BILLIONS OF ANIMALS KILLED EVERY YEAR - FOR YOU!!!

Fish and chips or Sole Meuniere tastes delicious. However, please remember every time you eat a fish, a beautiful living being has died (often in terrible pain or distress gasping for air) for your taste buds. Most of us have eaten fish or have done done so in our lives - but please let's now begin to think seriously about this situation.

Some countries I could name enjoy eating Dogs....

Whenever I walk in any city centre in the world, restaurants of all nationalities, fast food chains (McDonalds, KFC, Burger King etc), diners, Coffee Shops, cafeterias, and street food venders abound in their thousands. Multiply that by thousands of cities and large towns and you begin to get some idea of the levels of food consumption – and that is before you even begin to look at what is eaten in the homes of the more than 7 BILLION people who inhabit this wonderful planet of ours – and the birth rate is rising!

Lamb medium rare please!!! How can you eat this adorable creature. Imagine it having its throat cut for you.

Supermarkets and shops of all shapes and sizes offer us an incredible variety of food that ranges from all kinds of meat: beef, lamb, pork/ham, chicken, turkey to exotic meals of ostrich, crocodile, buffalo locusts, snake – you name it? And that is just meat – what about fish – the fish markets abound with fish and seafood of every conceivable species – I could go on and on but you get the picture.

Chickens like these are killed by the billion to feed the cash tills of Kentucky Fried Chicken and other similar organisations. Maybe they are not as cuddly as a lovely sheep, but don't they deserve a life too?

The truth is that statistics show that we (humans) slaughter more than 150 billion animals each year and that doesn’t include what we vacuum up from the seas!

Pretty staggering statistics aren’t they?

Someone wrote to me saying "surely we can't kill 150 billion animals a year" - well thats the figure that is being quoted from research - but suppose its 100 billion - does this make it better?

Every time you go get a burger, hot dog, eat fish fingers, bite that chicken sandwich, you are eating a piece of an animal that has died for you and your taste buds. No one denies that this food can and does taste delicious BUT isn’t it about time we stopped and took stock of what is happening in our own backyards. The slaughter houses work 24 hours around the clock to feed the global hunger machine so that we can gorge on the flesh of some poor creature that cannot speak or defend itself and that waits trembling in line to get an electric shock in its head or a bullet in its brain – or gasps for air as it thrashes around in nets as the fish are taken out of the sea and their natural habitat. If its Halal or Kosher the poor animal gets its throat cut and the blood drained - for what? 

Cows have families too - they love their calves just as you love your children - but your children don't get their throats cut for food do they?

Elephants get killed for their ivory tusks; Rhinoceros hunted nearly to extinction for their horns to satisfy far-eastern cravings for so called cures and aphrodisiac’s that don’t work – how many mink and sable get skinned alive to satisfy the fashion industry – its enough to make anyone with a heart cry in despair.

WHAT ARE WE DOING?

For goodness sake can’t we see the suffering we are causing?

This terrible suffering can only be described as GENOCIDE inflicted on the animal population across the world.

WE must stop this – the human race is the greatest killer the world has every known and that is before we consider how we kill one another in wars and incidents that horrify us every day as we look at CNN or the BBC News broadcasts. We are good at killing aren’t we?

Hunters who proudly show off the Moose, Elk, Stag, Fox, Rabbit, Hare, Pheasant, Partridge or whatever poor creature has been shot, trapped, skewered and killed. Any idiot can shoot an animal with a high-powered rifle or shotgun. You don’t have to be a genius to point a rifle - any fool can do it – but what about the consequences?

Peking Duck or Crispy Duck sure is tasty - no question - BUT - one of these little fellows - maybe a bit older - gets killed to ratify our food cravings.

Until we humans realise that to kill any person, animal, fish or any sentient being is a terrible crime and one that will have a terrifying effect on your karma and life to come. Do you really believe that there is no comeback – “we reap what we sow” and until we all realize that stamping on ants or swatting flies no matter how irritating is wrong. We’ve all done it – swatted a mosquito or maybe you’ve hunted or fished and thought nothing of it. But the horrible truth is that we have to stop killing and we have to stop it NOW.

I’ve heard people say “animals are there to be killed and eaten” WRONG TOTALLY WRONG – all creatures make up the eco system that makes this world the amazing and wonderful place that we all live in. Humans don’t need all this animal food – its been proven time and again that the waves of cancers and many illnesses are caused by what we eat – of course there are other factors – stress, life style, pollution, genetic illnesses but there is no question that what we eat is largely what we are and what we become.

Yes, some countries eat horses - they do.....

Many of you will not believe in reincarnation – you will have been brought up to believe in the superiority of the human race over animals – maybe you believe that you are more important that other humans because they have different beliefs, different religions, come from a different tribe or nationality – WRONG AGAIN – we are all interconnected – think about it – if you don’t have the trees and forests we won’t be able to breathe – that’s pretty basic enough isn’t it? Bees & Birds pollinate – the cycle of birth, life and death is all around us - facing us every day. Without the sun and moon and rain we wouldn’t have the trees, crops and plantation that provide us with incredible food and everything from fuel to paper – you name it?

Everything you can think of is interconnected – there is no real entity that stands on its own – how long would you last if you couldn’t breathe? How would you build your homes without wood and all the bricks, stone, sand, cement, glass you need – how do you get bricks, sand, cement etc? How do you get the wheat, noodles and rice you eat – how do you get the heat and light you need – the point I am making is that we all contribute to one another – we all need one another and the eco system that exists on this planet. If we continue to murder hundreds of billions of animals and fish as well as killing one another every year – as well as systematically destroying the environment – there won’t be a human race much longer!

Shouldn't this lovely goat have a life too?

The idiocy of the human race that thinks it is so clever is slowly but surely destroying its own eco survival system – of course there are many wonders and fantastic things that the human race has positively contributed to our world such as medical advances – the stamping out diseases such as smallpox, the bubonic plague, polio and so forth but they are still all lurking there ready to strike – and with super viruses multiplying and threatening all of us we must take a long hard look at who we are and what we must do.

I have written many times in my Blogs about how everyone suffers and that happiness can be achieved. This is a mantra that I will come back to time and again – simply because WE CAN ACHIEVE HAPPINESS and WE CAN STOP SUFFERING.

