First of all, let me say that I have never been a fan of Michael Jackson, simply because I was not familiar with his music. The inescapable fact is that he was omnipresent in the media. Unfortunately, stories did not focus on his apparent talent, but rather who his friends were, and the growing number of surgical operations he underwent to change his appearance.
Last night, I watched the “first” of the television coverage (for me). I turned on “Dateline,” in the evening, and saw the review of his memorial service that had happened earlier in the day in Los Angeles. The service featured impressive accolades and tears, big-name stars, and music, as the gold casket covered with red flowers sat at the front of the hall. The whole event was “Michael.” His image was projected, time and again, and I could see why he had so many adoring fans. In his earlier photos, he has an almost effeminate, vulnerable demeanor. One image, an illuminated view of Jackson, strongly resembled Christ on the Cross.
As a youth, he was very cute and very talented. As an adult, he was his own person, with a unique look, a super dance style, and he was a composer as well as a singer.
In spite of his success, he appeared to be a very troubled individual who did not quite like himself. The doctors who operated on him so many times, for no reason at all except his vanity, if the media is to be believed, should be ashamed of themselves. I suppose anyone will do anything, if the price is right, no matter how outrageous. Before our very eyes, he was disfigured in an irreparable manner, and in recent news footage, he looked gaunt and worried, at a trial in which he was acquitted of child molestation charges. Seeing him going to and from the courthouse was like viewing a specter of his former self.
When someone dies, it is true that we often want to forget their problems on earth, in the hope that they have achieved peace in a higher state of existence, namely, heaven. I don’t know if “MJ” believed in heaven. With all of his money, he could not create heaven on earth. Apparently, he could not even create tranquility in his own life, and that is truly sad. For many superstars, the face they show to the world is not a true reflection of their private struggles.
A barrier to being happy is having an addiction to fame and/or money. Once the addiction is in place, there is not enough fame and there is not enough money … ever! Neither of those (gifts?) can save a person from himself. It seemed as though MJ may have been his own worst enemy. If he had realized just how much he was loved, would he be dead, now? There are many questions to be answered. More than anyone else, I am sure his close friends and family hope for some answers, so that they can better accept this loss.
Like Elvis, Michael Jackson died young. That can be a blessing. No one has to see him getting creaky, walking with a cane, or sitting in a wheelchair. The autopsy results are still not in. I would take a wild guess that he was not a victim of anyone else, only himself, and perhaps inadvertently. If fans are mourning, I believe that they are sad to lose the “image” that Michael Jackson presented to the world. His unique talent has been removed from us. In the end, to the casual observer, he seemed to be a tragic figure. If he were 92, would thousands be sad at losing him? Somehow, we always mourn the most those whose young lives are cut short, unexpectedly.
Fame and money are false friends. Like life itself, they will leave you. People only live on through the memories of those left behind, and even that is a fleeting state when those people are no more. Oh yes, buildings and highways are sometimes named for famous people.
No doubt, Michael Jackson was a super star! He has left behind videos, recorded music, and children! I appreciate the fact that he helped to open the door of opportunity for others, by paving the way with his own actions. All of these things comprise his legacy.
Having achieved all that he did, we have to give thanks for his life, but not more so than for any life, even that of a sparrow, for all that live on God’s green earth are special in their own right. Always, when we acknowledge death, we think about what “could have been.”
“Do not stand at my grave and mourn – I am not here …”
Michael Jackson, “Rest in Peace.”
Patricia Cummings
Quilter’s Muse Publications
Tags: Michael Jackson
