Reflecting on the Life of Michael Jackson is bittersweet experience. On the one hand, his music is full of life and vitality, yet you have an artist whose life becomes increasingly isolated and tormented.
We can look at his life in decades:
60s Talented and adorable singer of the Jackson 5
70s Raw energy and vitality
80s Creative and innovative peak, earning the title “the King of Pop”
90s Increasing isolation and media sensationalism
00s Legal and financial controversies overshadowed his music
10s Tragic because he dies in 2009 never making it to the next decade or having a comeback as so many artists do in their later years…..though the music lives on.
The controversies may also live on given our obsession with rumours but I hope the music is what is remembered most and we leave aside looking at a life gone suddenly as voyeurs.
One idea that I’ve had given the debt Michael has supposedly accumulated along with the fact that MJ never got to do the planned comeback tour. I suggest that the tour continue as a remembrance of the King of Pop with performances by musicians who have a connection with him and want to honour him. Some or most of the proceeds can pay the debts, set a fund for his children and help pay for the cost of the concerts.
I have no idea how plausible this idea is but if Band Aid can be done, then maybe this is also possible with enough committed people who want to do it.
“The Secret” has offered many positive ideas, though I share many of the concerns expressed in this post by Dan Millman as highlighted in Balance “Secret Principles” with Compassion. Dan has respectfully critiqued “The Secret” with a succinct understanding.
As many of you know Dan is the author of many spiritually insightful books on personal transformation, including Way of the Peaceful Warrior, which has been made into a successful movie called Peaceful Warrior in 2006 starring Nick Nolte. Here is Dan’s insightful post on “The Secret”:
Some weeks ago, a young man wrote to us, declaring, “In six months I’m going to have three million dollars, the woman of my dreams, and a beautiful house – because I’ve seen . . . The Secret!
The Secret, for those of you who haven’t yet heard, has become an internet phenomenon. It began as an Australian television production featuring a number of well-known authors and pundits, speaking about the “Law of Attraction.” This law says that we attract or manifest into our lives what we think about or focus on or earnestly desire.
As fate would have it, the producers, in a stroke of foresight, ended up delivering this 90-minute program via internet. One can go to the web site, watch a dramatic teaser, sign up, pay a mere $4.95, and download the program to watch to one’s heart’s content — to learn “The Secret.”
I’m not surprised by the popularity of this program. Magical thinking has huge appeal for many – especially when it intersects with ideas from quantum physics and metaphysical science.
In this respectful critique, I’m going to first express what I genuinely like about the program:
I find much of the program up-beat, good hearted, encouraging. It also has excellent production values, cinematography, effects, and sound. And the editing is excellent. I’m especially impressed by the cutting-edge method of delivery — internet streaming — ushering in a new era of movies on demand with the click of a mouse.
I also like the message that what we bring into our lives begins with a vision, a longed-for aspiration — a good reminder for those of us who haven’t yet stretched the wings of possibility and allowed ourselves to embrace higher possibilities. If The Secret opens the way to expanded dreams, it serves a useful purpose.
What concerns me, however, are the program’s primary suppositions. The message, repeated in different words by the various guests, is that if we simply intend and visualize and dream big enough, we can “manifest” all our dreams — effortlessly, magically, mystically.
However, this “Law of Attraction” does not, in my view, qualify as a law at all. In my book, The Laws of Spirit, I present twelve spiritual laws (including, to name a few, the laws of balance, choices, process, faith . . . action, surrender, and unity) — laws which apply consistently and universally to everyday life. This quality of consistency is essential to any law, and differentiates it from proverbs, principles, or aphorisms, which may or may not apply. In other words, a law works every time here on Earth, much like the law of gravity.
In any case, this “Law of Attraction,” as taught many decades ago by metaphysicians like Catherine Ponder and others, is certainly a positive and expansive idea. But dreams, desires and visions are only the beginning — they must be followed by focused effort over time – something barely mentioned in the “Secret” production.
