In Contemplation of –
Kindness In Spite of Suffering*
“I’m in pain, I can’t be helpful to others. A luxury I don’t have,” those were the words of my patient.
Understandable, perhaps.
Then there were the Star Whale and the Doctor, who were the last of their kind and who had experienced suffering like no other.
Yet they couldn’t bear to see our children cry….
The clickable post title will take you the hidden depth of Amelia Pond, and more….
Universal Empathy
“I don’t care if my neighbor lives or dies. She’s nothing to me. I only care about my mom and my brother,” once a 14-year-old patient declared.
Compassion derived from self interests and empathy based on universal empathy are planets apart.
Further more, if one has to choose, would one sink to the level of Donna, who saved her friends while endangering the whole world or would one take on Rose’s “hard lesson”…?
The clickable post title will take you to my observation on the topic.
Of Emotional Clarity*
Rose told the fictional Jeanne-Antoinette Poisson in The Girl in the Fireplace, “…you weren’t suppose to have either (the Doctor nor the “monsters”) and immediately encountered a stern reply, “Supposed to happen? What does that mean? It happened…!”
Such emotional acceptance and clarity is the first step for us to spend our limited lifetime in healthy self creation, instead of being stuck in the labyrinth of bitterness, wistful for a “better lot in life”….
The clickable title will take you to my thoughts on the matter.
Commitment Unwillingness
Maeve in Westworld is a complex being. She blames her creators. She is enraged. She seems to feel no internal remorse at killing….
However the most relevant for my patient is her unwillingness to commit to one world. “Straddling” on the edge and hesitant to make the decision plagues “my Maeve”….
The clickable post title will take you to her dilemma and her emotional journey.
Opening a Coconut
Not having grown up in the land of fresh coconuts, it took me a while to figure out how to choose a young and mature coconut and how to open them without a hammer or using brute force.
The clickable title will take you to the post.
Sauerkraut
Cooking is not about what shiny equipment you have, it is about a creative process that allows you to turn any scrap of leftovers or whatever random items you have in your fridge or on your counter into a tasty meal. Good cooks are creative thinkers. Cooking and food making are meditative processes that allow one not simply learning a new dish, but using a specific knowledge gaining in a particular field as a tool for honing our creative thinking skill in general.
Sauerkraut making acted as such a tool for me here.
The clickable title will take to you the fun details of my learning to cook, not just sauerkraut making.
The “Killers” Among Us
A dog was feeding on the body of a dead woman and defending his “prize” aggressively. He was shot dead by the police, who couldn’t wait a minute longer to get to the dead body, it seems.
While we may be quick to blame who looked like the perpetrator of a murder, we may commit an act of violence towards the assumed murderers as they may be either innocent or guilty of a lesser crime.
In quick action for revenge, we may commit murder ourselves.
My kindly looking dogs swiftly, without moment’s hesitation, killed a visiting skunk in their backyard with lightening speed.
Do we, perhaps, all have the inner makings of becoming murderers?
Given the “proper” trigger, in an unfortunate moment, maybe?
These are some of the lessons drawn from this post. As always, the title is clickable.
Vaccination – How Much Is Too Much?
The domestic animal vaccination debate has been going on for more than a couple of decades. The general public holds vastly different opinions, so do the professionals such as veterinarians and veterinary researchers.
This post is a long overdue thorough review on what may be the “gold standard” of “least harm”-“most effective” way of protecting our best friends.
Click on the post title for all the related information and some tales of my best friends.
Natural Wound Healing: from Hydrotherapy to Manuka Honey
When a wound is infected, the traditional treatment is surgical debridement, for humans and domestic animals alike.
However, plenty of other less invasive and readily available remedies may be just as effective, if not more. In this post, I explore some of these treatments, including manuka honey and hydrotherapy.
The images in the post may be upsetting to some.
The clickable title will take you to the full text.
From GM to cloning – the line in the sand between Frankenfish and “Frankenchild”*
I have no argument with the scientists who “frankened” Atlantic salmon, as long as they are certain there is no health risk for the salmon consumers.
