More to Life
Even sadder is that MJ died unhappy. Saddened by all the negativity the world threw at him. Perhaps even a little depressed. How cruel the world must have felt to this man. Who never knew the life we all mostly lead. Paris Hilton has had a semblance of a “normal” life. MJ just never did. And to be a toddler and then an icon is a huge leap that is bound to cause out of touch with reality issues. Which MJ definitely suffered from. But we the world, who took his life and turned him into an icon before he was old enough to date, denied him a chance to ever hang out at a mall, go out to a bar with a friend, take a girl out for a date… the things that define us. The moments where we mark passages from childhood to adulthood. The transitions that help us understand growth has happened. For MJ it was one whirlwind of the sameness. Stardom. From toddler to forever. And then one day, the media woke up and realized they had the power to destroy. They tried it on an icon like MJ. I hope they are proud of their success. We as a society watched them, some of us cheering them on, others in protest. But MJ took it all in. Wondered why we had loved him so much and then hated him without any warning. And he had no real life experiences in between that to shield him from that blow. Cruel. That’s what we were to MJ.
So in his death, as the same media sings his praises, words they haven’t said of this man in years. His reality. His super stardom. His great contribution to the arts. All being highlighted in his death. I want to take this opportunity to remind everyone of this one thing; that the only time anyone ever needs your kindness is while they are living. And while it’s an awesome gesture to give it to someone’s memory, our real duty is to the living. Let’s try a little kindness, a little constructive criticism, a little corrective nudging, and completely turn away from the death blows we’ve learnt to cheer on from roof tops. Somewhere in this blog is a post titled “The Pontius Pilate syndrome.” Read it if you choose to. These are issues close to my heart.
And on that note, I don’t know who that pastor is; or is he a reverend? But the guy going around Kenya, where there were clashes getting people to confess and pray for forgiveness, I want to throw my full support behind what this man has achieved, what he is trying to accomplish and his method. I thank him for his initiative and I hope that many many many Kenyans will find peace and a new hope in their country from this man’s efforts. When I say a prayer tonight, I will remember to pray for this man to be successful in bringing people face to face with the truth of who they became, if only for a moment, and at the same time providing them with a means to make peace with it, forgive and start to heal.