Thomas Edison wrote, “We often miss opportunity because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.” It has the ring of truth, doesn’t it? But suggesting that we need to work hard over time to achieve our goals doesn’t sell well. It isn’t sexy or fascinating, or sound much like a “Secret.” Common sense rarely does.
In “The Secret,” we personally witness a little boy who wishes and hopes for a bicycle—he thinks about it, visualizes a bike, cuts out pictures from a magazine. And lo and behold, one day he opens a door and there is his new bike! Personally, I would have been more drawn to see him walking a paper route, or doing chores to earn some money, or at least asking his parents directly for a special Christmas gift. Which reminds me of a story I relate in Living on Purpose:
Louie goes to church every Sunday and prays to God, “Dear Lord, I’ve been a good and devout man for many years, living according to your Laws, doing acts of charity, serving the poor, supporting my family. So please, please, let me win the lottery just once!” He repeats this plea every week for years, but his entreaties go unanswered. So Louie starts to pray to win the lottery every night and every day. Until one day, he hears a voice thunder down from the heavens: “Louie, will you at least go half-way with me and buy a ticket?”
That’s all I’m suggesting — a simple point ignored by “The Secret” — go to the effort to buy a ticket. Or as an Arabic sage once said, “Trust in God . . . but tie your camel.”
So if you wish to be successful, dream big, but start small — then connect the dots. In other words, start with a vision, then take baby steps. Neither dreaming nor wishing nor magical secrets get the laundry done.
The biggest issue I have with programs like The Secret (or other idealistic notions such as learning “positive thinking”) is that when their magical methods don’t work, we end up believing that it’s our fault, our lack, our fault. We believe that if we had truly deserved it, or really applied ourselves, or focused more intently, or visualized more clearly with a sincere heart, surely it would have worked.
The Secret, then, with its lovely and uplifting promise, is a foolproof supposition: If we don’t heal, manifest, get what we want, it’s due to our own lack of faith.
Or maybe it’s because we forgot the “taking action” part . . .
There are some successful people who claim to have mastered “The Secret” and who have manifested their dreams and desires. Few of them tell us about their years of struggle and labor and preparation.
By all means strive in the direction of your dreams! Visualize a grand life! Then get to work. While we cannot control the outcomes, we can control our efforts. And by making the effort, we increase the odds of creating a larger life.
I close with my warmest wishes, and with a reminder from Henry David Thoreau: “If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost. Now put foundations under them.”
You might also enjoy the following link to a short You Tube commentary on “The Secret” from an Advaita Vedanta perspective:
As a post-script, both for those who mistakenly believe that I support the message of “The Secret,” and also for those who believe I’m being unjustly critical, I offer another articulate blogger’s comments about “The Secret”.
“The Secret” reinforces an important message of taking inventory of our thoughts and focusing them in a positive direction to create life changes that we desire. This is a wonderful message, yet without critical examination and thoughtful application, the ideas can prove unskillful in our interactions with individuals who suffer.
The idea that we attract everything through our thoughts is on the one hand a powerful message. However, it can also be a dangerous message when taken to an extreme perspective. We can end up blaming victims for their plight, such as: Individuals in poverty, survivors of disasters, the disabled or the abused.
I believe that at critical moments such as with Hurricane Katrina or with the Indian Ocean Tsunami of 2004, our desire to alleviate suffering is most important. The extreme perspective can also assign wrongful thinking for causing diseases or illnesses. I feel uncomfortable when positive thinking is taken this far because it can allow us to become distant from another person’s need or suffering, since we can at some level just say, “Well, they must have brought this upon themselves.”
If taken to an extreme this perspective of our thoughts alone ultimately influencing the universe can approach arrogance. Certainly our thoughts, intentions and our ability to select our reaction to events are powerful tools for personal transformation, yet this message needs to be balanced with humility and compassion. Thoughts play an important role, yet at times our response needs to come from the heart not the head..