But what of cloning our newly departed beloved pets? Or human infants or young children who died of untimely deaths? Don’t these sentient beings have the right to choose whether or not they wish to be cloned? ….
These are just some of the issues I contemplated in this post. The clickable title will take you there.
The Smell of Injustice*
A breeding female wolf was murdered by Banff National Park.
It was said that the Bow Valley Wolf Pack was getting “too familiar” to humans, after some tourists started feeding the wolves from their picnic coolers….
The death penalty sounds like it was conducted in haste.
Did they really think through the matter and try “hard enough” to find other options?
Did humans learn the “lessons”?
The Clickable title will take you to my carefully considered thoughts on this matter.
Of Internal Convictions
“It doesn’t matter what people think. You know what you did”, these words, uttered by Mr. Donovan, in Bridge of Spies, indicates a high level of internal conviction. Going against the current or “popular views” is no easy feat.
The clickable title will take you to the post that demonstrates just how difficult that may be to accomplish.
Truth Sets Man Free*
Through these two Doctor Who episodes, a young unwed mother literally saved the entire human race by admitting a difficult truth to her child.
Perhaps the effect of such an action isn’t as grand in everyday life.
But then again, maybe it is even grander than we can ever imagine for our emotional life and self creation.
Click on the post title to view my thoughts on the matter.
Easily Buried
In an episode of Doctor Who – An alien ship crashed in London. Downing Street turned upside down. Big spectacle ensued.
At a church organized charity event, a devote Christian slapped her lifelong best friend at a moment of extreme rage….
The very next moment, all were erased from the earthlings conscious awareness.
How could it be? And why?
The clickable post title will take you to my attempted explanation.
From Dr. Piper to Psychotherapy*
“This Is Not a Day Care, It’s a University!” Dr. Piper’s article created a myriad of “love” or “hate” reactions, not just from university students but the whole world over. There is a similar misconception about psychotherapy as well. “Discomfort” may just be a necessary “devil”. If facing emotional truths is more important for us than “comfort”, that is. Without it to disquiet our lesser, unhealthy selves, it will be tremendously difficult, if not impossible, for us to succeed in creating versions of our better, healthier selves.
The clickable post title will take you to the depth of my thoughts on this matter, plus a little fun “twist”. 🙂
From Insight to Action*
With unexpected depth, Victor, the fictional character in Mr. Selfridge, did not let willful blindness get in his way of self awareness. He further took action based on this awareness. At least in this instance, he became his authentic self. In the reality of life, we often fail in both or either steps.
The clickable title will take you to my thoughts on this matter in close relation to psychotherapy and life coaching.
Anyone Can be a “Champion”, Deep Down*
“Nothing in the world is the way it ought to be. It’s harsh, and cruel. But that’s why there is us – champions. Doesn’t matter where we come from, what we’ve done or suffered or even if we make a difference. We live as though the world were as it should be. To show it what it can be.” These are the words of Angel, a struggling vampire in Joss Whedon’s fictional creation.
It is my firm belief that deep down, perhaps for some of us VERY deep down, we all have the “seed” of becoming “champions”.
The clickable title will take you to my contemplation on the matter.
Luka’s Encounter*
Luka, the yearling wolf, does not believe she can only befriend beings of her own species. Perhaps it is not a “belief” at all, maybe she “knows” inter-species communication is within her reach….
Her journey may help your own establishment of a whole new world of friendships.
The clickable title will take you to Luka’s story.
Albina and the Robin
Albina lost her most important person. She was sad and lonely. She ran to the forest. She met a robin….
Her journey of self discovery and creation will undoubtedly connect to your own voyage to the interior.
The clickable post title will take you to her unexpected emotional journey.
Kefir – Love it or Hate it
Kefir is one of these things which, despite its undeniable health benefits, elicits strong “opinions”. Some love it. Others hate it. I have yet to find someone who claims indifference towards it. One of my patients would pinch her nose, tilt her head backwards, and then quickly pour the thick semi-liquid substance down her throat. “Exactly how cod liver oil was taken when I was a kid”….
The clickable post title will take you to my own kefir-making journey.