Positive websites and videos that celebrate MJ

[MJJLaugh]

Will You Be There ?

A Plea for Peace and Unity
To the Michael Jackson Fan Community

Michael’s fans around the world are calling for peace, this is their deepest heart's wish. This is a call to ALL Michael Jackson fans to join together in front of the courthouse on the first day of the Conrad Murray trial.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Update:
The court has delayed the trial until Sept. 20, 2011. We will not let this deter the MJ fans.
In fact this has reinvigorated us, gives us more time to pray for Justice and come together as ONE. Please MJ fans let's all join together in LOVE. We must UNITE to show solidarity and support for MICHAEL JACKSON.


Let's ALL come together and make a STAND, a STATEMENT
to the world that we are still here for MICHAEL and we are NOT going ANYWHERE!


Please try to be at the court house on Sept. 20th to make this stand of LOVE & JUSTICE for Michael and to support the Jacksons. If you can't be there in person please pray for this PEACE gathering and support us from where ever you are in the world. We need your support and prayers.


UNITE In PRAYER and UNITY
Supporting JUSTICE For MICHAEL
ONE VOICE


Where and When:
Sep 20th, 2011
8:00 a.m. PST
Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center/Courthouse - courtyard
210 West Temple Street
Los Angeles, California 90012


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Please come and join hands in SOLIDARITY for JUSTICE for MICHAEL JACKSON. Let's show the world that we STILL LOVE and SUPPORT Michael Jackson and ALWAYS WILL.

We plan to hold hands in an extended line across the courtyard or on the front upper sidewalk in rows or around the building or where ever we are permitted to do so and sing in unison “We Are The World” and “Heal The World” FOR MICHAEL. These are songs Michael wrote with Peace and Healing in mind for this world. Please, please come and join hands and lift your voices in SOLIDARITY for JUSTICE FOR MICHAEL JACKSON.

The reality is there has been so much bickering and hurtful mud slinging and accusations, so much fighting in the fan community of Southern California in the last year and as the trial approaches I feel a huge tug on my heart to reach out to all fans all over the world; especially in Southern California and beseech each and every one of you who ever loved Michael Jackson in anyway what so ever to lay aside your feelings of anger, hurt, resentment, personal vendettas or ill feelings toward one another and UNITE in PEACE for Michael.


Please join in. Let’s mobilize, to make a stand in PEACE and UNITY for JUSTICE for Michael. No matter what group you belong to, no matter what shirt you wear, no matter what avenue of belief about how or why Michael died or who was responsible, no matter if you bought the new CD or agree with the Estate or not, no matter whom you may hold accountable for his death or even if you believe he isn’t really dead… PLEASE join together as ONE in PEACE and UNITY for one day, the first day of the trial in front of the court house in Los Angeles.

If you live too far away to physically attend please be there in spirit for Michael. No matter where you live, please come together in prayer for PEACE, UNITY and JUSTICE for Michael Jackson. Support all attending by lifting us up in prayer and if you don’t pray then lift up everyone attending at the court house with your good thoughts and support.

Michael Needs You!
Michael’s Children and Family Need Your Support!
LET’S MAKE MICHAEL PROUD OF US!

Please read the following note from MJ fan Jan Carlson 3/26/2011:
For those of you planning on being outside the courthouse to support Mrs. Katherine Jackson and the Jackson family in their attendance at the trial, close your eyes for a moment and picture this:

Hundreds of Michael Jackson’s fans from around the world gathered together to demonstrate unity and solidarity with their cause in prayerful, respectful silence.
Imagine the family approaching the courthouse for what will, undoubtedly, be a very emotionally-trying several months and encountering hundreds of people with heads bowed in reverent memory of their son and father and brother instead of a seething mass of humanity undulating in angry waves with their clenched fists raised in the air.
Imagine Katherine and Prince, Paris and Blanket walking towards the courthouse in Los Angeles surrounded by silent, mindful people who show their awareness of the solemnity of the occasion by holding banners framing pictures of their son and daddy and words like “You Are Not Alone” and “We Are Here With You” and “We Are The World” and “We Remember Michael” and “Michael’s Army of Love” emblazoned in giant letters across them.
Picture clusters of people singing the words to one of Michael’s many songs with messages of peace and forgiveness, holding hands while singing You Are Not Alone or Heal the World or Hold My Hand or “We can change the world, you don’t have to do it by yourself. We can touch the sky. Gonna take all of us to help. We’re the chosen ones.” Wouldn’t that be more healing than hurling bitter feeling?