At a human level, we need to balance our positive thinking attitudes with compassion for ourselves and others. When individuals are in need, our hearts need to respond to them with empathy, care and understanding. If our positive thoughts disconnect us from compassion, then even if we succeed at an individual level, we may fail at a social level – we may achieve material success but lose our “soul” in the process.
When we approach positive thinking or “the law of attraction” with a mechanical attitude, then we risk limiting our growth to self-interest rather than growing in our compassion. From a higher perspective, we know that spiritual growth starts within our hearts and is not limited to our thoughts alone. The mind and heart work in harmony in order to create a life that is fulfilling at all levels.
In “NEXUS: A Neo Novel” our focus has been on personal transformation of people who in one way or another are stuck. Through the journey of people in our book, we discover many insights to expand both our mind and our heart – to develop a positive mind along with a compassionate heart.
Peace & blessings,
Arvind Singh
Co-author of Nexus
Deborah Morrison & Arvind Singh from Ontario, Canada explore their gifts as novelists through a captivating book called NEXUS.Deborah has previously written a book of poetry called Mystical Poetry, and she has published many articles on health and spirituality.Arvind has published a number of articles on spiritual and philosophical thought both in English and South Asian languages and this is his first book.
NEXUS is an amazing spiritual adventure of Personal Transformation & Empowerment.Readers have described it as Insightful, Captivating and Inspirational.It builds on the experiences of both authors as teachers of relaxation, breath and yoga therapies.Through a poignant journey to a retreat, each person in the novel is looking to overcome personal pain including the main character, Logan Andrews.
Logan, a journalist in his mid-20s, struggles with depression to the point of suicide.Can he control his troubled mind before its too late?
In a vivid dream, Logan is guided to a spiritual retreat where he meets his lost love, Sarah, along with an arrogant millionaire, a grandmotherly woman and two insightful teachers.
Problems soon emerge for Logan and others at the retreat. What happens to each character and the depth of their personal experiences makes NEXUS a journey of transformation and a compelling read.
I’ve read many spiritual books but this one succeeds where others fail. It successfully combines a poignant story fraught with true human emotions of personal pain along with remarkable spiritual insights. James Bertrand
Nexus made me laugh and it made me cry.The story touched on many issues that I have struggled with in my own life and it gave practical advice on transforming my life.Its perfect for anyone looking for an Inspiring, Spiritual book filled with practical wisdom. Harpal Singh Khalsa.
A simple story with a simple message, Nexus invites you in to explore the characters’ thoughts and feelings along side your own. Nancy Noble
This book is totally amazing!!! It works like a dream at a subconscious level of understanding even if consciously you’re unaware of its full spiritual dimensions. Aaron
“Nexus” is now being offered with “The Secret” at a special price on Amazon.ca when both books are puchased together. Click on the icon below to visit the link.
On Wednesday 31 January 2007: The Oprah Winfrey Show promises to be exciting featuring guests who have survived disasters – those who lived through avalanche, electricity and even a fiery plane crash.
Oprah.com even has a Survival Quiz to assess if you’d make it in the wild. If you scored low on Oprah’s quiz, don’t fret just visit Discovery Channel for fascinating survival stories and tips.
Oprah had covered this topic on a previous show on 11 March 1997, which explored why some people have better chance of survival after a diasaster than others. Both broadcasts have the same title: “Would You Survive.” Even if the show is a repeat, it’s still a fascinating topic.
After survival of a head-on collision three years ago, I have become more aware of safety issues. At those critical moments, our reactions and those of others around us can make all the difference.
This Wednesday Gary Zukav, the author of Seat of the Soul and many other insightful books, is scheduled to be on the Oprah Winfrey Show. So check your local listings to see him.
He will speak on marriage as a “spiritual partnership” instead of a traditional marriage or relationship modelled around survival needs, where a couple are emotionally distant but work together to achieve survival goals in life.
“The energy dynamic itself is very different in a traditional marriage than it is in a spiritual partnership,” Gary says. The spiritual partnership requires people to work together for “something more” unlike a traditional marriage which doesn’t have this dynamic.
