The Photo Meditation of the Month (June, 2009): BEING ONESELF

Renowned singer Michael Jackson (1958 - 2009)
at different phases of his life

Photos Courtesy: The Internet

American singer Michael Jackson unexpectedly died on June 25 of heart failure in Los Angeles, USA, at the age of 50. He was called the "King of the Pop" (popular music). Because of his unique musical talent (music in consonance with dance moves), his fame reached all over the world. He became acceptable to people of any colour in the USA as well as the world. His musical influence will live on for many more years to come.

Being Oneself

By Jerome D'Costa

If we look at the photos above, what do we see?

We see a Michaelian metamorphosis: from a black kid to a white one, from a round-nosed person to a sharp-nosed one. Is that all we see?

We also see a person who is lonely, who is desperate for acceptance and recognition of others. The inferiority complex about his self-image is also acutely visible. We see a constant struggle in him to "fit in" by changing his hairstyle and shape of his face by cosmetic surgery and by bleaching his skin to the extreme.

According to his own words, he had an unhappy childhood. From his very young age, his strict father kept him busy practising music. He, thereby, missed his normal childhood play and interaction with other children.

As a result, although grown up in age and body, he still remained a child in his heart. He built the 'Neverland', a fantasy land where all kinds of items were there for children's play and enjoyment. Till his death, he enjoyed being with the children. Thereby he even faced allegations and lawsuits of child abuse.

What do we learn from the life of Michael Jackson?

• One's childhood has to be lived like a child, not an adult.
• Parents make a great mistake if they treat their child as an adult.
• Fame, recognition, prestige, and money that come too early in one's life become a heavy burden to carry around. Everyone can't cope with this situation.
• God made us unique persons. We don't need to change ourselves to the extreme to be able to be acceptable to others or to "fit in" with others. We need to be ourselves.