And for all of us stuck at home and unable to be in Los Angeles for the trial, wouldn’t our spiritual support for the peaceful demonstration pictured above accompanied by visualizing the most beneficial outcome for all concerned be a more healing substitute for the bitter judgments in which we are currently engaging?

Do you want the world to pay attention to what you are demonstrating for? Prayerful silence is the shot heard ‘round the world … deafening. News crews will be totally speechless … they won’t know what to think or say. It would be so beautiful to watch their dumbfounded faces as they tried to comprehend what they were seeing.
Do we want the world … and Michael’s family … to know that we got it?
Do you want to scare the plain, unsparkly socks off the medialoid?
Do you want to shame the Dimonds and Bashirs and Sneddons right out of their lying little hearts.
It brings tears to my eyes just thinking about it.

Source:

http://mjbliss.blogspot.com/2011/03/will-you-be-there.html

 

[MJJLaugh]

Words of Wisdom

Michael Jackson's Words of Wisdom



























Source:

http://www.lovers-poems.com/michael-jackson.html

 

[Ashtanga]

Oh Michael.... :girl_in_love:

 

[MJJLaugh]

Happy Mother's Day

Mother

Eons of time I've been gestating
To take a form been hesitating
From the unmanifest this cosmic conception
On this earth a fantastic reception
And then one fateful August morn
From your being I was born
With tender love you nurtured a seed
To your own distress you paid no heed
Unmindful of any risk and danger
You decided upon this lonely stranger

Rainbows, clouds, the deep blue sky
Glittering birds that fly on high
Out of fragments you've made my whole
From the elements you fashioned my soul
Mother dear, you gave me life
Because of you, no struggle or strife
You gave me joy and position
Cared for me without condition
And if I ever change this world
It's from the emotions you've unfurl'd
Your compassion is so sweet and dear
Your finest feelings I can hear
I can sense your faintest notion
The wondrous magic of your love potion

And now that I have come so far
Met with every king and czar
Encountered every color and creed
Of every passion, every greed
I go back to that starry night
With not a fear for muscle or might
You taught me how to stand and fight
For every single wrong and right
Every day without a hold
I will treasure what you've mold
I will remember every kiss
Your sweet words I'll never miss
No matter where I go from here
You're in my heart, my mother dear.

- Michael Jackson

 

[Ashtanga]

^^^

:wub:

 

[MJJLaugh]

Donna Summer - State of Independence


In 1982, singer Donna Summer covers world-anthem "State Of Independence" on her album, “Donna Summer” produced by Quincy Jones. Summer's version of the song features an all-star choir including Michael Jackson, Brenda Russell, James Ingram, Dionne Warwick, Kenny Loggins, Michael McDonald, Lionel Richie, Christopher Cross, Dyan Cannon and Stevie Wonder. This song was originally written and recorded by Jon Anderson and Vangelis for their 1981 album, The Friends Of Mr. Cairo. It was cited by Quincy Jones as being the precursor to and inspiration for the 1985 'We are the world', written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie, and thematically, it is a spiritually-driven song about universal love, peace, and unity unfolding under God’s guiding truth.

Donna Summer - State of Independence

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Michael Jackson singing State of Independence

<iframe width="640" height="510" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/3SSCb6OEBdk" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Lyrics ( Jon Anderson and Vangelis)

State of live, may I live, may I love
Coming out the sky, I name me a name
Coming out, silver world - for what it is
It is the very nature of the sound, the game

Chant:
Shablamidi, Shablamida
Shablamidi, Shablamida
Shablamidi, Shablamida

Chant:
Shot to the soul - the flame of Oroladian
(The) essence of the world
The state of independence

Sounds like a signal from you
Bring me to meet the sound
And I will bring you to my heart

Love is like a signal you call
Touching my body, my soul
Bring me to meet me here

Home, be the temple of your heart
home, be the body of your love
Just like holy water to my lips (hey, hey)

Yes, I do know how I survive
Yes, I do why I´m alive
To love and be with you
Day by day by day by day

Time, time again, it is said
We will hear, we will see
See it all - in His wisdom - hear

His truth will abound the land
This truth will abound the land
The state of independence shall be
The state of independence shall be

Say, yeah - e - yah , yeah - e - yo
Yeah - e - yay - yeah - e - yo ......
Yeah - e - yeah (hey, hey)

Source:
http://www.thesilencedtruth.com/index.php?Itemid=59&id=65&option=com_content&view=article

http://www.elyrics.net/read/d/donna-summer-lyrics/state-of-independence-lyrics.htm

 

[earthlyme]

Beautiful!!!

