Trust what you believe

Today is a most astounding day. Michael Jackson has passed away. Born in 1958. He was 50 years old and known as the King of Pop.

I never met Michael Jackson. I didn’t see him perform live. Not once did I get a chance to know what he was like as a person, and not an artist.

When a public figure of Jackson’s magnitude dies, it is a notion too hard to grasp at first. Who, one asks. Michael Jackson? Are you sure? One automatically assumes it could be a mistake or a hoax. We may deny it, but as the inevitable truth slowly begins to seep through, astonishment kicks in. Your mind pulls out a file on all you know about the singer - the images you’ve seen of him in pictures and concerts, the words you’ve heard spoken of him on the radio or T.V, the acts which have distinguished him in the past and in recent years. Suddenly, the face, voice and reputation begin to grow solid. Until the moment comes for you to decide what you do with the information you have. Do you mourn the sad passing of another talented singer? Do you shrug it off and say ‘well, we all gotta go some time’? Or… do you take the time to just appreciate what good Michael Jackson offered to the world?

I think of Michael Jackson as the man who sang about making the world a better place. I think of Michael Jackson as the man who made the world aware of the hunger, the poverty and the hurting of others. I think of Michael Jackson as the man who tried to make a difference in the world.

When the media gets wind of such a “big story”, it seems to me that a heartless procedure usually tends to take shape with instant flare. Michael Jackson, the artist, the singer, the legend is revealed and taken apart piece by piece, until one cannot recognize what was there to begin with. People question his work, his personal life, his words, his actions and everything in between. They inquire about all aspects of his life, they search for every last word accused against him and analyze what they presume were his reasons for behaving the way he did.

But I wonder… do they give respects to the life that is lost today, to the talent that is no more freely given to us except in recording, or to the man that revolutionized the world through his achievements? I know little about Michael Jackson and the man behind his public image (a vague impression sown together by the singer himself and the media). Yet I believe that through his artistic talents he communicated his gift of music, one so rare that it reached further corners of the world than ever before. He influenced the world with his beats, with his dancing, with his songs and with his voice. What’s more, he supported numerous charity organizations that have changed people’s lives. That’s more than a lot of us do in one lifespan.

But what about all the crimes charged against this particular singer?
I don’t know if the accusations against him are true.
I don’t know what would’ve happened if we had found out the truth.
I don’t know a lot of things about this artist/humanitarian’s life.

I do know, I will trust what I believe and not let others opinions rule my judgment.
I do know, that we may never know the truth behind such incriminations.
And I do know, Michael Jackson changed the world, even if it was a little bit, in his own way.

Thank you Michael Jackson, and rest in peace.

By: V.S