Michael Jackson…a life of inspiration

Posted on June 26, 2009 by Lola

…Usually when I go through moments in life too difficult to show, I try to write and express my emotions through words.

Right now…I am feeling so incredibly devastated at the fact that such a musical icon has passed away without the opportunity to express himself to the public and to the fans once more time.

In recent years, Michael’s life and actions were under detailed scrutiny. I don’t think he ever got the chance to express his true feelings or to show the public that he still loved music just as much as he did 30 years ago…and we (voice breaking) never got a chance to show him how much we really appreciated him as an entertainer. Too many people pointed fingers at his actions as MJ – the icon, and not enough showed him the respect for privacy as an individual. I never had the privilege to find out who Michael Jackson – the person – was, but I was lucky enough to grow up in a time where his music and his showmanship was not only a leader, trendsetter, role model, but a cultural growth for pop, hip-hop, dance, and entertainment as a whole.

I appreciate Michael Jackson for his life. He showed us what it meant to be an entertainer; what you can truly achieve if you work hard. As Sway said on MTV earlier “he crossed ethnical boundaries and bridged age gaps all over the world.” His dedication, persistence, creativity, optimism, made him beyond King. To go under such extreme pressure and stress as an individual, and to have the ability to push that all aside, and have the courage and optimism to go out and perform again, takes a lot of determination. Not too many of us regular people who sit on the couch and watch such legends on TV give us our daily inspiration would be able to get back up on our feet and do it for the love. Yet he did. And we never showed him that we were SO excited to see him back on tour.

Seeing those performance videos of him now….is unbearable.

I’ve been in tears for the past 2 hours watching the Michael Jackson specials and I can’t stop feeling bad…for maybe not sending an e-mail or a message or a letter, or something when he was going through his hard times. I feel we as the public, the people who he dedicated his life to, were too busy standing on the sidelines and watching…even judging rather than doing something. We all sit here and talk about how great he was now that he has passed away, yet when he was alive we were unsure of whether he was right or wrong for his actions. When Katt Williams did his stand up comedy on HBO and said “Fuck Michael” people laughed. And it may have sounded funny then…but at whose expense? At the expense of this incredible icon we are all mourning so heavily now.

Life passes us by so quickly and sometimes we get so caught up that we forget to prioritize the important things in life. We spend too much time judging, watching, talking, pointing fingers, and we seldom spend time on bettering ourselves, accomplishing our goals and living out our dreams.

Michael Jackson is not only a musical icon for me, but a life icon as well. Watching him live his entire life in the spotlight as an entertainer, and still pushing and furthering himself to do better, makes me realize that I too…I can do more. I can reach and achieve more. One person CAN change the world. Michael did. And no one can take that away from him. He changed the lives of people all over the world…he inspired other musical legends, choreographers, video directors, entertainers and anyone who listened to his music. I only hope that people will respect him not only by celebrating his life, but by learning from his journey, and pushing themselves to make a difference in the world. We are all important, we all have something to give, and we can all make a difference. We can spend our lives watching as others live theirs, or we can appreciate what we are given and make the best of it all.

Rest in peace King.

Related posts:

1. Michael Jackson, Gone Too Soon
2. Michael Jackson- This Is It
3. What Michael Meant To Me
4. Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’ Added To National Film Registry
5. Tour Life Part 2: Peter Jackson