[youtube]DafAvGYgomQ&feature=related[/youtube]


L.o.v.e.
Romi

 

[Ashtanga]

Beautiful!!!

[youtube]DafAvGYgomQ&feature=related[/youtube]


L.o.v.e.
Romi

Sweet. :wub: Thanks for posting.

 

[MJJLaugh]

A Timeless Quality


Michael's legacy will surpass time and outlast us all, not only because his music and dance is so captivating and heart warming and mind boggling, but because he stood for timeless qualities; love, faith, compassion, forgiveness, understanding, respect, dignity. If you listen closely, with the ears of the heart, you can hear the pure love that shines through his art.
~ MJJLaugh

Michael is..
Michael is a dancer
A singer and writer, too.
Michael is a dreamer
And he makes dreams come true.

Michael is a poet,
He composes lovely lines.
They speak of love or hurt
And care for all mankind.

Michael is a giver,
He gives away himself.
Thru talent and with monies,
He entertains and he helps.

Michael is a daddy,
A brother and a son.
Family to him is sacred,
He treasures every one.

Michael is a "superstar",
The world takes him to heart.
So many of his faithful "fans"
Of HIS world, wish to be a part.

Michael is a "business",
On him so many depend,
For their everyday livelihood,
And salaries that they spend.

Michael is a gentle heart,
For children and animals, too.
He respects their lovely innocence,
And wishes that's what we all would do.

Michael is so many things,
To so many all the time.
Much too much for me to say,
In this short and simple rhyme.

Now about this very versatile man,
There's one more thing to say.
Most of all, Michael is love,
And in our hearts to stay.