Regular readers of my Blogs will forgive me for stating again the basic human mantra

LOVE, KINDNESS, CARING, CONSIDERATION, COMPASSION, HEALING are the only things that matter and bring HAPPINESS

IGNORANCE, DESIRE, EGO, JEALOUSY, HATRED, KILLING, INDOCTRINATION ('my beliefs are right, everyone else is wrong'), GREED, POWER - cause SUFFERING - they are all intertwined and show that people have lost the ability to THINK CLEARLY and OBJECTIVELY but above all else to be in control of their MIND

Think about it - MIND IS EVERYTHING it dictates who you are - what you do - what you say and how you act.

Most people let their MIND CONTROL THEM - instead of you controlling your mind. The first thing we can do is to STOP KILLING and realize that we cannot achieve happiness for ourselves and families if some of this so called happiness is based upon the killing of billions of animals.

You may not want to become a vegetarian – OK that’s your choice  - but please think long and hard next time you want to order that rare Filet Mignon Steak or Chicken Vindaloo – remember a cow or chicken has died to get you that steak or curry – a living, loving creature that hasn’t hurt a fly has been killed so that you can wallow in some momentary pleasurable pursuit. 

When you enjoy Lobster Thermidor remember that a Lobster has been thrown into a pan of boiling water to die a horrible death by any standards so that you can mindlessly enjoy your dinner. Remember the Sea Bass or Sole you so enjoy was gasping for air and dying horribly in the fisherman’s net – you don’t care? Well you should because if reincarnation is real – you may come back as a cow or fish – We are all part of the cyclical cycle of life and ultimate suffering that we all experience – Why? Because we are born, we grow old, get sick and we die.

When we die many of you may believe that we go to sleep and that is it – but what IF there is a life after death? Doesn’t it make sense to try and live a good life? Christians believe that they will meet their God and maker and be judged by the way they have lived – Muslims believe they will face Allah on their judgment day – what will God or Allah say if you have killed people or hunted animals? What will God say to a suicide bomber – “Oh well done, you’ve just killed 40 school children and mothers” – do they really believe they will go to heaven? IT’S IMPOSSIBLE.

We all create our own hell in this life by our own actions - We can only begin to find true happiness in our lives if we begin to cultivate kindness – caring – compassion and love for not only ourselves, our immediate families but for all humans and creatures – only when we stop to think carefully what we are doing and saying will we begin to appreciate that compassion, kind and loving thoughts bring compassionate, kind and loving actions and reactions – it is this that brings you happiness and everyone you come into contact with.

Your mind is what you are  – we are what we think - and when we begin to seriously realize this everything slowly but surely changes for the good.

When we stop to think about the pain, suffering and misery we are causing to 150 billion animals every year just to satisfy our lust for tasty food we are beginning the process of improving and making positive changes to our life and the happiness it can bring.

HOWEVER, TO START WITH - WE MUST STOP THIS HORRIFIC KILLING AND GENOCIDE OF ANIMALS

Some horrifying statistics:

When we talk about 150 Billion animals slaughtered each year these numbers do NOT even include the many millions of animals killed each year in vivisection laboratories. They do NOT include the millions of dogs and cats killed in animal shelters every year. They do NOT include the animals that died while held captive in the animal-slavery enterprises of circuses, rodeos, zoos, and marine parks. They do NOT include the animals killed while pressed into such blood sports as Bullfighting, Cockfighting, Dog-fighting, and Bear-baiting, nor do they include horses and greyhounds who were exterminated after they were no longer deemed suitable for racing.

The USA (2011 statistics)

10,153 million (nearly 10.2 billion) land animals were raised and killed for food in the United States in 2010, according to data extrapolated from U.S. Department of Agriculture reports. This is a 1.7% rise from the 2009 totals, larger than the 0.9% increase in US population, meaning that animals killed per-capita increased slightly.

The Breakdown:

Of the 10,153 million land animals killed, 9,210 million (91%) were chickens raised for meat, 464 million (4.5%) were chickens raised for eggs, 276 million (2.5%) were turkeys, and the remaining 202 million (2%) were cows, pigs, other mammals, and ducks and geese.

In addition to the 9,278 million animals who were slaughtered, the total figure includes the 875 million animals, or 8.6%, who died lingering deaths from disease, injury, starvation, suffocation, maceration, or other atrocities of animal farming and transport. It should be noted that the U.S. is a net exporter of both live animals and processed meat, so the number of animals actually consumed in the U.S. was less than the number killed.

The 10,153 million animals raised and killed for food in the U.S. in 2009 accounted for 98% of all land animals abused and killed in the U.S. An estimated additional 200 million land animals were killed in biomedical experiments, by hunters, by furriers, in pounds, or as “pests".

2011 Projections, Industry Speculations and Aquatic Animal Estimates:

Based on January-August 2011 USDA slaughter numbers, it is projected that the number of land animals killed in 2011 will increase an additional 1% from 2010 numbers, rising to approximately 10,266 million animals. Fortunately, due to increased feed prices and sinking domestic demand, Bloomberg.com is speculating that there may be a 5% drop in animals raised for food in 2012!

While the number of aquatic animals killed each year is not reported, meticulous calculations by researcher Noam Mohr estimate the number of finfishes killed each year for US consumption to be 13,027 million, and the number of shellfishes to be 40,455 million, resulting in a combined 53,481 million (over 53 billion) aquatic animals who died for American consumption in 2010.

In Personal and Global Terms:

Per-person, an average American meat-eater is responsible for the suffering and death of 28 land animals and an estimated 175 aquatic animals per year, totaling over 15,000 individual animals over a 75 year lifespan.

Globally, the number of land animals killed each year for food has exceeded 65 billion, according to conservative U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization figures. Aquatic estimates are unavailable.

To conclude:

We have to begin the process of educating our children and grand children about the horrors of the slaughterhouses and what we are all doing to support the terrifying deaths of these animals and sea creatures that are murdered (yes murdered) each and every day of the year.

We truly don’t need to eat such quantities of meat and fish – the human body is better off without most of this – Happiness can never be brought about at the expense of another creatures or human life – killing is a terrible sin and if we accept the principle of “cause and effect” killing any creature large or small will have a devastating effect on your life – either now or in the future.

