Continuing my shallow diatribe on hope, I’ve been surprised by the reactions to Michael Jackson’s death. I don’t mean the sensationalist grossness of the media or the sycophants hoping for the moment in the spotlight, but rather all the status updates on Facebook and people talking about how much his music meant to them.
In my mind, Michael Jackson was primarily a sideshow oddity. I remember his Thriller video scared the beejeebees out of me when I was little and I like his Jackson Five stuff, but his past twenty years of extreme oddness has in my mind overshadowed any musical greatness. Thankfully, I’m in the minority it seems.
When someone dies, I think I like that we choose to focus on the good stuff. Eulogies aren’t about drudging up painful memories but instead celebrating the positive attributes. Even some minor negative things can transform into nostalgia when a person dies. I like to remind my wife that she’ll miss my snoring when I’m dead. I’m a good husband.
I think intrinsic to remembering-the-good-times is the aspect of hope I was talking about in my poo post. The same way that we’re able to focus on the things we love about a person once they’re gone, I think we’re also able to do now with the people around us. I don’t mean that we should be naive about people’s flaws but rather keep in mind the person they have the potential to be.
I think God constantly has in his mind the incredible people we were designed to be, even though we almost always fall short. I think He’s always prodding us along, ecstatic when glimmers of the hoped-for-us shine through but never satisfied with the pale reflections walking around.
I liked this post very much.
write something new….i need to be amused…amuse me….