Category: Reflections

Hunger for Truth?

John Steinbeck makes this comment in one of his novels: “as long as there is a hunger in the stomach, the bombs will continue to fall”.

Yet as a society, we seem to be going around in never-ending circles, dealing with violence rather than with the underlying causes. Often we meet violence with violence. The hunger in the stomach, our physical, emotional, and spiritual needs, are not being met.

In his book “Fear of Life”, Alexander Lowen writes: “We are like the inmates of a mental institution who must accept its inhumanity and insensitivity as caring and knowledgeable to be regarded as sane enough to leave.” read more

Youth suicide: Students counselled after Sydney primary school girl, 10, takes her own life

(Reported in The Sunday Telegraph ,December 07, 2014)

We continue to treat this as if it were an individual problem, as if there’s something wrong with the children and adults who harm themselves, or who are anxious or depressed.

When will we wake up from our illusion of separation, and acknowledge that this is our problem as a society and indeed as a human race? read more

Creating Results

When I tell people that Core Development is results- focused, they often remark, “ that ’s solution focused, right?�? No. Whilst solution- focused behaviour is driven by a problem – or by the need to solve or eliminate a problem, results-focused act ions are driven by the desire to create a certain result.

Time to smell the roses

Time to smell the roses

Stress leading to burnout has become a major problem in our society, costing us millions of dollars a year and having a major impact on our health.

So how can we deal with stress more effectively to improve our health and avoid burnout?

Many of you, like myself, will be receiving more mail than you can reasonably deal with.  So why should I add to your stress levels by inflicting another newsletter on you? read more

The Ph.D. Octupus

This article was written over 100 years ago – consider its relevance today, with our increasing emphasis on paper qualifications………?

The Ph.D. Octopus
William James
Some years ago, we had at our Harvard Graduate School a very brilliant student of Philosophy, who, after leaving us and supporting himself by literary labor for three years, received an appointment to teach English Literature at a sister-institution of learning. read more

Ecology Begins In You


Ecology is about relationships – our relationship with the environment, which includes other people as well as animals, plants, the air we breathe etc – and our relationship with ourselves, which is something we often forget or take for granted.

If it is so obvious that we cannot alter the environment without affecting ourselves, and that we are not only in intimate contact with the environment but that we are part of the environment, how come some individuals, politicians and industrialists continue to damage the environment – and therefore themselves? read more

What I Think About Climate Change

Recently my wife and I attended a Buddhist Chinese New Year Ceremony in Eastwood.

We  enjoyed the emphasis that was placed on accepting everyone’s beliefs, with no attempt to persuade or convert anyone, and on encouraging people to cooperate and take action to help one another, especially those most in need. read more