Andy Gordon, musician and scientist, millionaire and pauper, master builder and clown, designer and webmaster, land developer, importer of gems, photographer, and dealer in antiquities. He was both a teacher and a student of philosophy, astronomy, geology, paleontology, and high energy particle physicis; a high school drop-out and a genius, the man nobody ever hated and everybody always trusted, an impossible combination; the rarest kind of person, not afraid of death but even more rare, not afraid of life.
Unlike most people, he never did a thing to try to fit in or be accepted or even seen — he was just naturally kind and caring and at home on this troubled planet. More important perhaps, he never brought judgment to others either!
Caring neither about looks nor status, he was able to be entirely present to each moment. Andy loved life, he loved his life especially, and he hoped for everyone else to find a way to make life full of joy. Being miserable was not tolerable, because life’s magic and majesty were too extraordinary to miss.
Andy read Siddhartha no fewer than a dozen times: not because he forgot its message, rather because he knew it was true. He studied Ramana Maharshi, lived on a kibbutz, was a beloved of Ram Das and Ma Jaya, and suffered many losses.
His album of spiritual songs, “Journey Inward,” proves his intentional mastery in matters spiritual, his album of love songs, “The Dance of Life,” explains everything we need to know about gratefulness, honesty, and the appreciation of beauty. And his album with renowned violinist Brian Silber called “Now’s the Time” brings us right up to date with the preciousness of every fleeting moment.
By attending to the qualities that Andy mastered and taught by example, we could have more laughter and joy, and bring into the world more of his wonderful traits.
– See each person as a unique expression of the universe.
– Find the joy in every moment and know it as a gift.
– Remember his song, “The good times come, the bad times come and go!”
– Slow down (watch fish!) and let that be enough
(more than enough).
Andy was, at last, a master of happiness. He said to a beloved that it was finally possible to remain in happiness even in deep pain, and it was the next day that he died.
– With deep thanks and respect,
Jonathan Back