“In practical terms, we’re talking about getting to know yourself—getting to know what you’re feeling, what you’re thinking, what you’re intending, what your fears are, and what your loves are,” Gary says. “That is, what it means while you’re walking on the earth.”
The idea of another person, a soul mate, who “completes” you is considered a myth by Gary. He adds: “”Only you can complete yourself. No one can complete you for you.”
The expectation that someone else can complete you will after the honeymoon phase lead to disappointment, since your expectations of the other person were unreasonable. Instead of appreciating another person for who they are and realizing your own capacity for love and self-discovery, your sense of self becomes dependent on a romanticized ideal of your partner.
A spiritual partnership is more than just creating material comfort for one another, it is about spiritual growth. “It means that your intention is to become aware and responsible for yourself,” Gary says.
According to Gary, spiritual partnerships have four main requirements—commitment, compassion, courage and conscious communication.
Nexus is derived from Latin nectere, which means “to bind.” First of its three possible definitions will be explored in this article. Definition 1: Nexus as a means of connection, link or a tie.
A connected relationship involves a union between two or more people. We are familiar with many bonds between two individuals, which starts with our first experience of attachment, our mother, who can often be our nurturer, caregiver and protector. This bond is significant for Logan Andrews, the protagonist of our story, since his mother raised him as a single parent during his adolescence. A child often can feel the strongest bond with his or her mother, since she gave birth and raised the child in her womb. Even after birth, a child will often turn to the mother for sustenance.
The bond with the father develops next, since the child and the father are separate entities. They develop a concrete relationship after birth. Many of the same qualities can be present in father-child relationship as with mother-child, except fathers have often been distant due to traditional roles. As with any relationship, complex issues can surface and the relationship between Logan and his father is built upon regret and missed opportunities. The bond isn’t severed because the hope however remote of reconnecting is there until physical death, yet it has lost its closeness a long time ago. Will the closeness ever be established between Logan and his father before he dies?
Next we move into the level of relationship that love songs, “chick flicks” and Harlequin books depend upon: The coupled relationship. But what does it mean to be in love? Is it a feeling that we desire, or is it truly an attempt to transcend our narrow self through union with another? Some people can also be hurt by fully giving their heart to another. With the resulting hurt and pain, they can in severe cases decide to close down to life.
With Logan he experienced a deep ecstatic love with Sarah McMaster. A love that would fit the definitions of soul-mates, united in mind, body and spirit. Yet Logan loses her and this becomes his painful tragedy from which he seeks escape through suicide. Still a part of him yearns to live and to love. Nexus becomes a psycho-spiritual struggle based on this inner conflict. So far we have looked at relationships between two individuals and the bond between them. Of course, relationships can also extend outward to include a group of people as part of a circle.
Besides Logan and Sarah, Nexus also has an interesting mix of other personalities. One of the most endearing characters is Muriel, a loving widow whose faith gives her certainty that she will reunite with her husband after this life. Yet, she also wants to be part of a community before she dies. As you read our novel, you will know if she fulfills her wish.
In Nexus, we wanted to show through the journey of each character the importance of empathy, which is aroused through intimately understanding another person. Each of us has experienced moments of joy, sadness, despair and even loneliness. These experiences of highs and lows give us the capacity to relate to and know the contents of another person’s heart in all its myriad emotions.
Our empathy creates the connection between us and another person and this is precisely the nexus, the connection that the book presents as having the potential to reconnect us in our relationships.
Our connection isn’t just at a human level, we can feel the same empathy for animals and all life around us. I would even say that we have an intimate relationship with Mother Earth, though living in cities that connection is not always apparent. Yet our sustenance and survival as a species comes from Gaia just as a child’s comes from his or her mother.
