was shocked that he had such a disregard for his own life. Last year (a couple of years after I got off Facebook), he and I texted and he told me about having multiple body parts removed because his diabetes had gotten worse. I thought about all of those online posts of beer, spirits and unhealthy food that he had posted for years - I struggled to geniunely express surprise or sadness.
Add to this, I was less than impressed when he showed some “cubed” pork cuts and called it a “Peppa Pig Jigsaw Puzzle”. This complete lack of empathy from a counsellor was hard for me to understand.
So, I was discussing this with my wife last night and she advised me that I had mentioned this before. It seemed I was uable to let go of these thoughts. Why?
Seeking Understanding
I thought for awhile and realised that my issue was how someone could be a counsellor and have zero empathy for animals AND could be so self-destructive with their diet (note that I am not advocating zero alcohol consumption, but rather considering a high fat and sugar diet for someone with diabetes). The incongruency was hard to fathom.
If those who offer to help others with mental health issues are themselves so closed off to their own experiences, how can we expect them to be able to help others?
We expect priests, ministers and other religious advisors not to do the things they preach against. When it comes to “secular” therapists, anything goes. My wife even reminded me during our discussion that therapists are some of the most messed up people around. Perhaps this is because we imagine that therapy is somehow scientific - that these people are applying principles to heal others. Therapy is not programming, though - and it is rarely anything near scientific. It is connecting with another person on a deep level and the person who is helping you should have some credibility and competence. Should we expect more from therapists?
Perhaps the phrase, “Physician, heal thyself,” is relevent here.
Healing Ourselves
What is the point of all of this? Maybe it is that we imagine that we can “heal” others, when our own lives are a mess. Maybe it is that therapy without empathy cannot be terribly effective. Maybe it is that we are all stumbling in the dark and need to be understanding of the weaknesses of others. Maybe it is that we have all been so deluded by messages about it being “OK” to eat animals that we have lost our ability to be compassionate. Maybe we need to reconsider the skills, experience and lifestyles of those who provide mental health assistance. Perhaps lots of things to learn from this!
09 July 2026 The Concept of Gratitude
What is gratitude and why is it so important to liberation? Gratitude is the ability to look around and see the good things - things for which you can be grateful. Gratitude practice is making this action a part of your normal life. It is important because our minds have the potential to get stuck in ruts of thinking. When we begin to look for something in the world, we begin to filter for it. When we focus on sadness and fear, these take over our lives.
We quickly find ourselves in dark places, where our mind begins to close in on itself. Gratitude is the opposite of this - it is looking outside of yourself for better things.
Gratitude as a Practice
Look around you - what is there for which you can be grateful. If you are not used to doing this, your mind will tell you there isn’t much for which you can be grateful. Look! Maybe you have enough to eat, maybe you have a roof over your head at night, maybe you are healthy, maybe you have people who love you . . . There are things, if you look.
Find a time where you can think about these things. For me, it is just before I go to bed. I think about all of the things that are good in my life and I drift off to sleep in this blissful state. Maybe for you, it will be when you wake up in the morning and have that first tea or coffee - find your time!
Changes to Your Mind
You will find that the way you think changes. You will find yourself opening up from your fear, dread and frustration. Opening your mind in this way is part of making new connections. You will never be free as long as you have closed yourself off to the rest of existence. We need each other and you are important to the happiness of us all!
