I really should be blogging about my recent trip to Kansas, but since that involves posting pictures it will need to wait. Stay tuned...
For the record, let me begin by stating that yes...the MJ coverage was bloated, voyuristic and overdone. That said, I did participate in watching the memorial on Tuesday. I found it to be a beautiful and a fitting tribute to a man who, like him or not, had an impact on our world (musically speaking). I have heard people in the media ask, "which Michael will you remember?" I will remember him as being one of the most uniquely talented individuals I have ever seen. I have actually grieved the prospect of not being able to watch him in the coming years because, as a performer goes, he had no peers. I loved, loved, loved his song "Man in the Mirror" and many of his early songs as well. Obviously, he had issues, but so do I. I am going to go against the grain of some (most?) and refrain from judging him regarding the child molestation charges against him. I wasn't there, and he was acquitted of the charges. Since I will never know the truth, I am going to choose to err on the side of his innocence. Along those same lines, I feel compelled to bring up another point. The people who called him "friend", the people who really knew him, are people of quality. These individuals (like Stevie Wonder, Brooke Shields, Smokey Robinson, Lionel Richie, etc.) don't appear to me to be people who would give a pedophile a "pass" just because he is talented.
I am most heartsick over the question of his salvation. I leave these things in God's hands. It is, however, a good reminder to us all that looks, talent, status, celebrity, fame, money, good works, or a charitable heart don't lead to salvation. In the end, when your body is gone and your spirit lives on, faith in Christ is the only thing that matters.
"I'm starting with the man in the mirror
I'm asking him to change his ways
and no message could have been any clearer
If you wanna make the world a better place
Take a look at yourself then make a change."
12 years ago
1 comment:
I think I felt sadness over Michael Jackson's death because his whole life was so sad to me. I watched the clips of him as a little boy (with that big smile and those bright eyes) and grieved that things did not turn out differently for him.
As for making him out to be a civil rights champion...that puzzles me. He certainly advocated tolerance and understanding, but I would have guessed that many blacks would have been offended by his choices to alter his appearance and to marry white women.
Post a Comment