What Michael Jackson Taught Me

Since hearing about Michael Jackson's death this week, I've thought about him more than I would have expected. I liked most of his music, but I was not one of the screaming girls attending his concerts. However, I am old enough that I was around to see ALL of the Michael Jacksons: the cute little kid, the break-out soloist, the King of Pop, and the sad story that he later became.

The little kid was amazing; his talent was incredible and he and his brothers gave me many songs to which I could sing and dance while I was growing up. The break-out solo artist was great, too, and it had been fun to finally hear from him after so many years. But the King of Pop was at his pinnacle, and I've noticed something about that period of time. It came to me yesterday when I was watching a video marathon featuring his videos.

To me, there were two videos that he did that stood above the rest. "We Are the World" was more than just a video; it was a movement. I remember the starvation that was going on at the time. The efforts made by all involved with that video, but especially Michael, brought our country together in a way, and in an effort to help, that was incredible.

But my favorite Michael video of all time: "The Man in the Mirror". I can't watch this video without crying (ask my family!). At first I cry for all of the suffering that is shown in the beginning, and then I'm crying for the hope that is depicted in the end. Such a powerful couple of minutes! When I finally quit crying after watching that video, I just want to run out and kiss a baby, pat a dog, and donate money to some worthy help organization.

I don't think Michael understood the power that he had to inspire others toward change. If he had, maybe we would have seen more of those videos and efforts, and maybe the world could have been a better place by now.

Here's what I learned from Michael Jackson: We are at our best when we are thinking of ourselves least. As long as Michael seemed focused on worthy causes his career soared, he seemed to have direction, and he just seemed more together. It was when he became reclusive and focused on indulging his own fantasies that things began to slip. Of course, since I wasn't there, it could just be an illusion, but that's how it looked from here.

Now that he is gone, I grieve for the child who never had a childhood, I reject the man who turned inward, and I mourn the death of "The Man in the Mirror".