Inner Michael

“The last word, like the last supper, should be a feast.”  ~BK

I recently visited at “A Place In Your Heart” radio with Reverend Doctor Catherine Gross and we spoke about words. And the same day, November 19, 2010, I released the new “Words” video that was produced for the Voices Education Project “Words and Violence” Curriculum. Words and Violence is designed for students from middle school to college and has grown to more than 200 pages. It is intended to awaken people to the idea of a more humane narrative on the planet which includes a kinder dialogue among humans. It takes a closer look at bullying and addresses how words are used to harm or to heal. The video is now available for viewing at You Tube:   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fVV4T3cChlk

Many people contacted me to say they really liked the radio interview with Dr. Gross. It was so meaningful to hear that people found it enlightening and helpful. So thanks for saying so. In case you didn’t get a chance to hear it and would like to listen, the archival recording is here: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/a-place-in-your-heart

Some Michael fans have told me though, that they are truly struggling with the whole idea of how to defend and preserve Michael’s legacy: they find themselves torn between their desire to operate in the world from the place of love that Michal always spoke about and how to manage their anger. I get that. I have the same struggle. Their anger is justified for Michael has been used relentlessly by the media to sell copy, was bullied on a global stage for decades and the bullying continues even into death. They are so frustrated and so angry. They want to know how to defend his legacy yet remain non-violent. And they are not sure it is possible. And they aren’t even sure it is wise to use that kind of restraint.

This is a very real struggle and internal conflict that causes an internal dissonance for people and dissonance causes discomfort and restlessness. It is amplified by the fact that those who recognize Michael for what and who he was face a constant barrage of word assaults by pundits, critics, announcers, detractors, and those who pretend to be “in the know” about the man.

Isn’t it interesting– the stark reality that those who really knew Michael in life have a much different “take” on who he was and what he stood for than those outside the circle who pretend to know him. Much of the banter or fodder from them is rehashed tabloid gossip that was released into the culture by irresponsible hacks posing as journalists. Or the so-called journalists of today just spout the party line established so long ago by tabloids whose sole purpose for existence is to use sensationalism to sell newspapers to line their pockets with cash.

Recent incoherent babbling by shock jock radio and tabloid-esque TV once again ignited a firestorm with fans. It is fatiguing. The fans know better; they so know that Michael Jackson is not who “they” made him out to be. In fact he is so the opposite that the fans feel very real physical pain when exposed to the same old, same old evisceration with words that now slice at his corpse instead of his living body or body of work. Yes, it is god awful. Yes it is the darkest and most vile portion of human nature at work. It is shadow in spades. We’ve all been had! Treachery can’t hide forever because truth is so much more powerful! Its vibrational signature is much higher! One ounce of truth counteracts multitudes of lies. One person in the light mitigates thousands in darkness. That is the clockwork of the Universe. It is how it works.

The fans themselves are often the target of a shadow infused media enamored with darkness. The moniker “crazy Michael Jackson fans” is painful because those same fans know the truth. It feels like an epithet (swear word) and in some ways it is. If you really want to know any celebrity or public figure, ask those who follow them. They are “the minds of those who know.” But even if you know the truth, if the behavior you exhibit is crazy, the label sticks. And it sticks to everybody. When Michael’s grave was defaced, everybody suffered the consequences. The impulse to be close to Michael resulted in everybody being pushed and held father away. Think before acting. Use restraint so that you may respond, not react. Reactionary or emotional verbal diarrhea has never been respected. It may feel good for the moment to dischage the pent up anger but it is destructive in the long run.

Here’s the thing—it is not helpful to go somewhere and conduct a personal attack or war upon the guilty party. Name calling, tirades, rants or other incoherence puts you in the same category as the offender. It is violence with words. And it only illustrates how fanatical you are and provides more evidence for those who would dismiss you and more ammunition for those who would fire insults your way.  It is much more effective to be above all that, to be the voice of reason, to confound with facts or punctuate with statistics or prove your position and back it up. Coherence is respected. Fanaticism or ranting is dismissed. It is quite simply, not taken seriously. It is a way for the offender to lump everyone into the category of fanatical or crazy.

Those people don’t see what you see. They don’t know what you know. They are drinking the Kool-aid of lies and sensationalism. They don’t know they are in the dark. We lived then, and still live now in a culture that permits the verbal slaughter of real people. The fault lies in the consumption. If you don’t like what that culture is serving up, ask to change the menu. Do not complain about “lazy journalists” if you are not willing to write a letter of complaint to the entity that served it up or the sponsors of that entity. And you have to keep at it. It is not a one- time battle. Make no mistake—it is a full out war between darkness and light. It is the battle for hearts. You will not win someone’s heart with attack. They will only dig in deeper and learn to defend better.