We have to see that by changing the way we think and act we can bring great happiness to ourselves and everyone we meet – this can have a wonderful knock on effect because you will influence others to carefully think about their lives and what they are doing and eating. A caring smile or kind thought can have an incredible effect on someone and if we start to think about those billions of poor animals that are slaughtered every year we will have begun a process that will have a profound effect on your life and those around you – as well as saving the lives and suffering of countless animals that have no say about their lives.

LOVE & COMPASSION BRING HAPPINESS

KILLING, HATRED & IGNORANCE BRINGS SUFFERING AND MISERY

Please join me and pray each evening before you go to sleep – that all creatures large and small may be safe and not killed  - and to pray for all those people and animals that have died and suffered this day.

Thank you for reading

Peter

KYLIE MINOGUE IN MOSCOW ON CHRISTMAS DAY! ITS TRUE!

                        KYLIE MINOGUE IN MOSCOW ON CHRISTMAS DAY - ITS TRUE!

Watching Kylie the other day on the popular BBC Graham Norton Chat show I was so pleased that Kylie is still at the top of her game and as popular as ever. I had the privilege of working with Kylie and her team a few years ago and I have to say she was an absolute delight in every way. Highly professional, but such an adorable person too. Her team were also a joy to work with - a very enjoyable and rewarding experience - but on Christmas Day?

IT'S TRUE - I wrote this blog awhile back, but I was asked recently by a colleague - "Have you ever worked with Kylie"? I am often asked this question, and the answer is YES - and for those that haven't read of this exhilarating experience - please read on:

One of our team at that time Victoria Druyan came to me with a truly unique challenge - could we book Kylie Minogue for a private event for a major oil company in Moscow, Russia at a theatre next to the Red Square, opposite the Kremlin on Christmas Day!

I can't remember exactly how long we had to put this together, but it was literally only a few days! Not an easy task by any means -  When Victoria and I began to discuss this we thought it would be impossible - fortunately, I had a good relationship with Kylie's agent at that time Dave Chumbley (who very sadly passed away awhile ago) and the call was made.

Much to our amazement and relief Kylie, wasn't going to be in Australia, where she usually went to be with her family (Kylie was in Paris) and was interested, providing the fees and arrangements could be made in time. Well, as you can imagine to put all this together in days and with the Christmas holidays approaching fast this was going to be the challenge to end all challenges.

Hiring a private jet to bring the Kylie's team, dancers, technical crew from London and to pick up Kylie in Paris was just the beginning and not that easy for Christmas Day! Getting the Russian oil company to agree the contract, terms and conditions and fee transfers in time was only a part of this mountain to climb. Negotiations and contracts were put together with formidable speed - funds transferred amazingly quickly from Russia - incredibly this was going to happen!

We were also very fortunate that Paul Godfrey was available to come with us - Paul a fluent Russian Speaker, a leading show production expert and one hell of a nice guy, said he would come - Paul works with the Bolshoi Ballet and Opera as well as with the Mariinsky Ballet and Opera plus many other leading artists and special events including  Nelson Mandela's release concert at Wembley Stadium and the Royal Opera at the opening of the Baden-Baden Festspielhaus.

The stage was set, but could we get there? The weather was deteriorating by the hour - the airports were beginning to close down due to snow conditions and we had to get that plane in the air - I don't remember exactly now which airport closed - I believe it was Stanstead Airport but Luton Airport (or the other way around) was still open. Our team had gone ahead and were already in Moscow, which was also very cold and snow driven, but unlike the UK airports, the Russians always seem to keep their airports open throughout the worse snow storms.

With the weather getting worse and the window to get the private jet off the ground closing by the minute the team took off - as you can imagine to the huge relief to all of us in Moscow.

Everything was ready in Moscow - the hotel rooms booked, the theatre prepared - I remember with great amusement seeing the Russian stage crew sitting around back stage being hugely surprised and galvanised when Paul Godfrey spoke to them in fluent Russian - that shook them up a bit!

One interesting aspect was that we had to bring the Christmas Turkeys with us from London so that we could have a proper Christmas lunch at the Kempinski Hotel in Moscow for Kylie, her team and all of us - it was a joyous occasion and great fun. But that is jumping ahead - we were waiting at Sheremetyevo International Airport and were deeply relieved when the flight landed safely having picked up Kylie herself in Paris.     Limousines at the airport whisked Kylie and the team to the Kempinski Hotel where the rooms were waiting.

Back at the theatre there was an artistic situation arising because the oil company (NAFTA OIL) had also booked another girl artist Gerry Halliwell to perform and was taking up a lot of rehearsal time - we had a very tight and strict schedule to put everything together for Kylie at the theatre and rehearsal time was short - so with Kylie getting ready to be brought over the the theatre we had to get Gerry's rehearsal finished and off stage - not an easy task!!

As I mentioned earlier the theatre was just off Red Square (Krasnaya Ploshchad) in the centre of Moscow.  Red Square was looking sparkling covered in a coat of pristine white snow - The Kremlin walls can be daunting to look at with centuries of history emanating over the square - from Ivan the Terrible, Boris Godunov, all the subsequent Tsars to Lenin, Stalin, Khrushchev, Andropov, Brezhnev and Gorbachev - its hard not to be massively impressed by the grandeur and history that this place inspires - anyone with a passion for history can only want to gaze in awe at the East walls of the Kremlin, Lenin's tomb and of course the exotic and quite marvellous St Basil's Catherdral (built in 1561). Anyhow back to the show...

I have to say that Kylie was an absolute joy to work with as were her team - they were the nicest group of people, I think we had worked with in this concert and event industry - obviously deeply devoted to Kylie and fully understandable, because Kylie was truly lovely and so easy to work with.

The show went brilliantly with Kylie putting on a great performance with her dancers - the client was thrilled and to all of us involved, a huge sigh of relief that it had all gone so well. The Chairman of the Oil Company gave Kylie an enormous bunch of flowers after the show - I think the massive bouquet of flowers was taller than Kylie!

With Kylie and team speeding back to the airport and the private jet warmed up and ready to speed back to Paris and London it was another job well done.

Victoria Druyan went on to form her own successful event company - Paul Godfrey works today with both the Bolshoi and Mariinsky Theatres and other major artists - we continued to work with a host of international artists from Beyonce, Shakira, Mariah Carey, Elton John, Neil Diamond, Rod Stewart, Mika, Bon Jovi, REM, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Ricky Martin, Phil Collins, Jose Carreras, Luciano Pavarotti, IL Divo to musicals such as Cats, West Side Story, Zorro, Disney's High School Musical, and Stomp to name a few.

