Over the past two days, you could feel the impact that his death has made, not only in the U.S., but throughout the world. Reading the news, it was evident that everyone was mourning, whether you were in Canada, France or China - whether you were 20, 40 or 80. Celebrities and common citizens, respected politicians to civil-rights leaders such as Rev. Jesse Jackson - everyone had something to say in remembrance of Michael Jackson.
When I think about his life, I am so saddened. There were many scandals that surrounded his life, but having become famous at such a young age and living a life in the spotlight for the majority of his life obviously shaped his life, and I can't help but feeling sorry. At the same time, he was an extraordinary person who took it in stride, and did great things with his talent.
Today, we are facing a time that is uncertain and almost scary. Our economy has tanked and is still tanking. Unemployment is about to go into double digits, and I see the direct effect personally, as friends are struggling to get jobs. There is a revolution in Iran, instigated by a possibly-rigged-election, and now innocent civilians are being arrested, beaten and even killed because they are expressing their opinion. Pakistan is in a state of confusion with the Taliban running amuck; Afghanistan - who knows? We still have troops in Iraq, and after Obama made an annoucement that troops will be withdrawn, civilian bombs started going off again.
Despite all of this, the world paused with the death of Michael Jackson. Seeing pictures of people coming together from all corners of the world to celebrate his life and pay tribute, is touching. As people, we are always struggling with differences of others. We want people to be like us, and it takes something extraordinary to forget about the differences and remember that in the end, people are all alike. Michael Jackson proved to be this one similarity - one common interest, in this particular case. Forgetting the languauge barriers, the cultural differences and the political and social turmoil, people stopped to celebrate this amazing life, talent and person.
It's hard to put in words, but I guess my point is that, this person was able to touch millions and millions of lives, all over the world. And it's not just those die-hard fans. It's everyone, everywhere. He was a pioneer in music and was innovative. He was a breath of fresh air and light in a world that may be bleek and dark at times.
I think what gets to me the most is that, as a person who wasn't a huge fan, I still knew his songs. .. and so did millions of others, even those who didn't know English. and If they did, it was because they knew his songs.
He was able to reach out and impact lives of not just those who liked music, pop, or dancing - it was everyone, from prisoners in the Phillipines who were inspired by Thriller to come together and do the dance, to musicians and artists whose success in the industry can be attributed to Michael Jackson.
He was able to bring people together and make a community through his music.
What makes me sad about his death is that he was about to have a come back tour. He was practicing, and the tickets that were already on sale were all sold out. The tour had to be extended, with more dates and venues added. I hope he knew how great he was, and that he will not be forgotten.
His music will live on forever, and so will his spirit, through those who are inspired by him and his work.
May you rest in peace, King of Pop, Michael Jackson.
http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1907366_1903247,00.html
No comments:
Post a Comment