First and foremost, Jim was a spiritual seeker. He worked tirelessly to further the teachings of GI Gurdjieff and the lineage holders of Tibetan Buddhism, principally HH The Dalai Lama. He recognized the indispensable need for humanity to awaken and did his best to bring truth and compassion to all his endeavours, particularly on behalf of the environment. The world was a better place because of Jim.
An extraordinary and timeless being. Who met other remarkable beings traveling deep into the 4th Way. Understood the permanent I.
When I was about six or seven years old, I was introduced to my very handsome cousin, Jim George. He had come to visit my family and gave me a gift. It was a darling, yellow and white, china cat cream jug. This became one of my treasured possessions and started my life long feeling of deep affection for this very special person in my life. Getting to know Jim better was a gradual process as we were not in contact very often. I was intrigued by his career as a naval officer and later as a diplomat in the Canadian Foreign Service. I always thought of him with great interest and respect. After Jim returned to live in Toronto I got to know him better. His interest in the eastern religions fascinated me, and sparked my interest in Buddhism. Although I was mystified by his involvement in the work of the Russian philosopher, Gurdjieff, I continue to try to understand it. Jim and I have had a few discussions about man's spiritual nature and talked about our own spiritual experiences. He helped me realize how real and special these experiences are. He was a brilliant and very gentle man. He cared deeply for the state of our planet Earth. He tried, through both his actions and writing, to urge his readers to wake up to the climate emergency we are in and to actively do something about it in order to help preserve human life. Jim will be missed by all who knew him. My sincere condolences go out to his wife, Barbara, and to his family.
I met this impressive statesman when he was ambassador to India and I was travelling there with my sister Karen who was a CUSO volunteer at the time.
God bless you Jim!