@NiallHarbison Heart broke reading this, wonderful Atlas, those eyes.. thank you Niall for sharing your love for him, you also are helping make this world a better place 💖
“WHY DOES LIFE HURT SO MUCH?”
A man asked the Buddha with eyes heavy with life.
The Buddha looked at him quietly—not to answer immediately, but to understand.
Then he said,
“You are holding on to things that are meant to pass.”
The man frowned. “Holding on to what?”
The Buddha gently pointed to a nearby river.
“Look at that water,” he said.
“Yesterday’s river is gone.
This moment’s river is already moving.
If you try to hold it in your hands… it slips away.
And yet, you suffer—not because the river flows,
but because you wish it would stay.”
The man was silent.
The Buddha continued—
“You cling to people…
expecting them to remain the same.
But people change, just like seasons.”
“You cling to moments…
wanting joy to last forever.
But even the most beautiful sunset fades into night.”
“You cling to expectations…
how life should be,
instead of seeing how it is.”
The man lowered his head.
“But why does it hurt so deeply?” he asked again.
The Buddha picked up a small pebble and held it tightly.
“If I hold this lightly,” he said,
“there is no pain.”
Then he clenched his fist hard.
“But if I grip it tightly… it begins to hurt.”
He looked at the man and said,
“The pain is not from the stone.
It is from the tightness of your grip.”
The man’s eyes softened.
“So what should I do?” he whispered.
The Buddha smiled.
“Learn to hold everything with an open hand.”
“Love people… but don’t try to own them.
Enjoy moments… but don’t demand they stay.
Have hopes… but don’t let them become chains.”
“Let things come.
Let things go.
And remain present with what is.”
The man sat there for a long time,
watching the river flow.
For the first time,
he didn’t try to stop it.
And in that moment—
a small, quiet peace found him.
Because peace begins
the moment you stop gripping
what is already gone.
✨🙌🏾💫
Ireland has the fifth highest marginal income tax rate in the OECD for workers on the average wage. Almost half of every extra euro earned after just €44,000 is taken by the by the government. These confiscatory rates, which were introduced 18 years ago to address a fiscal crisis that is long over, crush the incentive to work more.
Ireland is the red bar in the OECD chart below.
https://t.co/TfCn9maAOL
Tax on personal income has resulted in revenues for government trebling over the past 15 years. @TaxFoundation ranks Ireland's personal tax regime as the second worst in the OECD.
Why have people put up with a regime that was put in place 18 years ago to address a fiscal crisis that was long ago solved?
Dan O’Brien is absolutely right. Ireland’s hard-working families and businesses are being hammered by crisis-era taxes that were never unwound, even as revenues have tripled and the public payroll and social spending have exploded by tens of billions with precious little to show for it in services or value for money.
This is fiscal madness dressed up as “fairness.” It’s time we, who are gouged for it, stopped accepting it. We must fight, and fight hard, for serious, structural tax cuts in Ireland now; lower rates, real reform, and an end to the tax-and-spend culture that is holding Ireland back. Enough is enough.
I honestly cannot stress this enough but please start living & enjoying your life. Your life is passing by daily and all you’re doing is working, paying bills, & overthinking stuff you can't change. Start taking trips and treating yourself. Have fun with this life. You only get 1
A friend has had her dog stolen in Raheny and is desperate to get her back. If you come across this lovely girl, whose name is Ula, please alert the Gardai. Thank you
@jimgeeting Love this thread, tears in my eyes, thank you for sharing about Gordy ☀️
I lost Mr Big 6 months ago and I still open the door or come up the drive and expect him to be there… miss him so much .. because I loved him so much… dogs are so special ❤️
@John_Dabell John just to say I have been following your story and love reading your fabulous posts out in nature and admire your openness & your strength. Your posts remind me of what is important in life. You are amazing, heart is with you, we are all behind you 💛
Read line by line this by @collision. Every Irish person should read it. It identifies cause, culprits & solutions. Make no mistake, Ireland is going backwards quickly % the world isn't waiting for us.
Brilliant insights from a man who has done things.
https://t.co/2UBbw6Ykwb
193 and Counting 🐾
Since January, we have taken in 193 dogs who have been surrendered by their owners, and we currently have over 200 dogs on a surrender list waiting to come in. #animalcharity#dspca
@eir @openeir as above, I was told could be 3-5 working days as per SLA’s before OpenEir might look at the fault, is there no emergency team working to get customers connected again as quickly as possible?
@EileenConnolly1@john_mcguirk
@eir can you please advise when the broadband will be back on in Donadea Kildare, it’s been out since the storm and no timeline yet on when it can get fixed. We are trying to work from home and can’t even get a mobile signal to hotspot. Appreciate support on getting WiFi fixed.
@eir Hi
Pls see informal text I get about my technical fault with the case no. I have to relocate each day for wifi (as work from home) and as totally frustrated now, called your helpline today & logged a formal complaint - can you give customers a timeline for fault to get fixed?
@EileenConnolly1@john_mcguirk Hi - agree with you, am without Eir broadband since storm in Donadea Kildare, no proper communication from @openeir @eir on what the delay is for this area getting fixed, no resolution time given when I call Eir, and nothing about this in the media? PLEASE CAN WE GET IT FiXED!