just wanted to share my answers to these questions prince posed on his site

1.Did u get a small case of post-Celebration blues when the event ended and Y?
2. Y do people of all backgrounds get along at Paisley Park, and not elsewhere?
3. In actuality, what r BORDERS? And y r they erased when the Funk drops?
4. The Celebration proved that people from various backgrounds can party 2gether Å\ but will we ever b able 2 worship in Truth 2gether?
5. Many say that oneÅfs own relationship with God is a Ågpersonal thing.Åh That being said, how would that work next 2: ÅgA family that prays 2gether stays 2gether.Åh? Just how big is r human family?
6. 2 say Amen at the end of a prayer simply means that u agree with the prayer. If someone had closed the Celebration in prayer, would u have bowed ur head and simply made up ur own prayer in ur mind?
7. What point is there 2 pray 2 different Gods if there is only one?
8. We hear talk of separation of God and StateÅc State of What? Mind? R the efforts made by certain members of society 2 remove God from State a sign of progress or regress?
9. Y have all of mankindÅfs attempts at creating UTOPIA 4 itself failed so far?
10. How can r society eliminate XENOPHOBIA?
11. 7 days of music, peace, and love Å\ and then back 2 the real world How real is the Ågreal worldÅh?
12. What is the difference between AGREEMENT and HARMONY?


my answers:

1. I did get a case of post-celebration blues because I wasn’t able to make it. My blues were based in knowing that I missed out on some nice musical experiences. But this is feeling that is plaguing everyone in our society: that there is always somewhere else where we think we should be.

2. Why do people of all backgrounds seem to get along at the CNE Fair, and not elsewhere? When someone of great stature throws a party under the name, "Celebration", and people that love this person’s music gather in awe of his talent and celebrity- they tend to act accordingly. Some sincere, some not. Not everything is perfect at Paisley or anywhere.

3. In actuality, borders are rigid constructions of linear thought. Borders don’t exist, nor does time, nor does any attempt to box in and measure reality. Are borders erased when the Funk drops or are we still dividing ourselves into the ones who have it and the ones who don’t. Who’s on the stage? I mean, there’s a stage, a leader, people who are clapping on the 2 and fo and people who can’t find it. It sure does feel great though when people hookup on the funk and unite in vibe and rhythm. But I think we got along way to go with breaking down illusory borders.

4. How can you expect everyone to have the same universal view as you. Claiming you have a monopoly on truth excludes any real dialogue or communication and promotes exclusivity and separatism not together-ness. Please understand, you are not creating a good vibe by coming out and basically saying, "All of you buddhists, taoists, hindu etc.. are wrong. If you don’t believe in God the same way I do, you’re wrong." What kind of attitude is this? It shows a lack of faith when people seem intent on convincing others they have the right way. I believe in Jesus, and am deeply inspired by sayings attributed to him(esp. gospel of thomas) but from direct experience I have to come a view of the universe and it doesn’t line up with yours. I feel you would have a problem with this . You’re right, how can we find peace in this situation…?

5. The thing is that human consciousness on the whole is not united spiritually right now. I don’t think the answer lies in everyone subscribing to the Jehovah Witness religion. Do you really think that religion works? Has it ever really worked? Were Jesus and Buddha part of a religion? They were trying to free minds of the type of mentality that clings to religion. I think that humans have to find a way out of the delusionary view of ourselves and our place in the universe. Who are you really? That true self, that true spirit- where does it lie. Is it your dictator or is it you? Does it feel better for you to relate to the spiritual essence of the world or identify with it? A family that truly surrenders to one another stays together. A family member who claims they are in the right spot and the others are not, hurt the other members.

6. If someone closed the Celebration in prayer, and that prayer had in it the insistence of obediance to a bunch of ideas of how things are, would it really be healthy for anyone to join in? I would join someone like Jesus in prayer. I wouldn’t join the Pharisees in prayer.

7. Here’s the real point. There is no point in praying to any one god or any multitude of gods if the individual hasn’t gotten past the concept of "God" being this or that, being one or many. Hindus believe God manifests himself in every single thing in the physical universe. Ancient Chinese also believed that God(Tao) was the natural love and energy behind everything, in everything. Jesus said, "The Kingdom of the Father is spread upon the earth and men do not see it." If one is busy encapsulating the truth for themselves they block themselves off from sincerely experiencing reality, which is infinite and eternal.

8. The state of man, in general, is cutoff from God. We live in a culture where most claim to be Christians but aren’t and don’t truly believe. The old mythological symbol of God doesn’t work in this culture anymore. It’s clear that you know this from the frustration felt in all of these questions. The fact that we are spiritually cutoff seems regressive. Sometimes it seems that the whole race has numbed itself with all it’s illusions, toys and dramas and are afraid to admit that noone here has a clue why we are here. What will it take for us as a race to become real enough that we STOP, admit we don’t have the answers, look up in the sky; honestly and wonder. Head towards enlightenment and TRUTH free from conventional thought…

9. Because it’s a double-bind to go about creating something all good.
It’s not the way the universe works. The intentions may be sincere in the beginning but once one uses their will to make things a certain way, the intention is offbase- based in desire and going against the grain. By trying to make things better we only make things worse. This is ever so apparent right now. American culture is sick. How come so many still believe in it?

10. Our society may be able to eliminate xenophobia by collectively coming to the understanding that everything is one, not just on an intellectual level but through deep feeling. We feel alienated from our fellow man because we have it deeply set in our minds that outside our skin is an outside world that isn’t us. We all breath the same air.
We are all connected; physically and spiritually to the point that I am you and you are me. We all come from the same december and in the end that where we’ll go.