Happy memories of a wonderful snowy Christmas day in Moscow - watching Kylie last year on the BBC programme "The Voice" and seeing her bubbly, fun and inspiring self again last week - I would like to say what a privilege it was to work with her. Kylie is a real gem and all of us involved wish Kylie all the love and best wishes for her health, success and happiness.

Thanks for reading
Cheers
Peter

WAR, SUFFERING, HATRED - WHY? HAPPINESS IS THERE FOR ALL OF US

I wrote much of this article last year, but have come back to it because everything in the world appear to be getting worse not better. The horrors of the Brussels and Paris bombings, people's lives wiped out in a millisecond of appalling destruction by the sick ideology and ambition of ISIS and their hideous indoctrination of people who kill themselves and others in the belief they will go to some form of paradise! Despite this nightmare we have to believe that the human race is capable of rising above this horrific situation.

There is hope - there really is, BUT only if there is a major shift in the way we all think and love our lives. 

For those of you that have kindly read my blogs you will have noticed that in between regaling you with my music industry experiences, I come back time and again to the theme of subjects such as "Forgiveness", "Healing", "Compassion", Suffering", "Sorrow" "Kindness" and  so forth. I do this because above all else none of us want to suffer, do we? 

However, no matter how well intentioned we may be - we all suffer at some point in our lives. As I have written before: we all become sick; we all lose those family and friends that we love: and the one thing we will all do very successfully is to die! Its a salutary thought isn't it? Despite this apparently gloomy picture most of us also experience great joy in our lives and we can use this precious human life to bring great joy and happiness to others.

I come back to these subjects simply because every time we look at the world news we read or hear about even more suffering - why is it that the human race seems incapable of living in harmony, peace and respect for one another? AS I wrote above the ghastly nightmare of what has happened in Brussels and previously in Paris,  Killings in North Korea - the wonderful country of Syria torn apart in the most terrible way and the misery continues - Killings in Central Africa - Sunni and Shia hatred abound... - suicide bombings in Russia, School children shot in America, gun crimes, women and girls subjected to horrific genital mutilation - pedophiles kidnapping young children -  it goes on and on and on…

We kill millions upon millions of animals every week to satisfy the taste buds and desires of the human race - cows, sheep, goats, pigs all lined up day in and day out for death in some squalid, ghastly abattoir - every kind of fish and sea life vacuumed up from the oceans in their billions - whales and dolphins slaughtered - whole species wiped out due to pollution, human greed, de-forestation and industrialisation.

Not a very nice picture is it? The bottom line fact is that the human race is the greatest killer our world has ever known - and that is before we even discuss issues such as pollution and possible global warming.

Why does the human race do these things?

The answer is of course multi layered and it can be said that there are a million reasons - but ultimately it comes down to some very basic reasons:

PRIDE, IGNORANCE, DESIRE, EGO, JEALOUSY, HATRED, INDOCTRINATION ('my beliefs are right, everyone else is wrong'), GREED, POWER - they are all intertwined and show that people have lost the ability to THINK CLEARLY and OBJECTIVELY, but above all else, to be in control of their MIND. 

Think about it - MIND IS EVERYTHING it dictates whom you are - what you do - what you say and how you act.

Most people let their MIND CONTROL THEM - instead of you controlling your mind! I watch people on the streets mindlessly walking along looking at their mobile phones - youngsters glued to an iPad watching some television show or wiping out a zillion pop up characters in an online war game - how fast and how many "enemy" can you kill to "win"? Films extol the virtue of some hero who with incredible dexterity wipes out all the opposition - the media relentlessly feeds us with doom and gloom as well as imposing their ideas on how people should look - young girls reporting that they "hate their bodies" inspired by anorexic looking models that are paraded every day in front of them - young kids being prescribed with anti-depressent drugs - parents too busy living on their phones and via the lap top that they have forgotten how to speak to their children and themselves.... We have to take back out lives and out MINDS!!

I wrote in a previous blog about mind that: 'The more we assess mind - the more we begin to realise that your thoughts are ultimately what and whom you are - they dominate your life - every living moment is made up of thoughts one after another like a machine gun spitting out bullets from the ether. We cogitate, contemplate, ruminate, mull, muse, reflect, appraise, assess, judge, theorise, ponder, meditate, reason, debate, deliberate, opine, scrutinise, aspire, dream and act upon our thoughts'.

Until we start the process of teaching our children everywhere that positive, loving, kind thoughts and actions are so important to their lives nothing will improve - Why is someone grumpy and angry? Why is someone acting in such an unpleasant way? Why do I get so angry so quickly? All of these actions and thoughts relate to our own MIND - learn to think kind thoughts as much as possible and your life will change dramatically and with it the world around you.




LOVE, KINDNESS, CARING, CONSIDERATION, COMPASSION, HEALING are the only things that matter - then all this misery and hate will slowly but surely disperse.




As an example: When I read of Islamic Schools in Pakistan ONLY teaching young children to recite the Koran and nothing else whatsoever and then indoctrinating them into the hateful and destructive teachings of the fundamentalist and violent paths of the Taliban, Al-Qaeda and all those similar sects it deeply depresses and concerns me. This path completely ignores all the peaceful, compassionate and respectful teachings of the Koran - With no knowledge whatsoever of any other religions, cultures or concepts of love and peace - its frightening and desperately sad for these youngsters and for all of us. 




Perpetuating hatreds; inspiring suicide bombers to take life including their own has to be one of the saddest and most despicable acts anyone can make. To take any life is a tragedy and must be avoided at all costs - the Karmic effect will be devastating and even if you don't believe in Karma or reincarnation - surely you all want to live a happy and peaceful existence? However this blog is not just aimed at these schools - it applies to every part of the globe - Bad, harmful or hateful thoughts must be avoided - it is only by beginning the process of thinking loving and kind thoughts that we will begin to see a gradual but positive change in the world and IN YOUR LIVES. 




Children need to be brought up to respect all forms of life on this wonderful planet of ours - after all it’s our HOME for goodness sake. The words "I am always right and you are wrong in your beliefs" is utter nonsense and must be stopped – no one is always right and better than anyone else - RESPECT and COMPASSION for everyone is the only way forward to stop this decline into war, destruction and deep suffering.