God bless you, Michael!



~~~ Shirley Simonds ~~~
(June, 2001)

Time is fun when you're having flies
~ Kermit the Frog


Asher Quinn - Falling Through Time

 

[takumi]

Thank you

 

[MJJLaugh]

Neverland Menu


Maybe you were one of the lucky ones who got to spend a day at Neverland, with a dinner like that festive day on September 15th 2003 when there was a charity event followed by an after party. Or you wondered what was served on a typical day when disadvantaged and sick children had the day of their day, forgetting their worries for a day. This is a very lighthearted post about something we all need: food, more precisely the menu's that were printed for special occassions. Enjoy! ( I'm a vegetarian on a weight loss diet so slightly more obsessed about foods)
~ MJJLaugh

This menu was in honor of Joseph Jackson Day in 1991. The menu featured: Fresh Relish Tray, Grilled Stuffed Breast of Chicken ( Bread Stuffing and Fresh Apples), Smoked Turkey Display, Vegetarian Lasagna, Fresh Green Beans and Potatoes, Macaroni and Cheese, Country Style Salad, Paradise Salad, Fruit and Cheese Platter, Egg Custard and Peach Cobbler, Special Birthday Cake: German Chocolate.
The menu was signed by Michael, Randy and Jackie.



Foods you could order anytime while visiting Neverland: Soup of the Day Fresh and Hot! Please ask the Chef!
Salads Chicken or Grilled Shrimp Ceasar, Seafood Louie, Chefs, Curried Spinach, Avocado; Ranch Burgers Beef, Turkey, Chicken Breast, Garden Veggie, or Salmon with Lettuce, Tomato, Red Onion and Mayo; Sandwiches Turkey, BLT, Club, Tuna Salad, Chicken Salad, Steak, Monte Cristo, Vegetarian; Finger Foods Spicey or Honey Chicken Wings, Chicken Nuggets, Corn Dogs, Hot Dogs, Poppers, Egg Rolls; Pizza
Basil and Mozzarella, Veggie, Pepperoni or Mexican; Sides Garden or Spinach Salad, French Fries, Onion Rings, Cheese Sticks or Cottage Cheese; Fresh Fruit and Yoghurt




Sources:


http://s778.photobucket.com/albums/...&current=IMG-3.jpg&currenttag=neverland+ranch

 

[Ashtanga]

Neverland Menu


Maybe you were one of the lucky ones who got to spend a day at Neverland, with a dinner like that festive day on September 15th 2003 when there was a charity event followed by an after party. Or you wondered what was served on a typical day when disadvantaged and sick children had the day of their day, forgetting their worries for a day. This is a very lighthearted post about something we all need: food, more precisely the menu's that were printed for special occassions. Enjoy! ( I'm a vegetarian on a weight loss diet so slightly more obsessed about foods)
~ MJJLaugh




Soooooooooo nice! :wub:

 

[MJJLaugh]

Michael Jackson's Numerology Chart

[size=+2]Michael Joseph Jackson​

[/size]

[size=+2]August 28, 1958 - June 25, 2009​

[/size]

Life Path Number
- The Life Path Number is the road that you will follow through life.
- It indicates your talents & abilities that will help you along that road.
- These skills are the ones that will help you reach your destiny.

{Total of the numbers in your date of birth}


[size=+2]6[/size]

With a Life Path Number of Six Michael's path was one of responsibility (at home and at work), service and aid. He was a very good counsellor, as others were always coming to him for advice and wisdom. He was a very caring, loving, and sympathetic person who just seemed to love everyone. He needed to try and make sure that he maintain a balance between giving and receiving. He would spend so much time giving that he would often neglect himself.


Destiny Number
- Your Destiny Number reveals your life's purpose. What you must live up to in this life.
- Your opportunities for success. Your spiritual mission.
- The qualities & manner of living that you must develop.
- What you are destined for. The target you are aiming for in life.
- The kind of work that would be a natural expression for your Life Path.

{Total of the letters in your full birth name.}


[size=+2]8[/size]

With a Destiny Number of Eight Michael's mission in life has much to do with exercising power over the world. He had ambition, drive and enormous talent. He loved to be in a position of authority, and he always strived to be the best. He was highly competitive and he enjoy a good challenge. He was very confident of himself and he was also very formal. He was very reliable, consistent and efficient. His work was always of a high standard. He hated wasting time and he was usually well disciplined, well informed and well off. He was destined for material success. He got out there and became the masterful leader that he was born to be.


Soul Number
- Your Soul Number tells you what you long for.
- What your soul wants to express in this lifetime.
- It can tell you things like:
- Your heart's desire
- Your true motivation
- What you long for
- What you love best
- What you need to feed your soul
- What you value most.

{Total of the vowels in your full birth name.}


[size=+2]33[/size]

With a Soul Number of Thirty-Three Michael loved to give freely to all those who were in need. Joyful, loving and energetic, he touched the hearts of those who asked for his protection, care and assistance. He raise the love vibration to its highest level - compassion for all. Those with this Master Number have volunteered to come back as returning souls to elevate the race to a higher understanding of the meaning of love. This number is very rare.

The number Thirty-Three is a Master Number and as such it doesn't get reduced to the number Six. Master Numbers vibrate to a higher energy than ordinary numbers. The number Thirty-Three is known as the Master Number of universal love.


Personality Number
