I have mixed feelings about everything including America which i think is normal and healthy. I tell you what really makes me sick is the phrase "american exceptionalism" the idea that we just start with the premise that we are better and so anything we do that benefits us is okay. I mean there's nothing more insane or inhuman than that. I am a huge fan of people. Most of them. And there are character traits that combine americans that I have enormous affection and love for. and there are things about americaNS and America that I don't like. I don't think it's a healthy attitude toward any group place or person to just love unconditionally to the exclusion of others without examining and try...[Read more]

I watched the Bin Laden thing, and you know, there's what's called the "conspiracy nuts" and whatever, and the thing that gets me is that when there is one little question, that makes you go, "What?" That we don't galvanize and say, "No, no, no, you're not allowed to say anything else until we cover this. Give me a straight answer, because flushing Bin Laden down the ocean, like he's cocaine, from The Goodfellas, it doesn't prove anything." You know, somebody like (Sean) Hannity would make me sound like a complete idiot if I went on his show and went, "He flushed him down the fucking ocean!" But, it's just, you go, "There's nothing that makes you go, what?"

It was a Sunday morning, and I was a young disc jockey in Miami Beach. Me and 3 friends of mine were going to drive up to Palm Beach, in 1958, we rolled up to Palm Beach in a convertible, I was driving, and it was a beautiful Sunday morning. And I was looking up, looking at all the beautiful homes, and suddenly I bumped into a car stopped at a red light. I was only going about 10 miles an hour. The guy in the car jumped out, walked over to me, and said "how could you hit me!? there's nobody on the road, it's a beautiful day, how could you hit me?!" and I said "I'm sorry, we were looking up, I apologize, do you want my license." And he said "no, I'm Senator Kennedy, I'm going to run for Presi...[Read more]

A lot of people seek out spiritual travel-sites without any ties to a specific religion: When they’re in Israel and they’ll go to the Western Wall and feel so spiritual there; a month later they’re in Thailand and they’ll go to a Buddhist retreat. They just glom on for a minute and play pretend.

I was about to interview him at the Open Your Heart In Paradise retreat in Hawaii in front of the entire retreat. We were back stage and he looked up at me and smiled and I said "I'm so nervous!!!" and he said "Me too!!!!!!!" and we laughed and it was just the best. I miss him so much!

the buddha said, when you're looking for water, don't dig six one foot wells, dig ONE six foot well. so, pick a practice and stick to it until it's time to shed it. i love Buddhism, Sufi, all that, but really my MAN is Ram Dass who calls himself a Christ Loving Hin-Jew!

I always go back to something Ram Dass teaches "We work on ourselves so we can help the people closest to us." I've gone through various phases of trying to "save" my friends and my attempts have at the very least been annoying and at the worst created temporary rifts. People really feel it when you've gotten to the place where you can actually listen to them without wanting to change them and paradoxically that seems to be the space that folks transform within.

Baha'is believe that the way to be the most spiritual is to be of service! So I try to be of service in what I do. Sometimes I just really believe in the project - and want to play the character - but I believe that making great stories and entertainment is a very valuable service. Soulpancake, a for-profit company, is also a service - providing uplifting inspiring content that helps bring people together!