Michael Jackson, We are the World!

I am having a hard time being productive (aka clean my room) because I feel that I have to watch this memorial service. So, why not take some time to reflect on the issue while doing so.

It would be lying to say that I loved Michael Jackson, I believe that like a lot of people I thought he was weird. But I did not dislike him, either. He made good music, a lot of which I did not fully appreciate, and some which I can never get out of my head. Nonetheless, to me, Jackson was another made crazy by fame celebrity, who cared too much about certain things, like little kids, for his own good.

But no one can deny how influential of a person he was, both in pop and in the world.

If there was one thing that influenced my unsure opinion of him the most, it was We are the World. I am a core Bob Geldof fan, and will be until I die. Live Aid was the biggest influence in my life and Bob Geldof my first true hero. [Note: they just started talking about We are the World and USA for Africa on the service] I had a slight dislike for Jackson because he copied my hero, Bob Geldof. We are the World was their attempt at the fame that Do they know it's Christmas had brought to Geldof and the British charity movement.

So what? It was a charity song, money raised from the single was sent to Africa to help them in a terrible time. Yeah, Bob Geldof started it, but shouldn't I be proud that something as simple as a song changed the world? Of course I am. At least I am now.

I have grown and matured a lot since my initial love for Geldof and Live Aid. As I get ready to embark on this cultural, peace education experience next week I can look back at my life and understand things that I have done wrong and can grow from them. I held something I cared about so close I disliked anything that wasn't as true or as real as it.

The kids may have similar issues, we all might. Perhaps something about our society is so valuable to us that if we find out another culture does it differently we may dislike it for no reason other than it's different. But does it really matter? I believe that what is important is the focus or goal of things. Religions get caught up on which one is right, but to me what matters is if the religion makes the person a good, caring individual. Most people, cultures, religions and so on have a common purpose, to make life better for everyone.

Live Aid and Band Aid did just that. People who loved music came together for a concert by people who loved music to raise awareness and money for a country who needed help. They all wanted to make the world a better place for people who needed help.

People need to put aside their differences and strengthen the similarities. I hope that some day the world will teach people to love first, judge second and not be so quick to dislike the slight differences. I am an extremely open minded person and I am still guilty of this, what does that mean about the world?

I urge anyone who ever reads this blog to explore "Do they Know it's Christmas," "We are the World" and the efforts of Band Aid and Live Aid and let it inspire you. Bob Geldof had an idea, one person, and he changed the world. Michael Jackson helped.

As Jackson said himself: "There's nothing that can't be done if we raise our voice as one."