- Your Personality Number (or the "outer you") is what is most obvious to others about you.
- In other words it's how others view you.

{Total of the consonants in your full birth name.}


[size=+2]11[/size]

With a Personality Number of Eleven Michael appeared intelligent, intense and inspirational to others. He possessed all of the characteristics of the number Two (this is what his Eleven reduced down to) except with even more sensitivity and nervous energy. He had a tendency to attract the spotlight and he probably had an excellent intuitive grasp of psychology. Later in life his Eleven Personality Number became a great asset to him. His perceptive awareness and talent for diplomacy give him an edge over others that allowed him to influence and even manipulate them.

The number Eleven is a Master Number and as such it doesn't get reduced to the number Two. Master Numbers vibrate to a higher energy than ordinary numbers. The number Eleven is known as the "Spiritual Messenger".


Maturity Number
- The Maturity Number (also called the Reality Number) attempts to tell of the nature of your own true self.
- It is a compilation of your name & birthday vibrations.
- It gives you insight into what you can expect in the second half of your life.
- It indicates how you might interpret the combined energies of the Destiny Number & the Life Path Number.
- Your Maturity Number reveals the ultimate goal of your life.

{Life Path Number + Destiny Number}


[size=+2]5[/size]

With a Maturity Number of Five Michael's life was fun and full of changes. He was interested in many things and curious about everything. There was no slowing him down as he entered maturity. His influence grew as he become more dynamic and versatile. There was travel and adventure, and exciting unexpected events. This is the number of someone who is said to be "forever young". His perseverance was tested because he found it easy to abandon things that no longer interested him. His increasing ability to adapt to change, and his willingness to take risks provided much spice to his life.


Birthday Number
- Your Birthday Number influences the middle years of your life (28 - 56).
- Your Birthday Number reveals your unique talents & tendencies.
- Your soul chose your birthday because that day reflected what you need in this life to help you achieve your destiny.

{The number of your birthday}


[size=+2]11[/size]

With a Birthday Number of Eleven Michael possessed a great deal of intuition. His intuition was so keen that he would have made an excellent counsellor or healer. Eleven is a Master Number, and it is also the higher vibration of the number Two. He possessed all of the qualities of the number Two (harmony, sensitivity, tact, and peace), as well as the ability to inspire other people. Many people admired him without him ever knowing it. He was a visionary, and others sensed his wisdom.

You were born on the 29th - Your birthday on the 29th day of the month adds a tone of idealism to your nature. You are imaginative and creative, but rather uncomfortable in the business world. You are very aware and sensitive, with outstanding intuitive skills and analytical abilities. The 29 reduces to 11, one of the Master Numbers which often produces a lot of nervous tension. This is the birthday of the dreamer rather than the doer. You do, however, work very well with other people.

The number Eleven is a Master Number and as such it doesn't get reduced to the number Two. Master Numbers vibrate to a higher energy than ordinary numbers. The number Eleven is known as the "Spiritual Messenger".



Source:

http://www.numbertree.info/celebritynumerology/michaeljackson.html

 

[MJJLaugh]

A Tribute to Michael Jackson and Neda Agha-Soltan
06/26/09, New York, NY
by Natalia Rose


What do Michael Jackson and Neda Agha-Soltan, the beautiful young Iranian girl shot through the heart in Tehran earlier this week, have in common? They are mirrors—or what I like to call “perception-givers.” Their lives and deaths reflect to us the tragic effects of our commonly accepted ways of seeing, being, and engaging.


My father, Ben Barrett, was in the music business and recorded a great deal of Michael Jackson’s music—from the early days with the Jackson Five right up to the “Dirty Diana” album (one of the last albums he recorded before his death in 1992). My brother Roman and I spent a lot of time in the studios when our dad was recording; he would even take us with him on the nightshifts. So the two of us spent time with Michael playing video games and consuming “studio snacks” (sugar cubes, Hershey’s Kisses, Melba Toast, and Coffee-mate). Michael was always kind and engaging—never once inappropriate with us, just for the record.

I imagine that just about everyone born prior to 1980 feels an emotional tug in response to the news of Michael’s death. He was, after all, probably the most famous person after Jesus and Elvis. I’m certainly not immune. But what I feel is a tremendous relief for him. I can’t help but feel like Grace released him from the torment of his existence.

For many years, Michael lived with his parents and siblings down the road from us in Encino, California, on a street called Havenhurst just off the main road of Ventura Blvd. (famously referenced in Tom Petty’s hit “Free Fallin’” for you music trivia buffs). When he was a kid, Michael and his brothers would ride their bikes up to our house and visit my dad. Just take a moment to imagine Michael as a ten-year-old—that gorgeous little boy singing “My Cherie Amour”—riding his bike around his neighborhood like any ordinary, innocent kid. He was beautiful and, by anyone’s standards, uncommonly talented.