11. True, the supposed "real world" is a world wholly based upon delusional views of the universe and our place in it. I don’t enjoy saying things that sound negative but I truly feel that our whole system: GOVT, judicial system, corporations, the monetary system, the haves and the have nots—it’s all off-base.

12. Agreement is of the mind and Harmony involves surrender of the soul. I was at your show and disagreed with some of the words you were saying but felt harmony with your vibe. Again tho, if you’re mind is even dealing with the ideas of agreement and harmony and whether or not it’s happening--- it’s not happening. True harmony seems to happen when you surrender with faith, not knowing or worrying whether the present will be harmonious or not.

Much love to Prince and the whole NPG crew. These questions were
refreshingly ultimate.

Peace,
Pb




www.paulbrownmusic.com

"What is the difference between AGREEMENT and HARMONY?"

Agreement has nine letters, whereas Harmony only has seven.

Blah Blah Blah

How bout "Let's Dig Deep Into Our Pockets." Where's my cd's!

pbrownfunk you say it like i wish i could

!!

mike conto's answers...

1.†††††† Did u get a small case of post-Celebration blues when the event ended and Y?
†
I wasnt there but the obvious answer is desire. If the event was joyful, you started thinking about it, didnt you? And then you wondered When will this happen again?, maybe you even started scheming about how you would do it. But I wont happen again. It is gone. Love (vibe) has no precedent, youre either with it or not, in the present moment, watching the sparkle in your friends eye.
†
2.†††††† Y do people of all backgrounds get along at Paisley Park, and not elsewhere?
†
Chances are that youre wrong, people do get along elsewhere. Assumption #1.† Someones background has actually nothing to do with the way they act Assumption #2, its all dependant upon how they use their energy, with love or without love.
3.†††††† In actuality, what r BORDERS? And y r they erased when the Funk drops?
†
Borders are illusory, as you seem to be pointing out. And hopefully the funk doesnt erase anything. World leaders try to erase borders and it is all violence, always.
†
4.†††††† The Celebration proved that people from various backgrounds can party 2gether but will we ever b able 2 worship in Truth 2gether?
†
That all depends on whether mankind can accept the reality that truth is not static, there is no path to it, and that it awaits all of us, nobody standing in our way other than ourselves, this very moment, this perfect, beautiful moment.
†
5.†††††† Many say that ones own relationship with God is a personal thing. That being said, how would that work next 2: A family that prays 2gether stays 2gether.? Just how big is r human family?
†
Human family, quite simply put, is just another border between us and where we belong; to be in harmony with nature. There is not human family other than the one that loves the earth and the universe and respects it, never placing his desires in front of the well-being of his fellow inhabitants.
†
6.†††††† 2 say Amen at the end of a prayer simply means that u agree with the prayer. If someone had closed the Celebration in prayer, would u have bowed ur head and simply made up ur own prayer in ur mind?
†
Am I being asked to bow my head or told?
†
7.†††††† What point is there 2 pray 2 different Gods if there is only one?
†
Assumption again...†that God is even countable. Dont be so foolish human, the language of numbers isn't that old.
†
8.†††††† We hear talk of separation of God and State State of What?
†
Semanticsdont try so hard to sound deep and people may listen. ††††
†
9.†††††† Mind?
†
The state is just a bunch of laws, like the bible. that people are expected to respond to, supposedly for their own benefit. But, the spirit wont have it for long, the soul of man is ALIVE not dead like words written in the past, what use has it for dogma or political brainwashing, it is the real thing already, only the books tell us otherwise.††
†
10.†† †R the efforts made by certain members of society 2 remove God from State a sign of progress or regress?
†
Well, our current political systems are actually derived from ancient religious hierarchical arrangements of power, with a leader being the King the people who must listen or else they will be punished. So in actuality, Gods will is being done on earth, isnt it, whether youre a thief who eventually gets caught, or a straight laced individual who never does anything wrong. Justice is such an important word these days, good for us.
†
11.†† Y have all of mankinds attempts at creating UTOPIA 4 itself failed so far?
†
Loaded question. Because he looks everywhere except within himself; he looks in books, Holy Scripture, drugs, alcohol, sex, nightlife and so forth. He tries to piece his happiness together with a recipe. But it cant work because if there is a you and I that must be satisfied, there will be conflict. The reason he has fail is simply because he cant forget himself, especially his need to be SAVED. From what I have no idea.
†
12.†† How can r society eliminate XENOPHOBIA?
†
If everyone stopped thinking they can change the world, that would be a start. Politicians, Artists, Military, Businessmen, they all think they have the answers to what ails everyone else. But their solutions are always too simple to deal with the complexity of human, or sentient, interaction. The world needs to be left alone. You fear others views, you fear that their mind is more important than your own, but youre hallucinating. Your fear is you and for the moment youve chosen the heretics as the symbol for your great dismay with existence. Why doesnt life mean something?. Then you go a try to change the world into something that is meaningful for you.
†
13.†† 7 days of music, peace, and love and then back 2 the real world How real is the real world?
†
This is just more semantics, my friend. The real world is all how much attention you place on it. You can be totally centered and focused on the present moment, or you could be dreaming about amazing music. Everyone comes to the realization that the real world is not what others TELL you. But obviously, you cant TELL someone this, can you? Heh heh They must come to it themselves, through themselves.
†
†
14.†† What is the difference between AGREEMENT and HARMONY?
†
Agreement is what you wish to accomplish. Harmony is the idea that youve succeed.†If you're looking at something and saying "there is harmony" you are looking at the past, that is where your mind is, which means you may not necessarily be in†harmony†with the present.†