"Michael Jackson Dead."
The news shocked me because it was so sudden. Sure, it was no secret that MJ has been suffering from health problems for a while now. But it has never really occurred to me that his end will be so near. One never really think that way about legends, you know. In your head, legends are the personas you see on the TV screen. Many of us forget just how human they are.
I was never a huge fan of Michael Jackson, apart from liking some of his more famous hits. While the timing of his passing shocked me, it did not make a big impact on me. That is, until today.
During Sunday service, my pastor handed out a pamphlet on Michael Jackson. I read it and was extremely moved. I am gonna post up the full text here and I encourage all of you to read all the way to the end.
* * * * *
"Fri 26 June 2009... the King of Pop died. Michael Jackson died of a massive cardiac arrest. Stories now raise questions about his dependency on pain-killers (he admitted himself into rehab for drug dependency on pain-killers a few years ago); it will be at least a month until further test results of his cause of death are known. Even in death the media, world & fans cannot get enough of him. And his sudden passing away has seen sales of his album & songs sell out in Australia within hours of the shocking news."
"Five of Jackson's solo albums - Off the Wall, Thriller, Bad, Dangerous & HIStory - are among the top-sellers of all time. During his extraordinary career, he sold an estimated 750 million records worldwide, released 13 No. 1 singles & became one of a handful of artists to be inducted twice into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. The Guiness Book of World Records recognized Jackson as the "Most Successful Entertainer of All Time" & Thriller as the Biggest Selling Album of All Time. MJ won 13 Grammy Awards and received the American Music Award's Artist of the Centruy Award."
"Michael Jackson started in the music business at the age of 11 with his brothers as a member of the Jackson 5. In the early 1980s, he defined the art form of music video with such ground-breaking videos as Billie Jean, Beat It & the epic, Thriller. MJ's sound, style & dance moves inspired subsequent generations of pop, soul, R&B & hip-hop artists."
"Personally I am not a huge fan of MJ. His music, however, marked my awakening to pop music. It was Beat It that got me listening to the radio as a 13 y.o., & subsequently keeping track of the latest hits in the 80s. His hits bring back memories of my teenage years - carefree yet anxious & self-conscious."
"Rarely have I wept at the news of the passing away of a household name. Yet for MJ I could not hold back a few tears. Like I said, I am not a huge fan of his. So why did I cry? As I watched the constant stream of news reports about his life, it became painfully obvious that here was a human being who was trapped by success. Someone (a reporter from ET) made a most insightful coment. He said that although Thriller lauched MJ into super-stardom, it was also his downfall. Perhaps MJ - like many others - was not ready for the heavy price of public life that success & stardom generate. The cruel scrutiny of the media, draining demands of adoring fans, & crushing expectations of agents (& 'opportunists' in that industry)."
"As I watched his life unfold on screen, I observed a handsome, extremely gifted young boy who was ahead of his time in the days of Jackson Five. When interviewed after a performance, he answered with the confidence & maturity of someone years older. He was normal then - both in physical appearance & social - emotional stability. But as his fame grew & the years passed, he became reclusive & eccentric. He likened himself to Peter Pan, the boy who never grew up, & even named his personal estate Neverland."
"So why did I cry over the death of MJ? It is because I see in him ...a very lonely man. Someone who had suffered & endured much pain at a very tender age (4 y.o.) for the sake of becoming successful ...only to find that success isolates & attracts the company of people who may only be interested in his wealth, or the ability to bring wealth."
"Perhaps that was why MJ trusted & loved Children. Children are innocent. They don't want to get to know you because of your money, to use you or abuse you. Unfortunately he went about loving people in a socially unacceptable way. His life was quite a contradiction. MJ was like a young boy trapped in the body of a grown man. In some ways his thoughts & values were naive & innocent; in other respects he demonstrated his intelligence. He was a musical, creative genius. He was that young boy caught in a time warp, who lost his childhood to hours of recording & concert tours, & woke up as a man who desperately wanted to regain what cannot be repeated."
"I cried for his soul. The lost, hurt, lonely, misunderstood soul of a superstar who did not know the joy & richness of human relationships. How could anyone every live life without a friend? Yet this is the picture being developed in my mind as news reports piece together MJ's life. Did he ever really live? Or did he escape reality? Building his own world of animals, amusement rides, collections of antiques, etc... & when these were not enough to mask the deep pain of his heart, there were the drugs. Initially taken to relieve the pain resulting from burns incurred at the filming of a Pepsi commercial, drugs could also provide a temporary relief from the pain of an empty soul. A soul so drained by constant demands & high pressure - whether self-imposed or to gain approval, love, acceptance. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? - Mark 8:36 [NLT]. MJ's tragic existence demonstrates that possessing fame & fortune is no cure for a wounded, empty soul."
"Did anyone ever share the love of a Saviour, One who can be completely trusted, with MJ? MJ referred to God in an interview with US 60 Minutes. But how well did he know God? Everyone needs a Saviour - to know forgiveness, that they're loved & lovable. MJ longed to be loved as he was. To be accepted as a human being, not some superstar. I pray that somehow he made peace with his Creator before he stepped into eternity."
"The world has lost the brilliance of a truly talented individual. But more importantly, I hope this man's soul has not been lost for eternity."
-Pastor Joyce Chen
* * * * *
It doesn't matter whether you're from a different denomination, an entirely different faith, a free thinker or an atheist. There is much to reflect on and learn from the above.
If you have read this far, I hope that something has stirred within you, whatever that 'something' is.
And MJ, rest in peace and enjoy your moonwalk with God. =)
Side Order: This winter, let us remember that God is in the rain. And I mean this in ways beyond V For Vendetta.
Side Order: I am still gathering material for my account of the journey Down South.. Patience!
No comments:
Post a Comment