I write these blogs to express my plea for all of us to achieve happiness for ourselves, but also for every living person and animal. Surely this is more important than the path of war, killing, maiming, wounding and suffering - think of the mental effect on everyone involved - how can a creed or any form of indoctrination be more important than life and love - this is NOT some whacky new age thinking - Surely it’s impossible to contemplate a life of killing and hate.

My prayer for all of us and every living creature on this planet of ours is that ALL OF YOU MAY BE FREE FROM SUFFERING AND THAT ALL OF YOU MAY FIND HAPPINESS

IS THIS REALLY SO DIFFICULT?

WONDERFUL QUOTES PART 2 (revised)

ELEVEN WAYS OF HELPING OTHERS

I found this list on a blog on Tumblr.com posted by Dancing Dakini

The list of eleven ways of helping others deeply impressed me and I thank Dancing Dakini for their wisdom and kindness in posting this list for all of us.

I have written my own thoughts under each line item and hope these are helpful - I should point out that my comments are very much my own and not those of Dancing Dakini, but I hope that our dancing friend will approve :)

1) Alleviating the suffering of others and offering assistance in their work

When we meet people we never really know how they are feeling - are they suffering in any way - are they in pain either physically or mentally - maybe they are feeling fine and happy, which is great - but the bottom line is that everyone we meet at some time in their lives will suffer - be it depression, loss of family and friends, illness, loss of a job or position, an unhappy marriage or relationship - there are thousands of ways that we can suffer, therefore when we meet anyone it is so important to think kind and loving thoughts about them - why? Because they are just the same as you and me - I know its not always easy to think like this  - you get a parking ticket and you want to shout at the traffic cop - someone at work takes credit for something you have done and you want to scream - a manager gets angry at you for something you haven't even done - believe me we've all been there! 

Its not easy to be kind and compassionate to everyone you meet, but we can try and it becomes easier every time you think to yourself this guy or gal may be in pain or is suffering - try to be maybe a bit more understanding and show a compassionate front whenever possible - your own happiness will grow and grow - there is nothing more important than helping others to find happiness in their lives - and it brings happiness to you too..

2) Teaching worldly or spiritual skills to others

This is never easy unless you follow a deeply spiritual path yourself - this point is NOT about saying I am a Jehovah Witness or a Shia Muslim or a Pentecostal member, Mormon, Catholic, Protestant, Shia or any organised religion saying you must join us! - What this means is entirely about your deep inner values and the things that are more important than anything else in this world - LOVE, CARING, COMPASSION, HEALING.

Its not about indoctrination into some sect or even mainstream religion - its about how you live your life and about how you relate to everyone you meet - Its also about how you look after animals and caring about this incredibly amazing planet we live on - if we do not develop our compassion towards all living beings from the smallest ant to the largest elephant - to the poorest humans to the richest and most powerful - caring for black, white, red, coffee or yellow coloured people - who cares what people look like from the outside - this is not a fashion parade. party prom or media frenzy - its what is inside you and everyone that matters. 

We all have blood, we all get hurt both physically and mentally from time to time - we all suffer - no-one is better than any other - when I hear fundamentalist Christians, Muslims, Jews, Hindu's or whomever shouting from the roof tops that they are RIGHT and THE ONLY PATH - this is utter nonsense - THINK ABOUT IT - the ONLY PATH is LOVE, CARING and COMPASSION - that is the heart and mind of any religion and of any human being - you can have faith and belief - that is your choice, but faith and belief WITHOUT a peaceful, loving, caring, compassionate path is no path at all.

Teaching people this, from a young age to old is a gift and a blessing to all sentient beings.

3) Returning the kindness we have received

This is so important - think of the love our mother gave us when we were a baby - I know there are terribly sad exceptions when babies are abandoned or treated cruelly, but most times a mother loves us completely and unconditionally - it is the most powerful love of all - and yet when that mother becomes an old lady and needs our help to look after her how many times do we read of abandonment in old folks homes - terrible loneliness, deprivation and cruelty - of course there are many loving families who look after their elder grandparents or great grandparents but it is so important to return the kindness we have received.

On a day to day basis even a returned smile matters - helping someone who has helped you - all these things matter enormously - they foster love and kindness in peoples lives and you can't do better than that. Bringing happiness is the greatest gift you can bestow on anyone - please remember this.

4) Removing dangers that threaten others and eliminating the causes of fear

This is not always easy but you would be amazed at the things people fear - it can be a fear of spiders or mice - or a fear of flying - a fear of speaking in public - a fear of crossing the road - a fear of open spaces - a fear of enclosed spaces - a fear of living… There are so many fears aren't there? People get scared of interviews; of making mistakes at work; of telling people they've made a mistake or done something wrong - we've all been there haven't we? 

Being there for someone means so much - helping people face their fears and helping them overcome them is part of the loving compassion that should rule all of our lives. It is a gift we can all give one another. Probably the greatest fear that all of us have is the fear of dying. Yet we rarely talk about this do we? Its something that is best not spoken about - we'll worry about that when the time comes - shove it under the carpet or the bed - pretend it doesn't exist and only affects other people not me! Well sorry guys its the one thing we will all achieve very successfully - that is dying. If you have the opportunity please read an extraordinary book titled "The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying" by Sogyal Rinpoche - it is an incredible read, quite fascinating and not scary at all - it is actually a joyous revelation and can be read by anyone of any religion, culture or belief (or non-belief). Suffering can be overcome and we can overcome this by following a true, peaceful and loving spiritual path based upon LOVE, KINDNESS and COMPASSION - they are all that ultimately matter.

5) Consoling others when they are in grief

This point is very easy to understand - when people are truly suffering - through maybe loss of a loved one - to console them and be there for them is so important - we all need support from time to time and the all important spiritual path of love, kindness, caring and compassion naturally flows into consoling and helping people at all levels of day to day life. Kind support from another human being can mean everything to someone who is sad or in pain from grief - it is in your hands and your power to help everyone - and it will bring happiness in the end to both of you. 

6) Giving material assistance to the poor

Its not always possible to help and assist those unluckier than us at certain times in our lives - we may also have money problems - how to pay for the kids schooling; that damned speeding fine; the roof needs repairing; the business is in trouble… However, whenever you can all of us should do everything possible to help those less fortunate than us.