Logan poignantly experiences the pain of a dying fish, expressing the idea that all life is interconnected at a spiritual level. No pain or suffering is isolated, so long as compassion enters the heart. So the circle of empathy can extend outward from that between two people, to an intimate group that attempts to form a community, and ultimately to the connection between all life. In the process, of each unique relationship our heart also grows in its capacity to love and to be present with others in our shared journey through life and possibly even after. The book also hints at the dimension of our connection beyond this life. Moments of being present, especially at the end of a person’s life journey are important and we also experience them in Nexus.
The nexus found in relationships becomes a major motif throughout our novel as we explore the connection between each character and those around them, in the process highlighting compassion and heart-centered living. Through this connection, the holistic vision of the self can be realized instead of a divided self.
Awareness of Nexus is not easy and both Sarah and Logan undergo challenges. When you read Nexus, you will learn about each character’s unique journey and discover if they can overcome their challenges.
The book launch for “Nexus” at Chapters Meadowlands on Sunday November 5 was successful thanks to people who attended. We are thankful to everyone who bought copies of “Nexus.” Of course, we couldn’t do it without Chapters – Ancaster for providing the space and equipment, our publisher, Michael B. Davie, for being a delightful host, and Ian Thomas for sharing his wit and insights with us.
When we first walked into the Chapters bookstore, we noticed the Holiday Season decorations were already up. In fact, the displays came up right after Halloween, since retailers count on doing brisk business at this time.
Copies of “Nexus” were prominently displayed on our table, which allowed us to personally sign copies of our book during breaks along with lively conversation with people over cookies and coffee.
Our reading for “Nexus” was from 12:00 to 1:00 PM before the book launch of “Bequest” by Ian Thomas, which is a unique murder mystery where the main character, Professor George Moss, has a special psychic gift inherited from his predecessors.
Ian Thomas, besides his wit, is a celebrated Canadian singer and songwriter of hits like “Painted Ladies,” “Liars,” “Pilot” and “Hold on.” He has successfully taken his song-writing abilities to writing with his first novel. His book is also published by Manor House, which brings us to our publisher, Michael B. Davie, who was the MC for the event. He read many off-beat and hilarious poems from “Poetry for the Insane.”
Arvind Singh, Michael B. Davie & Deborah Morrison with their book “Nexus”
Michael had previously published Deborah’s book of poetry, “Mystical Poetry.” Since Debby has a good experience with her first book, we felt comfortable to ask him to publish “Nexus.”
We were ready to start reading but our microphone was only a hand-held one without a stand. But like a unexpected twist in a plot, we needed to adapt quickly. So we became pros with using our hands, except at times two hands were just not enough. So, Debby and I became each other’s third and even fourth hand during our reading.
Michael welcomed everyone and introduced Debby before she began her first reading. She gave an introduction to “Nexus” and then began her First Selection, which highlighted the struggle of Logan Andrews climb to the top of a hill. During a short break, we had engaged discussion with people about our novel and our journey as writers. We also sold more copies of “Nexus.”
Bob Lumbers, a tall man with a heart of gold, agreed to be our official photographer. So most photos from our launch are taken by him. Here is a photo that I took of Bob with Deborah:
The Second Reading by Debby drew attention of even many otherwise engaged shoppers because it resonated with current social changes. My passages were shorter than those selected by Deborah. They included the following selections:
I concluded the Book Launch for “Nexus” and soon we had Ian Thomas join us with insights into “Bequest.” We were glad to have Ian with us, especially since we wanted to find out more about him, his book and his experience as a writer.
“Bequest” reads like a murder mystery and a novel that highlights corporate greed along with the strange gift of sight handed down generations. It keeps your interest with a level of suspense that makes you turn the next page. Apart from the suspense, the many lovable characters along with wisdom expressed in poignant phrases are the greatest strength of “Bequest.” Here is our photo with Ian:
We had a lot of fun at our Book Launch, thanks to Ian, Michael and everyone who attended our event. Our weekend will be busy with two book launches. One is in Burlington’s Indigo Bookstore on Saturday. Then on Sunday a book launch in Toronto at Chapters – Festival Hall near the MuchMusic building.
