| ||||
|
Arts & Entertainment Books Comics Health & Body Media Mothers Who Think News  PeoplePolitics2000 Technology - Free Software Project Travel & Food  Columnists - - - - - - - - - - - -
- - - - - - - - - - - - Current Click here to read the latest stories from the wires. - - - - - - - - - - - -
- - - - - - - - - - - - Also Today For a full list of today's Salon People stories, go to the
People home page. - - - - - - - - - - - - Search Salon - - - - - - - - - - - - Recently in Salon People Nothing Personal Brilliant Careers Nothing Personal Nothing Personal Column - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |
The art of the spiritual smackdown | page 1, 2
The Weekly Standard is a conservative, right-wing publication. The editors allowed that story to be published despite being told they were going to be given [opposing] evidence. But after we sued, they retracted. And they paid us $1.6 million. So I made some money there -- and I got the apology. Are you a Democrat? Yeah. Do you think that was part of it too? Yes. The Weekly Standard has constantly attacked anyone who's liberal. And that was part of the fact that the editors allowed it to happen. Now after the settlement and everything, I have very good relationships with people at News Corp. -- at the highest levels. We might even do business together. This was something that was not at the highest levels of News Corp. It was at the level of the Weekly Standard and down. Why do conservatives, especially fundamentalist Christians, take offense to you? You should probably ask them. But Mr. Pat Robertson has done television programs where he's called me Satan. But fundamentalists also fight other Christians who are a little more liberal than them. Their whole thing is fear-based, anyway. Are you more of a doctor or a spiritual leader? Neither. Right now I think of myself as a writer who is sharing his ideas in books, lectures and seminars. And there's a big segment of the population who relates to these ideas. But I'm never going to take on leadership. I don't have the slightest desire. One chapter of your book "The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success" deals with the law of karma. How do you think that karmic law applies here, in this lawsuit? It's teaching me great lessons. That I should not get upset. That I should be more patient and more humble. That I should learn how to go beyond emotional turbulence. So I think the laws of karma are working as clues and messages of love from some domain, telling me, "Deepak, relax! Take it easy! In 50 years we'll all be dead. It won't matter." Your public persona is of a gentle, nurturing, spiritual individual, and yet many people regard you as quite litigious and a real barracuda in the courtroom. Is there any conflict there? I think your primitive, primordial self emerges when you're attacked personally and you know it's a lie. Three days ago when I was in the courtroom, Mr. Friesen (Weaver's lawyer) started to distort what I was saying. So I looked at the judge, and said, "Your honor, he's trying to bully me." And before the judge could say anything, I looked at Friesen and I said, "You're a bully. Do you know that, Bully?" (Laughs) And the judge says, "Strike it. Strike that!" He didn't want the jurors to hear it. When someone's distorting your testimony because they want to make a million bucks, your survival instincts come out. But generally speaking, I'm not a barracuda, not even in court. Did you know that there are some journalists who are afraid to write about you, for fear of being sued? If they've written lies, they've been taken to task. Every time someone has written an outrageous lie in a malicious manner, they've had to retract it. But there has to be malicious intent. Everybody has a right to their interpretation, but when somebody willfully and maliciously lies then I think they have to retract it because otherwise it goes on your record. You seem to inspire extreme reactions in people -- they either really admire or dislike you. Why is that? I'm successful. (He sighs.) I'm very successful. People think I make a lot of money, but they don't realize that I spend a lot of money. But it's totally natural that when you're in the public eye there are some people who are going to love you and some people who are going to hate you. Your image is always going to be defiled, because the image is never going to conform to reality. Can I get a comment from you after the verdict? You can have it now. Either way -- if I lose or if I win -- the comment is going to be the same. And that is, "Everything is as it should be." We can't control the big picture. We can only try.
- - - - - - - - - - - - Sound off - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Search Salon | |||
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
