It's not the kind of sadness I would be experiencing if someone I knew and loved had died. It's more of a shock, a big roaming question mark. I've always known and heard about Michael Jackson because he's just so huge the world could barely swallow him. But I wasn't alive during his prime, when he was so big people probably fainted at the mere sight of him. I was alive during the bad times, during allegations of sexual misconduct, and financial turmoil.
I guess what gets me the most is the fact that he just didn't seem happy. And how could he be? He's been in the spotlight for almost his entire life. Many people probably can't think of a time when there wasn't a Michael Jackson. But all that fame, all that fortune, it couldn't buy him one ounce of happiness. It's truly the saddest part of this whole thing.
I wonder if all those comedians who poke fun at him and make insinuations about him being a pedophile will end now? It just seems so wrong, especially now, to mock him. His whole image has been tainted for me, and a lot of people in my generation, but the least they could do, and probably will do, is show him some respect. The guy was a musical genius after all. And boy could he dance!
What I've learned from this is that I don't want to live to be known for nothing. I don't want to die and have people only remember that I lived a glamourous, showy life, or that I was there for entertainment. I want to die and have people know that I lived for something, that I gave something and that I made a difference. It's so easy to just go about your life like nothing and then suddenly, something like this happens, an international icon dies, and suddenly, everything comes back into perspective.
MJ, I didn't know you. I've never met you, and I can't say I'm your biggest fan. However, I hope you died with some peace in your heart and that you left this world knowing you were loved, at least by one Person.
:)
