July 5
Be With Me Or Let Me Be
July 3
Review: Island
I finished “Island” by Aldous Huxley last night. It is a novel about a utopian society, lost (at least temporarily) to the roar of capitalism and consumerism, that a cynical, shame ridden English protagonist finds himself shipwrecked on. The story follows his introduction to this society, his education about it, and his perceptions while he works both sides of the beginning of a conflict about to come to fruition.
I suppose at this point I have to modify my general statement that I don’t read fiction, to I read fiction about philosophy or therapy or spirituality about 20% of my reading time (I notice in the last two years I’ve read …
July 1
July, Thoughts…
31. As people alive today, we must consider future generations: a clean environment is a human right like any other. It is therefore part of our responsibility toward others to ensure that the world we pass on is as healthy, if not healthier, than we found it. The Dalai Lama
30. You must give up the life you planned in order to have the life that is waiting for you. Joseph Campbell
29. No man is free who cannot command himself. Pythagoras
28. In Buddhism there is no judgement; just, the world is so constructed that that we bring joy or trouble upon ourselves. David Brazier, Zen Therapy
27. Where …
June 30
June, Thoughts….
30. Ultimate excellence lies not in winning every battle, but in defeating the enemy without ever fighting. Sun Tzu
29. When deeds and words are in accord, the whole world is transformed. Chuang Tzu
28. We take refuge in pride because we are afraid to tell the truth to ourselves. Kakuzo Okakura
Retrieved from http://www.internalkungfu.co.uk/Tao%20Zen%20Quotes.htm
27. Be a first rate version of yourself, not a second rate version of someone else. Judy Garland
26. By sinking its roots deeply into the earth, by accepting the rain that flows toward it, by reaching out to the sun, the tree perfects its character and becomes great. Deng Ming-Dao
25. You can easily judge the character of a …
June 22
Review: Exploring Happiness: From Aristotle To Brain Science
A very close friend sent this book to me after we had some discourse regarding our perceptions and opinions of happiness. The title is more telling than you might think, as the book takes an encompassing view of what has been written about happiness through the ages.
The book is very well written in philosophical prose. For those uninitiated in true philosophical writing, this book might seem droll or overly complicated. Philosophical writing begins with the definition of what is being discussed, and works at laying the argument out in a precise fashion. The end of one paragraph lays the groundwork for the next, and the chapters follow suit. The …
June 20
Substance Use: Escaping or Embracing Life?
This is my latest post for Psychology Today. It is part of their “Hot Topic” on Addiction. You can access the topic with the link above, or my post here.
May 31
May, Thoughts For…
31. Worship and it will not be augmented. Ignore it and it will not be diminished. Deng Ming Dao
This is my final quote in the purely Taoist rant I have been on. Taoism will always be appear occasionally (or more) throughout my Thoughts for… segment though…
30. The dynamic nature of their philosophy (Tao & Zen) laid more stress upon the process through which perfection was sought than upon perfection itself. Kakuzo Okakura
29. Taoism is neither formal religion or structured philosophy. Tao: Sacred Symbols
28. Tao follows no fixed rules. Huai Nun Tzu
27. I came across this explanation of the meditative / spiritual path toward enlightenment the other day …
May 17
Where I am At
I haven’t written anything that reflects a personal look within lately. Maybe it is because I need to be more professional for Psychology Today. Maybe finding time for writing is generally tougher. Maybe right now I just have too much time on my hands teaching only one course and having a smaller caseload of clients. Whatever the reason, I thought I’d do some reflecting on where I am currently.
I guess I’ll start with the writing. I probably haven’t been writing enough, especially on the book(s). Most of my writing has focused on Psychology Today, and producing the best articles for them I can. It has been a lot …
May 11
Were The Hippies Right?
My latest article for Psychology Today is here.
I wanted to provide a little backstory to why I wrote this one. As I’ve mentioned, I’ve been working on being a more loving person. A while ago I wrote the quote “Is there any human ailment for which more love is not an effective intervention? I have come to find in therapy that often the most effective intervention is unconditional positive regard. As I say in the article, although the solution is simple (more love) it is not always easy to apply.
Thanks for reading.