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The Man in the Mirror |
| Posted on Jun 26 2009 |
The Man in the Mirror
I’ve just this moment heard that Michael Jackson is dead.
I’m not going to read the news. I don’t want to hear what they have to say on the television, and apart from a touching and insightful tribute by Deepak Chopra, I’m not going to get involved in any of the opinions and judgements that will undoubtedly be surrounding his death.
What I would like to do is reflect on what we have learned from this. Michael Jackson was an extraordinary talent, and today again raises the question about the impact of superstardom, and the relentless media scrutiny that comes with it.
From what it appeared, yes, he was a troubled soul, and perhaps he made some questionable choices along the way, but who are we to judge when we do not know anything for sure about his, or anyone else’s life?
Every day, I am left totally and utterly bemused by what society has become, this celebrity-obsessed culture, fuelled by the blood-thirsty hounds in the media who value “column inches” over anything else. We have become a nation of people living vicariously, analysing other people’s lives and choices, and passing judgement on everything that is presented to us.
People are under scrutiny for what they wear, how much they weigh, what their house looks like, their parenting skills, their lifestyle choices, their relationship issues –everything is up for public consumption.
It makes me want to scream, “for f**k’s sake, get on with your own lives!”.
Did no-one ever listen to that age-old saying about those in glasshouses not throwing stones? It’s all we seem to be doing nowadays. Why bother checking your own court is in order when we can just pick up a magazine, switch on the TV, or just pick on someone we see in the pub, and dissect their lives instead?
It’s ridiculous because we are passing judgements based only on the information that has been presented to us, when it may or may not be the truth. No-one knows what goes on in four walls, nor what is right or wrong for another person.
As soon as we judge, we are saying that we are better or worse than that person. We are saying that something is good or bad. We are analysing somebody based on our own pre-conditioned beliefs and views on the world, and we are assuming we are right.
We could be wrong (and we often are).
We are all on our own journey, and others are on theirs. The only one that concerns us, or that we know anything for sure about, is our own. The only place we should look to judge is within ourselves.
“Let the one without sin cast the first stone”.
Whatever we think of him, Michael Jackson gave the world the magic of his music and his rhythm. He shared his gift with the world, and he was the creator of many happy memories. He made us dance, he made us sing along.
Maybe we can just remember him for what he brought to the world and thank him for the music.
Maybe we can resist the temptation to cast our critical eyes over some of the choices he may or may not have made.
Maybe, just maybe, we can remember that it all starts with The Man in the Mirror....
“If you want to make the world a better place, take a look at yourself, and then make a change”.
Michael Jackson
R.I.P
Last changed: Jun 26 2009 at 8:01 PM
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