The last days I was – like most of us of the Intent community – feeling sad about Michael Jackson’s passing on to Heaven, but also very inspired and nourished by many of his achievements as an artist and human being.
I read all the blogs of the cherished Chopra family, several statements or tributes by colleagues of Michael on his sudden passing on and also saw some of the clips with recent interviews with Deepak Chopra on Michael Jackson’s demise to Heaven that have been posted on You Tube and the whole deplorable background of it. It was one huge tidal wave of deep and sweet emotions that we all shared here which I also felt and at the same time feelings of empathy, compassion and sadness why his life had had so many difficult turns.
Hearing from Mallika about Michael’s Heal the World Foundation and then seeing a number of You Tube clips I again and again hit upon Michael’s deep dedication to do something for the children of the world. E.g. there is this clip with Pavarotti in an Italian TV show on You Tube where Michael spoke of doing something together with Pavarotti for the children of the world. There were some clips with performances of Michael where he introduced his artistic presentation with the words: "This song I want to dedicate to the children of the world, for their cause."
Although I could not really be called a typical Michael Jackson fan till now (although I was appreciative of some of his great songs), I was astonished by the depth of emotions, the great love, affection and emotion that opened up in my heart and flowed in great tidal waves for Michael.
Only tonight I got fully aware - oh God, how blind can one be sometimes! – really of Michael’s other great inner mission he had felt (in addition to the deep fulfillment he must have derived from his art). This happened when I was attending a meeting at the place where I am right now – at Maharishi University of Management in Fairfield, Iowa – with a very wonderful and very saintly catholic priest of Latin America who built up and directs 47 shelters for homeless children and youth offenders throughout South America and who is letting them learn meditation to release deep rooted traumata, stresses and tension to help them to prepare for a happy, fulfilled, and great life. We saw a film of his work and heard him speaking directly and in person to us. Such a wonderful man, full of love for the children and youth he takes care of, he rescued till now 40 000 street children from what would have been quite a desolate life!!
What a synchronicity! Suddenly I understood – and all seemed to fall into place and I got aware of us, friends of Michael, missing out on something that was soooo important to Michael - one could even say: it was his real mission next to his art – his love for and dedication to children!!
Now, I know this is a touchy issue for some since he was accused of child molestation - greatly hyped by the media, I believe, playing with the public’s greed for sensationalism. Well, we have learnt that he was in a very sick state physically and mentally when he had to appear before the court and there was enormous pressure put on him and we don’t know really how the media manipulated things - particularly since several voices of reputed and sincere friends attest that they could never think about Michael doing any harm to any child and he himself very vigorously attested to the same several times. Also, rules of behavior and conventions differ somewhat from household to household – some find being nude or going to the bathroom unclothed already a crime, others don’t.
What suddenly came into the picture for me was his deep love for children, how the court case must have deprived him of his true Dharma, his true mission in life, and how this depriving someone of his true Dharma can crush somebody down and drive him to despair! Think of how it would be if you were robbed of being allowed of speaking up and acting for your own mission in life! With all this media public and the doubts that were raised he was in fact robbed to quite some degree – shaken in his inside – of living and working for those great goals that were essential and important to him!
Now Michael is in Heaven, in a better place, I am convinced for all the good he did bring into people’s life and he wanted for everyone, for his refined heart and all the noble qualities he had. All these will flourish now and be re-enlivened.
I am sure Michael would want us now after his passing on to remember him for all his noble intentions and his mission and Dharma in life and of course his beautiful artwork as a singer / songwriter and performing artist. And one great desire of his was to do something for the children, to bring relief to the children of the world.
And there is indeed dire need for this – only to mention a few numbers: E.g. in 2000, there were between 20 and 50 million street children in Latin America (the large range illustrates how difficult it is to count street children accurately). According to Homechild, 70% are addicted to glue; Brazil and Mexico have the greatest number of street children within the continent. In Brazil, estimates on the numbers of street children vary from 200,000 to 8 million. According to the BrazilianCenter for Children and Adolescents, the country has more than 800,000 child prostitutes. India has as many as 18 million street children, the world’s largest concentration (according to other estimates, 44 million). Africa today has 10.7 million orphans just as a result of AIDS and the numbers are growing (UNAIDS). With fewer and fewer family members left to care for them, many – if not most – of these children will join the street children of Africa who are already there because of poverty, wars and ethnic conflicts. In Africa, there are probably some 32 million street children. So there is a great need to really take care of children.