I have met and worked with a number of multi millionaires over the years, some of whom have been incredibly generous, participate in and donate to numerous charities - and helping at ground level as an example by providing food and shelter for the homeless - but I have also met many who are like Scrooge and do nothing or very little to help anyone - its great to make wealth for yourself and your family but not at the expense of hurting people - you can only sleep in one bed, watch one television, drive one car! Its also a gift to take care of people as much as you can afford to. 

There is so much poverty and unhappiness around us - it takes only a little giving and kindness to make a big difference

7) Helping those who experience problems that come when they have anger or desirous attachment

That most devious of problems "attachment"! I have had numerous fierce debates over the years about "attachment" - what do we mean by attachment and how can it be such a problem to cause anger and distress? Quite easily if you think about it.

We all get attached to someone or something - people become obsessed and attached to their work to such a level that it can affect families, marriages, their health and so forth. How many people are attached to money and making more money almost to the oblivion of everything else - attachment to accumulating power - this could be political power or it can mean power over others in the home, works place, club or society. Have you noticed how some people become so attached to their pets almost to the exclusion of all else - Men and women become so attached to their partner that it can get to a point that causes terrible jealousy and protectiveness at a level that causes much distress, pain and anger. 

True love is not about ownership of someone to the point of entrapping your partner so that they can't even speak with someone of the opposite sex - how many people live miserable married lives - I call it MARRIED ALIVE!  You see it all the time - the controlling husband who won't let go of the television remote control - the wife who has to watch endless sport because their husband won't let her watch what she wants to see or visa versa!

Good loving attachment is one thing - but greedy, obsessive and hurtful attachment is deeply damaging and if you can help people who suffer from this kind of attachment by pointing out that loving someone is wonderful, but being so attached to that person or work, money, property, gold or whatever is so wrong if it causes anger, pain and hurt. Think about it!

8) Helping others in a way that is appropriate to their own views and customs. We need to offer help in a way that is relevant to the them that they can accept, without attacking their beliefs or views.

People need to be communicated with in a way that they can relate to - with so much immigration everywhere - the diaspora of cultures is hard to keep up with. We read of so called "honour killings" of young women who do not agree to an arranged marriage - or of the dreadful abuses of women in many societies including millions of young girls and women who suffer the appalling FGM (female genital mutilation) - how can we help these people and indeed those with a whole string of less brutal but no less worrying problems. Most of these issues are cultural and religious where lack of education, wrong information, abusive practices, social and family pressures can cause intolerable harm - so how do we deal with these problems?

Education is one important route but on a personal level it often helps to quietly but convincingly talk to these families or whomever is facing the problems and try to find a common path or ground upon which to talk - it is no good crashing in and saying you are "totally wrong" or "wake up you're living in the 21st century now" - this doesn't help - we need to always be aware of people's beliefs and cultural background - I suppose ultimately it always comes back to those basic but such important words - CARING, LOVE, COMPASSION, HEALING & KINDNESS  - with these words affecting your every day life and as a guide to your way of thinking and how you live your life - you can inspire and guide even the most virulent cultural blindness and violence - I don't pretend its easy but we all have to begin the path of teaching people the real values that matter - VIOLENCE, HATRED, JEALOUSY, IGNORANCE, "PRIDE" (I'M RIGHT AND YOU ARE WRONG), AVARICE will always cause terrible SUFFERING

9) Encouraging those who have entered correct spiritual paths and helping them continue their practice

"Correct spiritual paths" - this is so difficult to define and yet so easy.

I personally follow a Buddhist path of meditation, mantra and tantra because it is such a loving, kind and compassionate spiritual path - it brings peace and joy and happiness to me and hopefully for all sentient beings - you meditate to not only bring peace and happiness for yourself but you do this so that you can help all people to find happiness and to stop suffering. Having said this I am not trying to make anyone a Buddhist - that is solely your decision

Buddhism is not a faith system - the three so called great religions that came from the Middle East Judaism, Christianity and Islam have dominated our history - produced great teachers and saints or saintly people who were healers and brought great joy into peoples lives - but these religions have also caused more pain and suffering than anything else - hundreds of millions of people have died in the name of God. Isn't it about time that today billions of people live in peace and harmony?

Religion, whatever path you choose has to be about kindness, caring, love, healing and so forth - it cannot be about vengeance; domination; we are right and everyone else is wrong; do people really believe that God wants people to kill others? Its impossible - we are created equal as human beings and it is our duty to take care of others and the animals and planet around us - we have the brains, the mind and the responsibility this gives us. Not to kill just because someone doesn't believe in what you believe - this is unforgivable and we must eradicate this thinking but show the world that we care, we love and we want to bring peace, happiness and love to everyone - No this is not some whacky new age thinking - this is essential to the lives we live and without it I truly believe the human race cannot survive.

10) Helping those who have entered wrong paths and mistaken views to enter correct spiritual paths.

I think I tried to deal with this in (9) above - but the important criteria is to try and make people realise that when their teachings advocate any form of harm to any being - they must be made to realise that this is so fundamentally wrong. No-one has the right no matter who they are to kill or harm anyone - this is the basic law of humanity - all the religions clearly state this - but then mankind gets involved and in the name of God declare all kinds of laws and rights and wrongs - all man made and all in the name of God. It is terribly convenient to blame God for what men have declared - I believe in the human race but humans need to be educated to think for themselves - and to learn to think clearly and objectively.

I met a nice young man recently who declared himself to be a fundamentalist Muslim - we talked in a perfectly friendly way - he was a nice young fellow but after awhile he started saying things that made no sense whatsoever - "I hate music" - I hate dogs" - I said to him how can anyone hate a dog - or hate music - its hard to hate Beethoven's ninth symphony or  other glorious compositions - you can say you don't like a piece of music that's perfectly reasonable - but to say you hate all music makes no sense whatsoever - likewise "I hate dogs" - you might be a bit frightened of dogs, you make not be interested in dogs but to say you hate every dog is not only idiotic but makes no intelligent sense. He said these were the teachings -  well I am sorry all teaching can be questioned indeed they should be questioned because they were made by men and women - made by flesh and blood - I do not believe that any God that created all of us (if that is what you believe) would say "you can love cats and sheep and cows but not dogs"? People have to use their brains and not blindly believe some teachings that are so obviously wrong at every human level.