<iframe width="640" height="510" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Z7m3TgaKGzU" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>


His father, as it is famously documented by his sister Latoya’s memoirs, was a hideous character. He was dominating, violent, and abusive. Young Michael’s truth was usurped by his father’s soul-annihilating abuse. From his father’s behavior and words came the stories and lies (reinforced by those who neither challenged them nor taught Michael to challenge them) that would imprison Michael for the rest of his life. To varying degrees, we have all accepted the stories and lies imposed upon us as children.

Yet, despite this, young Michael’s light shone so brightly. The brighter a light shines in the presence of a bully stuck in darkness, the more desperate that bully becomes to snuff out that light for fear of exposure. Many of us, in our defenseless innocence, have been at the mercy of such abuse. (Of course, these bullies, who have likely been abused themselves, need love more than most. But that is a separate issue.)

Young Michael was natural, innocent, exploding with creativity, and in enough possession of his own soul power to radiate his personal essence—making him and his music positively irresistible. Let’s all take a moment and acknowledge that what he expressed in 1970 in his recordings of “ABC” and “The Love You Save” was his true, irrepressible essence—inspiring, enchanting, and downright magical! That was the real Michael. That was before the world of UNTRUTH had at him. This, I believe, is what his spirit and soul are returning to as he sheds the cage of his physical body and the false stories it absorbed over the course of his life on earth.

Michael and Neda (whose name means “voice” in Farsi) are two innocent, pure souls who demonstrated the lies of our world and what we communally deem acceptable. The painful unfolding of Michael’s public life and the tragic, rapid-fire death of Neda in Iran have showed us the EFFECTS of the CAUSES supported by such a world. What happened to Michael and Neda could happen to any innocent, and indeed does—every second of every day. Dramatic displays of suffering and wasted life can sometimes jolt humans out of our programmed, blinkered ways of seeing so that we can begin to discern the truth. But then most of us get distracted again and fall back into our old ways.

To varying degrees, we are all PERCEPTION-GIVERS: those who reflect through personal experience the truths and untruths of our humanity. We must also pay attention and be PERCEPTION-GETTERS. This is the way of the Peaceful Warrior, who does not draw a machine gun or send out a drone against injustice. The Peaceful Warrior knows there is more power in simply holding a mental posture of attentiveness and knows exactly what to watch for. An effective Peaceful Warrior is fluent in the language of Life—able to discern between that which is life-generating and that which is life-deteriorating—and from there is able to make swift life-generating choices.

How perceptive are you? How adept a Peaceful Warrior? How many of the lies, stories, and life-deteriorating but commonly accepted ideas can you see though? What do you do with what you see? Do you passively pray that the world will change or do you change yourself based on what you discover?

Our world can change only if individuals truly perceive and understand the EFFECTS of every CAUSE, and can discern between life and death. How the term “life” is misused! That which is truly living is harmonious and beautiful. Can we stop going around saying “Well, that’s life!” when something undesirable happens? It would be more accurate to say, “Well, that’s death!”

If Michael was taking substances to ease his inner pain and these substances played a role in his passing, this would bear closer examination. Whether it’s pharmaceutical or recreational drugs, alcohol, overeating, or other perverse forms of consumption like excessive shopping and sex addiction, these numbing behaviors indicate a world of PAIN and UNTRUTH. We must acknowledge that the personal and communal pain is real, neither a minor blip on the screen nor an acceptable part of normal life. Perception-getters know that pain is the alarm bell sounding off against the error of life-destroying causes and actions. Furthermore, error begets error, growing exponentially and multiplying human pain.

Instead of trading one numbing behavior for another—say, drinking for smoking, or smoking for overeating, we must determine what is motivating this behavior. The fact is, like Michael, many people don’t want see the truth and go through the shedding process. But for those of us who do, perception can lead to freedom.

To get really personal, for the first time in a long time I was so overcome with emotion today that I just wept. I didn’t resist the urge; I was grateful no one around to say, “Please don’t cry.” It felt so good to shed my tears. The flood of tears came through me like a summer storm after a long, hot day—it drenched my face, neck and T-shirt. I was not lost in the emotion. Rather, I was able to observe it. I was delighted that what I was feeling (and for whatever length of time I had been holding onto it) was finding a release—an exit from my body.

As I cried, all I could think of were the lies and the suffering those lies were causing. I wept for the beautiful boy, Michael, whose experience is a mirror for humanity. I wept in joy for all of our journeys, for despite how daunting it can be to truly perceive, it is a gift. It enables us to shed our old skins of untruth and renew ourselves. I wept for the gorgeous, young Neda and thanked her for her sacrifice, which has opened our eyes in invaluable ways.