I think we could all pay tribute to Michael and to what, I believe, was his mission, by doing a little something -whatever each one of us is able to – to help children be in a better place. There are numerous possibilities for that – locally, state-wide, nationally, internationally. One could help in person, one could help with a financial contribution – either way.
I would find it soo satisfying if we all carried Michael’s mission on and this way heal some of the injustice that has been done to him, but more than that: help his great dream come true – to create a livable, better world for children across the globe. I will definitely contribute to the area of helping children to find peace and happiness and a true home in their own innermost Self consciousness that will never forsake them thereby also expanding their intelligence and creativity, expanding their consciousness with supporting the activity of the David Lynch Foundation. But there are other opportunities as well – something for everyone!
This way I feel we could really do justice to the great heart that Michael Jackson was and will continue to be! "No drop of precious love will ever be lost", as a great wise man said.
About Maggie
I am a graduated educator in continuing education and actually a German. I am a real lover of the internet and have always loved to read, I love to study and deal with written texts. I love to work as an information broker as I do. I love science, I love news documenting the progress of society. And I love to meditate and have actually been practicing Transcendental Meditation for more than 35 years starting very early with it in my first university term at the university of Tuebingen in South Germany. I love the possibilities that the Internet has opened up for everyone. Right now I am participating in the Invincible America assembly (more on www.invincibleamerica.org) and studying at the same time at Maharishi University of Management (www.mum.edu).
Thank you for highlighting the plight of so many children around the world, and Michael's big mission to help heal the planet. He was a big inspiration to me.
After his concerts, I'm sure he would have got back to his humanitarian work a lot more, but it is now up to us to pick up the baton and be inspired by his vision.
Lets not forget how it feels to be a child; wanting protection and love.
Best wishes, Myfanwy Marshall
My feelings on MJ: http://bit.ly/rvP7s
Margot,
You've highlighted the most important issue in all of this – children. How we are with them and how we treat them, how we forget them. And I say we because if I'm not a part of the solution, then I'm part of the problem.
America has a phobia about relationships between children and adults and that any relationship not parental is pedophilic. And yet, what happens in the home between parents and children is ignored, swept under the rug and tons of excuses offered for mistreatment by neighbours and friends when it's revealed; by which time it's too late for the child.
Michael Jackson was a giver and nothing else but I don't believe he could see his way past the pain and loneliness to receive. He was always searching for some way out then gave up and decided prescription drugs from the hypocrites who swore the Hippocratic oath was his best, last and only option.
The world is upside down.
Thank you, Margot, for giving me the suggestion of helping children in Michael's honor. I will do exactly that. I was not really a huge fan, but am finding myself so devastated by his tragic death. I believe he was an innocent, gentle soul who was probably too good for this bizarre world. Now may he be at peace. Let's all take this opportunity to make the world a better place in celebration of Michael Jackson.
Dear Myfanwy, dear Catherine, dear JanetT, thanks for your beautiful contributions.
I thought I should however mention that for some reasons that were maybe hidden in his childhood and maybe derived also some nourishment from his being a star, all of us who read blogs and statements of people who knew him well and were his friends (amongst them the Chopras themselves) every now and again got to know the side in him which made him evade some learning tasks to deal with, some weaknesses he had, things or behaviors that needed improvement. He was manipulating people it seems sometimes somewhat who meant well with him, he was evading dealing with issues he should have better dealt with. But I am sure he will have another chance to practice this! He was a human being with great gifts and several weaknesses – a not fully grown up, mature individual, let's be realistic! Yet he tried, I assume, his best – the best he could! But since he passed on let's remember his strengths and good qualities and the instants in his life in which he stepped forward with his true beauty and his true Self. As only they will have permanency in the end. That's the real Michael.