How can you hate a living and breathing creature - this brings into mind the statement that human beings are supreme - well we are not - all living creatures are important - without the trees and plants you wouldn't be able to breathe - without insects, birds and bees pollinating tress and plants you would have any of them and you would die eventually - I not a biologist but you get the point.

Everything is interconnected - without the moon, the sun, the rain and all of the supporting life that this wonderful plant provides us - we wouldn't be here - so damned well respect every form of life - this is logical and nothing to do with religion - but of course it has to do with religion - why because all religions teach love, caring, kindness and compassion - so please don't forget the most important thing in our lives - is to help others and to care for everyone of all creeds, cultures and colours - we are all one and it is our duty as humans to care for one another and this fabulous planet we live on - and never forget it please. 

11) Helping others by using whatever miracle powers we possess.

Last but not least in this eleven point list - what miracle powers do we possess? We possess the most amazing powers to help and heal - we have our MIND and this is such a powerful thing if used with love and caring. I wrote a long blog on MIND last September so I won't go into great detail - but we have the ability to achieve great things - and that goes for all of us. Our love and compassion can bring peace and happiness to people and animals

We have the ability to heal - there are numerous books on this subject but we know that everything in this world is ENERGY - everything is made up of atoms and quarks and other scientific names at different levels - the atoms in a table or chair are not the same structure as those in humans but they exist - I'm no physicist so forgive my rather feeble attempts to explain energy - however, it is a fact that everything is energy and we can use this energy in positive, loving and healing ways - MIT, Yale, Harvard and other leading universities have done major research into energy levels and how we can heal ourselves of the most virulent diseases - Meditation is a proven route to bring peace and healing to each of us and that has nothing to do with religion - but is a spiritual practice to heal ourselves and others.

This is not the blog to go into great depth into these issues but I pray that all of you will think about what we do every day and how we can use our tremendous powers of our mind, creativity, love, compassion and kindness to bring some happiness and peace into this troubled world of ours - please think before you explode in anger - please think about the suffering that people go through - please think about how you can bring some happiness to everyone you meet - that is a real spiritual path

Thanks for reading

IN LIBYA? LIONEL RICHIE, JOSE CARRERAS & THE VIENNA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA IN LIBYA AT COLONEL GADDAFI'S COMPOUND IN TRIPOLI - ARE YOU MAD?

LIONEL RICHIE, JOSE CARRERAS & THE VIENNA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA IN LIBYA AT COLONEL MUAMMAR GADDAFI'S COMPOUND IN TRIPOLI - ARE YOU MAD?   I suppose the answer to that is YES!

                                                (Lionel Richie)

As I look at the appalling situation in Libya today, I reflect on the day that we presented a wonderful concert in Tripoli a few years ago. Here is how it happened:

I received a phone call early March 2006 from my dear friend Elissa Murtaza at that time founder and CEO of Mirage Promotions the number one concert company throughout the Middle East based in Bahrain and Dubai (later becoming Live Nation Middle East) - asking me whether we could find some artists to perform in Libya as part of a United Nations Peace Concert to be held in Colonel Muammar Gaddafi's compound in Tripoli, Libya.

Well, I had received some strange requests in my time, but this beat the lot!  Colonel Gaddafi; his personal compound in central Tripoli; Libya - all the political implications - no forget it – it’s impossible.

Despite the obvious objections and concerns there was one redeeming factor – this event had the approval of the United Nations (UN). The event was to be planned as a peace concert in memory of the 40 people who died including Col. Muammar Gaddafi’s adopted daughter Hanna, when President Reagan ordered the bombing after accusing Libya of involvement in the bombing of a nightclub in Berlin. The bombing took place on April 15^th 1986 and this concert was the 20^th anniversary of this sad occasion.

The concert was to be held in front of the ruins of the building that had been bombed and was in the same condition as the day the bombs fell. Needless to say this was a daunting task.

First of all we wanted to make sure the UN had approved of this high profile concert and were giving it’s blessing. It didn’t take long, we soon received a letter from UN confirming this – but how to get a major artist to perform – that was the question?

The initial request from the Libyan authorities was for Elton John (I was told that they had discovered Elton was gay) and took back that request and Luciano Pavarotti. As it happened  they both were not available on the dates concerned – So Elissa and I put our heads together and she went for Lionel Richie (via CAA) being one of the most popular artists in the world and a hell of a nice guy too. I went for someone to replace Pavarotti and after some pretty tough talks secured José Carreras via Rosi Pritz in Vienna and the Vienna Symphony Orchestra.

                                                (José Carreras)

I was amazed we had succeeded to get two great artists to perform, but the UN backing and support was critical in this matter – if we hadn’t had that this the event would not have happened. But now we had to manage the concert from staging, sound, lights, travel, hotels, visas, catering, dressing rooms – you name it!

Monica Hamill (from our London office) and I flew to Tripoli and met up with Elissa who had arrived earlier the same day at the only major hotel and awaited the artists. Needless to say booking a symphony orchestra into hotels is never easy, let alone in Libya! 

I went straight to the site of the concert and had to go through numerous security checks – I don’t think I have ever seen so many Kalashnikovs and machine gun towers – and this was supposed to be a peace concert!

Gaddafi’s compound was enormous, surrounded by high walls and watch-towers manned by troops. The compound was covered in grass and trees, with Camels strolling around – there were what appeared to be air vents that popped up from time to time like large man made flowers or maybe periscopes. I had the feeling there was a whole city underneath us, but I could never see anything to prove this.

It was my first sight of the house that had been bombed and it was a sad sight by any standards – broken walls, staircases, furniture, tiles everywhere – lives taken in a flash – what a waste and terrible tragedy – its always the innocents that get hurt somehow (of course all this was taking place before the subsequent demise of the leader Colonel Gaddafi). However, what worried me most at that moment, was the tall statue of a big fist crushing an American jet that was situation immediately behind the stage plumb in the centre where the artists were to perform.

(The fist crushing an American jet - towering above the stage, with the bombed house next to the stage)

I was incensed, deeply concerned and immediately called Elissa back at the hotel home base camp. We had to get this statue covered – how can we have an American Artist Lionel Richie and for that matter a world star such as José Carreras performing a peace concert directly in front of a statue of a massive fist crushing an American jet?

