Coquitlam's James Khoo believes everybody could use some 'Love, Peace and Harmony' in a world persistently being torn up emotionally by political strife, war rage and natural disasters.
An he has an idea how to achieve it: Sing.
After reading a book recently by Chinese doctor Zhi Gang Sha while visiting a friend in hospital, the 75-year-old Khoo looked more into the author's background and discovered a song he composed that strikes the precise chord of global unity and greater good for which he forever longs.
So he wants people to sing Love, Peace, Harmony and not just a small gathering of vocalists. He's helping to search for 1.5 billion of them.
Starting April 7 and continuing each Thursday through the rest of the month - and including May 5 and 12 - Khoo will begin on a far smaller, 40-capacity basis and orchestrate the tune from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. for anybody wishing to join him in Room 'B' at Coquitlam's Evergreen Cultural Centre (1205 Pinetree Way).
Love, Peace, Harmony is a mere four minutes long, Khoo informs, with the chorus being the obvious repetitive theme.
"The song is a simple song," said Khoo, a native of Malaysia who arrived in Canada 22 years ago. "The idea is to [put] the emphasis on love. There's too much hate and we're trying to change the consciousness of humanity."
Khoo said the song resonates with neither a particular religious nor political belief and is to be absorbed for basically what its title offers.
"There's only one language for spirituality and it's a soul language," the former school teacher said. "As human beings, we are one. We hope the frequency and vibration [of the song] will change people's thoughts."
Ill-will such as greed and selfishness are eating up a lot of good in the world, Khoo believes, and it better at least begin turning the other way soon.
"The world's in big trouble," he said. "It's going to get worse before it gets better. Unless we change the way we act, we're going to destroy ourselves.
"A human being is created to serve other human beings, not ourselves."
Khoo and other Dr. Sha supporters will introduce the song gradually over the next few years, on such wide-spread continents as North America, Europe and Asia, with the goal being 1.5 billion will sing it in 2015 on a declared international Love, Peace, Harmony Day to be determined down the road.
"That 1.5 billion is only 20 per cent of [the world's] population," Khoo said. "If you can't get 20 per cent of the world to sing, it's not good for the world."
The first and last 30 minutes of each of Khoo's two-hour vocal sessions will focus solely on singing Love, Peace, Harmony, with other songs to boost energy, stamina and vitality.
For more information, call 604-464-3681 or email [email protected].