This is a people problem, not a media problem. When people get sick and tired of the slaughter, the blood-letting, the spilling guts, the virtual dismemberment of others, people will demand something else. Until then we will have bloodhound journalists, tabloid copy suitable for dog droppings and a media that serves up what they think you are hungry for. They are cynnical. They lack heart.

You are in a unique window of opportunity. People are beginning to wake up. They are beginning to feel a collective nausea. They are feeling an unrest that they can’t identify and don’t know from where it comes. People are appalled by the bullying of children and frightened by the suicides it provokes. Children are killing themselves because of violent words! People loathe bullying but they don’t see the connection. They don’t understand how Michael Jackson and Lady Diana are connected to the bullying that is taking place now. They don’t understand that they have permitted it to become part of the culture. Make them see! Michael’s death is the catalyst, the window. The time of opportunity is now. The change is coming. And you are a voice for it.

But you must be viewed as reasonable, intelligent voices of solidarity that are asking for a change. You must be a united and credible voice. Using sappy monikers like “mjslover” or “mjdarkchild” or “mj4ever” and similar identities are seen as juvenile and do not give you credibility. They cause people to dismiss you, to write you off. When you are dismissed, you lose your voice because people stop listening before you even speak.

And spewing hateful remarks or personal attacks do not help matters. I know, I know. It is really hard to use and show restraint when you are in pain and angry. I struggle with myself there too. But that is exactly when you should step back, take a deep breath and rethink how to respond. You gain credibility when you give reasoned and well thought out answers that speak to the real issues. Most people who use cut and paste journalism or who mimic or parrot the “party line” and repeat the same old untrue phrases and judgments are as Michael said… “ignorant.” “It is ignorance” that is at work. Those people are not educated about the truth. So your job is to educate them. Not try to kill them with words. You may need to initially get their attention- you do that by being clever not vile. You gain with intrigue, by being beguiling, by being as seductive with the truth as is seduction with lies.

Yes, there are some “journalists”: (term used loosely) who know exactly what they are doing and are doing it deliberately to provoke responses. Learn to identify them and don’t play into their game. Provocateurs are a dime a dozen. Shock jocks are cheap entertainment. And those people will… trust me… outlive their usefulness. And to make you feel better consider this: those who made money through treachery will one day face their own mortality. Age and time have a way of making people look closely at their values. There comes a time in life when the soul leads. That is when individuals begin to realize that money means nothing, a beautiful house cannot bring comfort, the best things in life do not satisfy. People will eventually take stock and will have to face their own treachery. The day comes when we all have to take a long look at: ‘just what did I do to make the world better?’ Or they have to look at past behavior and face the consequences. Only psychopaths never had to face their own conscience when their mortality knocks.

And here’s a secret to remember: People really do want to feel better about themselves and humanity, not worse. A steady diet of darkness suffocates. People long for light. There is evidence of that everywhere. You only need to create awareness and look for it. The time is coming! And you are part of that change.

Anger sometimes is justified. Indignation ignites social change. Anger provides an energy that can be used to motivate. There are countless examples of people who took their anger and put it into action for social change. The young boy who committed suicide from bullying has a father who has now taken his anger and grief to the streets—he has become a public speaker about bullying and schools invite him to assemblies to speak. There was an African American man who was dragged to death behind a vehicle simply because he was black and his mother is now a social change activist. So go ahead and be angry but do something constructive with that energy. And when you use that energy and put something into action, remember that you are representing all the other MJ fans. You are also representing Michael. So be careful what you demonstrate in Michael’s name and understand that what you do impacts and reflects on all other fans. So be wise in your words. Educate. Use level-headed and intelligent responses and rebuttals. Understand that this shift in consciousness includes Michael but it’s not just about Michael. It is about humanity. People are hungry for humanity—their own and in the world. Use your actions to show them; use your words to tell them. Use your voice. Have the last word. And make it delicious. Make it a feast.

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Here is a little Indian story from my Oneida friend that illustrates well what I am saying; and notice how the last line holds the punch:

One winter’s evening while gathered round a blazing camp fire, an old Sioux Indian chief told his grandson about the inner struggle that goes on inside people.

“You see” said the old man, “this inner struggle is like two wolves fighting each other. One is evil, full of anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, deceit, false pride, superiority, and ego.”

“The other one,” he continued, poking the fire with a stick so that the fire crackled, sending the flames clawing at the night sky, “is good, full of joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith.”

For a few minutes his grandson pondered his grandfather’s words and then asked, “So which wolf wins, grandfather?”

“Well,” said the wise old chief, his lined face breaking into a wry smile, “The wolf who wins is the one you feed!”