A Trip to the Bookshop

28 March 2026

Living in Wellington

We are selling our home in Nelson and have rented a place in the middle of Wellington, so that Tracy can go to her new government job. We still have our bach (holiday home) in the Marlborough Sounds and we miss it, terribly. We are bouncing back and forth between Wellington and the Sounds every few weeks, but we would rather live in the Sounds full-time.

Trying to make the best of being in Wellington, I am wandering through bookshops and having more coffees than I should.

Bookshop Visit

Every few days, I go into a bookshop near our flat. There is a section for religious texts and the last few days, I have found myself looking through the titles in this section. This takes me back to my undergraduate days, when I was so excited to be studying theology! I see a few familiar titles and also lots of others. Part of me longs for those days and another part realises the deficiencies of those days. I was burying myself in studies, but not living the life I should - I was consuming others.

Reflections

Sometimes, I try to imagine that young fellow I was and how he would have responded to the message of non-violence. I think he would have responded well (I even tried to go vegetarian the last semester of my undergrad years). Sadly, he was trapped in the circle of violence that comes from believing ourselves better than others.

Next Steps

Some months back, I was writing about non-violence from within a religious (Quaker) framework. It felt empowering to follow the inner light. I grew discouraged by the words of peace of others, when their lives didn’t reflect the peace of which they spoke. I am revisiting those months in my mind and thinking of what the future holds. There needs to be a movement of non-violence that considers our spiritual selves. Honestly, I have been fighting taking an active role in this.

The Path

When the Buddha reached enlightenment, he didn’t want to tell others of The Way. It seemed too simple, too straight-forward once he understood it, himself. Non-violence seems so straight-forward to me, but it obviously is not such for our species. Similarly, George Fox wandered from town to town and spent First Day (Sunday) mornings walking through fields reading scripture, rather than going to church events that he thought were not right. The beginning of the path is lonely - motivating oneself to take those first steps.

May all beings know peace!