I missed the meet?

Next time…

Hope you are keeping well!

xx

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELyTBXzfQJ8

I don’t know what happens when we die but I hope he can find peace wherever he is.

I thought it was next week. I have been away to Rocky and lost my bearings.

I don’t watch the news. It makes me cringe with the shallowness of the media.

I love Micheal Jacko. Thriller was the best. The whole album.

We have become the main link in the chain! “We” – the community, feed off the death of celebrities.Over the years, society has created a morbid fascination with knowing everything about them – we simply cannot get enough. You look at the current visiting celeb Tom and Katie, the Hearld Sun is asking people to phone in any sightings of the couple and of course “we” will oblige! If we didn’t really want this to occur, then newspapers and mags would not produce articles based on their deaths, marriages, births, sightings etc they would focus on something else that matters to us, like the RYL2 with Craig! LOL

As a guru once told me – keep it real and so I hope that I (we) continue to endeavour to look for the magic in the ordinary.

Hope the Melbourne catch up went well.

All the best Mares x

We refer to them by the first names, as though we plan to drop in to have coffee with them on a regular basis. We fill television programs, radio shows and magazines by the truckload with their activities (real and imagined), love lives, speculation as to whether they’re gaining/losing weight, or how many women have been assaulted by a football player this week.

We place them on a pedestal and then feel betrayed if they prove not to be the paragon of virtue that we expected them to be. We berate the paparazzi for being parasites, then rush out to buy the latest copy of Who Weekly so we can get our celebrity gossip fix and guarantee them an endless market for their tacky wares.

Music, films, great sporting events and other cultural references form a backdrop and soundtrack to our lives, reminding us of other times, of people and situations who have had an impact on us. We connect with a song (and therefore the singer) on an emotional level.

Every death we experience or hear about is a reminder of our own mortality. But to mourn the death of someone like Michael Jackson in the same way as you would mourn the passing of a loved one is ludicrous. The loss of Michael Jackson the musician and entertainer is undeniable to those who enjoyed his talent. But I didn’t love Michael Jackson the man – I didn’t know him. He has always struck me as being a tortured soul. I feel sorry for his family and friends, but I can’t feel any personal grief.

My vote is for Do You Remember the Time

As for those questions:

1. Being a music lover, I tend to feel more strongly toward musicians than, say, TV or movie stars or sports figures. But again, I think we should all be satisfied with the talent these people are willing to share with us, and leave it at that. Yes, it’s easy to become enamoured with people who are beautiful and talented and famous, because we all think it would be so cool to have all that. But what price do they pay? I think what we all really want is to be known for who we truly are, and to be acknowledged for that. Egotistical? Maybe, but also very, very human. Michael was acknowledged by millions all over the world, and used his renown to bring public attention to world issues, and to help as many as he could. But despite all the media’s speculation, I don’t think anybody knew who he truly was.

2. In human terms, no one life is more valuable than any other life. That said, as others have mentioned, there are lives that are more valuable to us as individuals than others. We put more personal value on the lives of those who have an impact on us, than we do on the lives of strangers we’ve never heard of. Patrick Swayze’s battle with cancer has had more of an impact on me than that of Farrah Fawcett, because I am a fan of one and not so much the other. Yes, it’s sad to see how a once beautiful woman has been ravaged by a disease that ultimately took her life, but to say that she was really significant to me, now that she’s gone, would be a lie. Michael Jackson, on the other hand, was significant to me, as I had been a fan of his music from a very young age. And I had been immersed in the coverage of his death (but since I get my news on-line, I can choose what I want to hear or not), until the death of my mother-in-law, just a few days later, eclipsed all of this. No, she’s not a famous celebrity, but she is more personally significant to ME, than Michael. So, I think the value of anything, on a personal level, whether a possession or a human life, is based on its significance in the life of the individual.

3. I am displeased by all the muck-raking involved in the media coverage of Michael’s death, but I admit I have followed with great interest the coverage of interviews with his family and friends who have had wonderful, loving things to say about him. To me, it’s not that important how he died, or even how he lived. But the impact he had on the lives of others? That’s his legacy! After all, that’s the only way any of us will be remembered! And I’ve enjoyed looking back over his musical contributions, both those I loved growing up, and those I missed along the way. Such an incredible talent! I’m so glad he chose to share it with us!

4. My favorite MJ song is ‘Beat It’. I’ve long been a fan of heavy metal (Yeah, kinda wierd for a 46 year old woman!), and Eddie VanHalen’s wicked guitar riffs in this song just set it on fire!

Sorry about the novel! Well, no, I’m not. Not really. You’re probably getting used to them by now!

Have a great weekend everyone! And Craig, thanks for always asking the questions I really need to answer!

Sandra in Virginia, US

wow i did well, never posted before and managed two in one day !

great comments, has been very interesting to read them