People love a train wreck. MJ’s life resembles a train wreck and now people are gathering over the wreckage. Why is it when someone dies, no matter WHO they might have been in life, everyone wants part of the action? I remember telling my girls on the eve of my late husband’s memorial: let’s preserve our dignity—let’s fake it. I told stories of Jackie Kennedy and her behavior at Pres. Kennedy’s service: dignified, composed and stoic. I knew even then that there would be people there who came to see “the wreckage of a family”, the raw emotions of people on display. We all held ourselves with dignity and grace. We fell apart in the safety of those who were really THERE for us, not for the “show.”
Bearing witness to the Michael Jackson drama confirms my view: people who were flawed in life come up for sainthood in death. It’s been fascinating to watch the interviews with celebrities who sob and cry over the loss of the King of Pop but who abandoned him in his fall from grace. Interviewers ask, “When was the last time you talked to Michael?” and almost to a heartbroken soul the reply was, “years”…dating back to the beginning of his fall from grace.
So, now people come out. Michael Jackson music tops the ITunes charts, stores sell out of Thriller, cities hold Michael Jackson rallies and tributes. And, I ponder, where were they all when he really needed support? Where were they when the alleged lure of oxycontin and demerol where his only “friends”? Where were they when the only ones who provided him with aid and comfort were those who used him? Where were they when he was bankrupt on all fronts : emotionally, physically, spiritually and professionally?
Yes, all the “best friends” come out at the news of tragedy. They come out and proclaim what a loss the world has experienced. They come out with tales of greatness, tales of personal impact, tales of love. But, when hard times hit–when he really needed friends–where were they?
It’s chilling to see how fickle people can be. They cheer a kid born in Gary, Indiana to a steel worker on his rise to the King of Pop…and they jeer his fall to “freak”, alleged pedophile, and tormented, drug addicted soul. Yet, on the night of his tragic death his music fills the airwaves once again, people the world over willing to forget the pariah and proclaiming the saint. Twitter and Facebook crash because the news spreads so fast and furious.
Quietly I wondered, how different his life might have been if the intense love and gratitude shown in his death had only been shown to him in his life. Millions–hundreds of millions–gather worldwide to bid MJ good-bye. How different our lives would would be if those who gather when it is too late would come around while there is still time!
Don’t wait !
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As a native Hoosier who is only a few years younger than the King of Pop, Micheal Jackson’s death seems to have struck a real chord with me.
I think your description “tormented soul” is a very accurate description. It is my prayer that he has finally found the peace he so desperately sought.
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