No need for me to announce the death of Michael Jackson. The world certainly knows this by now.
I made a comment on Twitter and Facebook regarding his death that has bothered some of my friends and acquaintances, while inspiring others to deeper thought on the subject.
My statement? "Michael Jackson's cause of death? Heart loses rhythm. The height of irony."
I meant this on many levels.
A. To offer a slight amount of humor in light to the drama of the day.
B. Tossing out a twist on the announced cause of death: Arrhythmia, which is literally a loss of rhythm.
C. Making a statement on Michael himself, whose career certainly jumped the tracks, hitting successive wrong notes for the last 15 years.
I hear people calling him a pedophile and a tortured genius. Comparisons have been made to Van Gogh and Beethoven. Others say he was sick and twisted. More say he wasted his potential, and tainted his legacy.
No one truly knows, but the man himself, and the boys who were involved with him over the years in whatever sense, whether he was a pedophile. His own admission of letting children into his bed is certainly not proof, but also not the norm.
His money management skills seems in question, with $400 million of debt apparently left in his wake. His business acumen often appeared sharp, from his dealings with Pepsi and Disney to his purchase of the Beatles library. Yet he far outspent his fortune, and left many in a lurch for millions. How and why may justify or vilify him, as the years go by.
I hear that his actions were a result of his childhood - an oft-used excuse in this era of shifting responsibility and lack of accountability for one's choices. Michael made his choices - and had to live with the consequences. His choices were simultaneously shrewd and naive, and his results were similarly disparate.
His generosity and love for children was evident, and he often chose to use his position to benefit others, though motives were brought into question. The same forces promoted and reported on both.
Michael Jackson prospered and suffered at the hands of his family, the public, the media, and by his own choices in regard to each. To say he was tortured and sad is as much of a speculative judgment as saying he was a twisted, freakish, pedophile.
His music - oh his music. Listening to it in the Heartland of Iowa was at once embarrassing and titillating. Songs like Beat it and Billie Jean were not for the faint of heart, particularly from my church upbringing. But Thriller? Amazing. I remember going over to my Grandparents house because they had cable, and making them turn it to MTV so I could watch it. My Grandma was horrified at the sight and sound of MJ's gyrating zombies. Thriller was among the first 2 or 3 cassettes I ever bought, along with Billy Joel and Lionel Richie.
His music was as conflicted as his life. To hear "Bad" alongside "Heal the World" was as schizophrenic as pictures of him at 25 vs.45. The seemingly biographical "Leave Me Alone" seemed to say it all, though through his choices he made it impossible for us to actually do so.
Was he a genius? Certainly. Did he change music forever? Absolutely. Did he inspire millions, including myself? Without a doubt.
Was he imperfect? Of course. Did he make choices that turned him into the butt of jokes and a harbinger of confusion, fear and doubt? Unquestionably.
He was clearly out of sync with most others, both positively and negatively. Those that achieve greatness usually are. Some are deemed madmen, others dreamers. Many are unable to handle their own greatness, or grasp their own power. Others just look to escape.
Whether his heart was out of rhythm with his family, his fans, the press, his God, or himself is something I cannot judge. But I can learn. I can observe the public choices he made, and decide for myself how it affects my own choices, and how I feel about him.
When we choose to live by our own rhythm as opposed to the often drowning beat of others walking in step to their day to day drudgery of mediocrity and misery, we must also choose to deal with the consequences. There are many in my own life that do not understand the choices I make. They can't imagine living in pursuit of a dream instead of on a treadmill of quiet desperation. I'm OK with that - and how I handle my choices in light of those perceptions is crucial.
Michael's death came when his heart lost rhythm. Michael's life was lived with a heart that possessed its own unique rhythm. Ultimately, it will not only be our genius that is remembered, but our choices along the way, that will be judged. Be a Champion of Choice, and be prepared.
