Because Mr. Wright had mentioned George Harrison and, earlier in our conversation, India, I was instantly reminded of Donovan’s autobiography and some of the other books I’ve read relative to George Harrison’s spiritual journey.  In those books, I read where “the Quiet One” was instrumental in introducing his band mates and Donovan to Eastern Philosophy.  I asked Gary if George had introduced him to the philosophy, as well.

“Yeah, I mean, George was my mentor, spiritually, when I first met him.  He was very much into Eastern Philosophy and he gave me a lot of books. I definitely became interested and have been practicing Yoga Meditation now for 35 years.  It’s dramatically changed my life. I try to live my life in a spiritual way, as best I can. That’s what’s great about it.

“In India they say, ‘Don’t accept the concept of God until you have actually had the experience of that.’ You get the experience through deep meditation. That’s what I’ve been doing for these last 35 years and it’s true.  It works like mathematics if you practice it.  It’s just a different level – it’s a different commitment thing that you have that manifests in all parts of your life.”

While discussion faith, I mention that I’m reminded of the great quote by Blaise Pascal in which he states something to the effect that we all have a God-shaped void in our being.

Wright responds enthusiastically.

“Absolutely! Especially with young kids now, because growing up without a concept of God is so hard with the world as it is now. With all the violence and all the negation, the drugs and all that’s around, kids are lost unless they have a fundamental concept of God or religion.  All the religions I see are all the many different rivers flowing into the same ocean. It’s which one you choose to take.”

In discussing the “lack of center” in kids today with regards to faith or even music that inspires action like there was when we were kids growing up, I comment that kids today seem aimless.

“You’re absolutely right. I think a lot of it is that there are not a lot of heroes like there were then - like Crosby, Stills and Nash and Joni Mitchell and Jackson Browne, and the Beatles, of course – people who had lyrical messages and people who stood behind them. 

“Now you find that the business is dominated by entertainers rather than songwriter/artist.  A lot of the artists don’t even write their own songs. It becomes trivialized. They’re great singers and they’re great dancers but they’re not artists in the true sense of the word in so much that they’re not writing a lot of their own material.  You’ll find some people who are. That makes it more difficult. 

“We live in a world with so much competition for the entertainment dollar with cell phones and video things, there’s very little attention span.  ADD is almost rampant as an epidemic amongst young kids. They’re over stimulated and they don’t concentrate.  They don’t sit down – well, you remember! You used to sit down and listen to an album and turn the lights down and totally get into it.  Now, you play one song and then on to the next thing, on to my widget, blah, blah, blah! It’s just so fast!”