A POINT IN MJ-STORY

I think it’s definitely part of human nature to want to be a part of a great occurrence in the history of mankind, many such circumstances have come and humanity has not failed to disappoint. Take for example the 2002 Kenyan elections where we as a country said goodbye to the Moi Era, or 2009 when the first African American President was sworn in, or when Princess Diana died in the 90s and we watched the motorcade procession to her burial… all these in my lifetime have stood out as pivotal moments when the essence of what makes us human is present in large and almost unimaginable quantities.

So it goes without saying that Michael Jackson’s death, memorial and subsequent funeral will definitely go down in the books and not because MJ was a greater human being that we all are… it’s just that he was blessed with a talent so big he could not help but share it with everyone and at one point or another I’m certain his songs, performance, presence touched us at a point in our lives and we’ll always remember him for that. His influence is only something we can dare to dream about, and the mere thought of achieving even 1% of it is so daunting we all but give up and settle for less.

My one out of many memories is me dancing and singing to “I’m Bad” during one of the many school holidays while upcountry and everyone looking at me and wondering how a little girl would know the words to such a song. I also remember watching “We are the world” and that was the the first time I saw little hungry and malnourished (Ethiopian) children on our TV screen; and from then on I started being conscious of the things I had that others didn’t.

Everyone am sure has a MJ-STORY and we all know what our private thoughts are/were in as far as the accusations of child molestation and all the other stories brought against him. Whether we believe that he had vitiligo or not, or whether we continue to wonder why his nose grew considerably smaller and pointed as the years went by… whether or not we believe he the biological father of this children or not… those remain purely as varied thoughts and opinions across the globe.

However, what I learned from his memorial yesterday, is that there were those that loved him unconditionally, that believed in him, that challenged him, that helped him be who he was. Those people were seated on the front row, wiping away tears because however big the King of Pop was to the world, whatever it was that he represented in our personal lives, to them he was just their son, brother, friend and father – and it’s as simple as that.

I took a lot from the speeches and ceremonial motions that happened yesterday, more than I took from the current increased rate at which MJ songs are being played on our radio/tv/clubs… I’ve taken much more from Brooke Shields’ and Paris Jackson’s tears than from the varied conversations we’ve had since his death over how he was this or that or the other.

It might be a cliche but when all is said and done, the only thing that’s important is what the people who are closest and dearest to us, that we call our family and friends, what they think of, about, for us – that’s important as it is urgent… and not the rest of the world and all it’s judgments, accusations and good words (when you are gone) thinks of us…it’s the here and now… my words, thoughts and deeds towards those around me… and that’s just a point in the MJ-STORY.

“‘Michael rose to the top. He outsang and outdanced and outperformed the pessimists. Every time he got knocked down, he got back up. Every time you counted him out, he came back in. Michael never stopped.” Rev. Al Sharpton