Endless talks went on with the organisers about this issue and we were promised everything would be fine – so I headed back to the hotel. We spent a tense night because we were putting artists and orchestra musicians into their rooms. I don't think any of us slept very much - too much tension.

We were up early the next morning and the stage build up continued – so did our discussions regarding the “big fist” – tents were erected on site as dressing rooms and one of those large camper vans (home on wheels) appeared as one of the dressing rooms, which had to be cleaned - one of the joys of producing a concert!. Jose Carreras, arrived, met at the airport and whisked to the hotel suite. Lionel Richie arrived by private jet later that day from Los Angeles.

The next day – the day of the concert things were getting more and more tense – because the issue of the “big fist” was not getting resolved. I went early to the site again and stood on stage insisting that this statue be covered – by now everything was getting worse – I saw Gaddafi get out of his Range Rover and stare at me from short distance – Gaddafi was surrounded by body guards and everything was looking increasingly ugly. I thought maybe this is where it all ends - they can shoot me, but those artists are not going on stage until this horrendous statue is covered. The Libyan team around me were getting frantic – Gaddafi did not want his statue covered – well tough shit – I wasn’t going to allow the artists onstage until it was covered and Elissa said the same. We had to stand firm, but it was getting very scary.

                                           (Lionel Richie)

In the meantime, a big tent had been erected for Lionel Richie’s dressing room and we were asked if this was OK for Lionel – I remember us saying the tent is lovely, but its empty – can we please have some chairs, a table, hanging rack for his clothes and maybe a mirror? How about some food and drink (as per the contract technical and personal rider) - Lionel doesn't eat grass! In the end the tent got furnished in some way – probably the oddest dressing room Lionel has ever worked with - I had been blessed to work with Lionel a number of times and he is one of the easiest and most friendly artists, we had ever worked with.

By this time Lionel had arrived, he very kindly agreed to attend a press conference at the hotel, which was covered by local television and some of the world’s press – Reuters, CNN, BBC etc. I made an introductory speech, saying wonderful it was to be in Libya and in memory of Gaddafi's adopted daughter and others that had been killed - a peace concert in rememberance and for the future.

Back to the site – we still hadn’t got this bloody statue covered. About an hour before the artists were due to arrive, we got the statue covered, but everyone around the stage (at least the Libyans) were obviously very frightened. We were very worried too - Elissa, Monica and I were at our bulldog best – shoot us if you like, but come hell or high water, that damned statue gets covered or no concert!

                                                (José Carreras)

The artists arrived – the audience arrived, who had been seated in a huge tent having dinner before the show. When everyone was seated in the performance arena, we were welcomed by Gaddafi’s model daughter Aisha (known in the western press as the Claudia Schiffer of North Africa) – we had an Arabic speaker with us, so we knew what Aisha was saying which wasn’t complimentary to all of us non-Libyan party - in fact it was damned well rude – this peace concert was looking less and less peaceful. 

However, we needn’t have worried, Lionel Richie came on stage with his trio of musicians and knocked out the audience who waved and sang and clapped to his songs – Lionel left the stage to rapturous applause – a short interval and then the glorious voice of José Carreras backed by the superb Vienna Symphony Orchestra – the problem was that the mainly Libyan audience didn’t understand opera, so many of them left! The VIP's, Ambassadors and press rightly adored Jose's performance – he is such a marvellous artist and professional – he sang magnificently and the show was successful and we and the artists had done our job in the most difficult circumstances.

After the concert was over – everyone left leaving Elissa, Rosi Pritz who had come from Vienna, Monica and I to take care of the musicians of the orchestra (Lionel and Carreras had gone back to the hotel and in Lionel’s case he flew straight out later that night). It took us hours to get the coaches and everyone back and all their instruments in open air trucks. We obviously, weren't flavour of the month after the statue issue!  Exhausted, but happy that this event had taken place – I think we got some sleep that night, but not much – we all left the next day deeply relieved that this concert had taken place and that we had survived. I remember sitting on the British Airways flight to London, being very relieved we were out of Libyan air space!

                                        (The Vienna Symphony Orchestra)

It was only later than we learned that most if not all the Libyan team were put in prison after the show – no doubt because of the “Big Fist” being covered and Gaddafi being most displeased. What a nightmare - it is our understanding that they were all released after a couple of months - they had been helpful and welcoming and they should not have endured this nightmare. Lionel Richie received some flak in the US press for having performed in Libya, however, the United Nations had approved this "peace concert".

When we learned some time later that the civil war had started - more pain, misery and suffering for the people of Libya ending in the capture and death of Muammar Gaddafi. I don't think anyone of us was very surprised at what developed in Libya. However, the Libyan team we had worked with, were wonderful, welcoming and highly professional and the way they were treated after the event was an absolute disgrace. Despite what we had experienced, an extraordinary moment in history – probably the only UN endorsed peace concert that ever took place in Libya under the eyes of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi - We survived it - and the music filled the air that hot balmy night in April. 

April 18, 2006

BBC NEWS Reported:

Libya has marked the 20th anniversary of the US bombing raids on Tripoli and Benghazi with a high-profile concert.

US soul singer Lionel Ritchie and Spanish tenor Jose Carreras performed in front of the bombed house of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi in the capital.

About 40 people died in the attacks on 15 April 1986, including Col Gaddafi's adopted daughter, Hanna.

President Ronald Reagan ordered the strikes, accusing Libya of involvement in bombing a nightclub in Berlin. Two US soldiers and a Turkish woman were killed and least 230 people injured in the explosion.

Compensation

The BBC's Rana Jawad in Tripoli says the anniversary of the raids on Libya was marked in a surprisingly festive way.

A crowd of diplomats, businessmen and politicians was brought to their feet, with soul veteran Lionel Ritchie dominating what was called the "concert for peace".

"Hanna will be honoured tonight because of the fact that you've attached peace to her name," Ritchie told the audience.

In 2001, a German court ruled that the Libyan secret service was responsible for the Berlin attack.

Tripoli has agreed to compensate victims, but refuses to do so for the US families saying Libyans also had a right to be compensated.

Relations between Washington and Tripoli began to improve in 2003 when the Libyans renounced weapons of mass destruction. The US has now lifted most of its sanctions against Libya.