In my lifetime, I have heard dialogue about where people were when Rev. Dr. Martin L. King, Jr. and John F. Kennedy were assassinated. People recall when Ronald Reagan was shot. Of course, we spring forward and there were the deaths of Princess Diana, Luther Vandross, Tupac and Notorious...I vividly remember being in my dorm room when news broke on the terrorist acts with the Twin Towers on 9-11...and, I still can see myself sitting on the steps at the age of six saying goodbye to my father and not realizing it would be the last time...
Death is never easy. Tragedies and crises shake us; life is interrupted. So, is it a shock that for the past week the television and radio stations have had a consistent flow of tributes to the late great King of Pop, Michael Jackson?
His death was tragic and came way too soon. News of the sudden heart attack quickly took the spotlights off of Ed McMahon and Farrah Fawcett...and even Billy Mays...No one was ready for this genius of an artist to expire. It hit like when Elvis died. Most thought it was fake or not so serious when the first reports came out.
Where was I? In my office finishing up work for the day. I had the t.v. on behind me as I worked with low volume. Oprah was finishing up and the 5 o'clock news popped on and gave the breaking news that Jackson was being rushed to the hospital for cardiac arrest. I paused, turned and looked...I then went back to my work; however, in moments my phone was sounding off with text messages about the news from friends. We joked and gave the "stop playing"/it's all good, comfort phrases. By the time I was packing up, I was then seeing reports that he had slipped into a coma. And, by the time I reached home L.A. Times confirmed his passing. Once in, CNN and other stations were on their jobs. Facebook was busy with posts. And, I prayed for that moment that maybe it was folks moving too fast and this was all just a huge mix up. That was not the case.
It is sad, and we Never Can--or Will--Say Goodbye. His impact on music culture is impossible to ignore. And, for the African American community, he paved the way in breaking down color barriers that exist. He is an icon, but his mysterious ways, terrible childhood, yet amazing hits, kept us glued.
Stop, Drop & Pray? Okay. Okay. I know that I should not put a "shameless" plug in there for getting our lives right. It's cliche-ish, old, played out? I wouldn't be me, though, if I didn't. I think that I want to take a different route and consider the type of impact Jackson had in the world. He could have focused on self, but this is someone who clearly allowed his talent to be used to its capacity in order to reach multitudes. Is there something in your life you've buried because you've given up on the possibility of it ever coming to be? Why not pray and allow God to fully be in control of getting you to that place? Faith. It's not as easy as it seems, but it is what separates the doers from the wishers.
Tonight I am praying peace for the Jackson family and those who have been greatly touched or saddened by this musician's death. I am also praying for a greater awakening to hit our world, which was something Jackson constantly sang about doing. Healing the World, remembering We are the World, knowing we can do because Who's Bad?, and Talking to the Man in Mirror...We all have a little Michael in us; we all have the power to live up to greatness.
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