One of my favorite songs is “The Nightshift” by the Commodores. It reminds me of my dad making music-magic in the studios on the nightshift—when most of the biggest R&B hits of the 60s, 70s and 80s were recorded. The Commodores recorded this song as a tribute to two of their friends who both passed in 1984: one was the legendary perception-giver, Marvin Gaye; and the other, the great Jackie Wilson.

I’ve posted the lyrics below as a tribute to Michael’s legacy and the mirror he offered mankind. I suppose this gives new meaning to his 1988 hit, “Man in the Mirror.” His fifty years on this planet were not easy for him. This is for you, Michael, may your pain not be in vain, and may your harmonies bring about greater harmony here on earth.

The "Nightshift" by The Commodores

Marvin, he was a friend of mine
And he could sing a song
His heart in every line.
Marvin sang of the joy and pain
He opened up our minds
And I still can hear him say:
Talk to me
So you can see
What’s goin’ on.
Say you will sing your songs
Forever more
ever more
ever more.
Gonna be some sweet sounds comin’ down on the nightshift
I bet you’re singin’ proud
Oh, I bet you pull a crowd.
Gonna be a long night
It's gonna be all right on the nightshift.
You found another home
I know you’re not alone on the nightshift.
You found another home
I know you're not alone on the nightshift.
Jackie, hey what you’re doin’ now? It seems like yesterday
When we were workin’ out.
Jackie, you set the world on fire
You came and gifted us
Your love, it lifted us higher and higher.
Keep it up and we’ll be there at your side.
Say you will sing your songs forever more
ever more
ever more.
Gonna be some sweet sounds comin’ down on the nightshift...

Aw—just download it and have a listen. It’s one of the greats!


<iframe width="853" height="510" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/dzRoVC71Bxc" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>



Source:

http://www.detoxtheworld.com/blog-detail.php?ID=80

 

[4veryoung]

Michael Jackson | He inspired legions in India to dance

New Delhi: When he was 10 years old, growing up in the Mumbai suburb of Nallasopara, Amit Rokade was installed in front of a television by his uncle Rohan, a choreographer, and introduced to the craft of Michael Jackson. “I don’t remember now which video it was that I saw,” Rokade says. “But like my uncle, I was inspired by Jackson to dance, by his style and his energy.”

Early on the day he turned 19, Rokade learnt that Jackson had died, reportedly of a cardiac arrest at his home in California. “I didn’t sleep at all after that,” Rokade, now a dancer in his uncle’s troupe, says. “Practically everybody in my troupe started dancing because of Michael Jackson. So everybody’s sitting around crying here, calling each other for support.”

By the time Rokade watched his first Jackson music video— the first of many that he would carefully collect—his idol’s career had already spiralled into decline, the towering successes of Thriller, Bad and Dangerous well behind him. As a creator of pop music magic, Jackson was practically defunct; but as a creative influence, on dancers and musicians as well as on non-dancing, non-musical teenagers, Jackson was surprisingly potent in India, well into this century.

Top of the pops: Michael Jackson, 50, died at his California home late Thursday. Despite a declining following elsewhere and a string of scandals, he remained the undisputed king of pop for his fans in India. Megan Lewis / Reuters

Top of the pops: Michael Jackson, 50, died at his California home late Thursday. Despite a declining following elsewhere and a string of scandals, he remained the undisputed king of pop for his fans in India. Megan Lewis / Reuters
Unarguably, more than any other modern Western musician, Jackson made the largest, most far-reaching impact on Indian listeners. It wasn’t limited simply to Bollywood dance masters borrowing his moves or aspiring composers being infected by his beats. It meant that kids on talent shows or neighbourhood dance contests got—still get— inside a hat and slippery-soled shoes to try the moonwalk. Or that canny pavement poster-sellers in the 1980s and the 1990s, knowing exactly what their customers wanted, hawked sheaves and sheaves of giant, unlicensed posters of Jackson in his trademark poses: shoulders thrown back, hips thrust forward, arms akimbo.

“Most of the time, it was that outfit from Thriller,” remembers Yohann Arya, chief operating officer of Archies Ltd, the chain of gift shops, which stocked licensed Jackson posters right until the poster craze itself died out. “When he was around, he was the ultimate poster that we’d sell. Every single print run would be a sell-out. In fact, those big sizes of posters really took off only because of him. Otherwise I recall only small, poor-quality pictures torn from magazines—including those of somebody else who died today, Farah Fawcett.”

And inevitably, from bedroom walls, Jackson worked his way indirectly into the higher echelons of the Indian entertainment industry. In Chennai, like Rokade, a young Prabhu Deva used to watch Jackson on television and practise his steps alongside. “When Thriller released, that was when I decided to become a dancer,” he says. “People may call me the ‘Michael Jackson of India’, but there can really be no one like him.”

In a statement on his web site, A.R. Rahman, who collaborated with Jackson on a track titled Ekam Satyam in 1999, celebrated his “uncompromising music”. “He pushed the milestone of Pop music to unbelievable levels through the ’80s and ’90,” Rahman wrote. “I am yet to find an artist with that energy, perfection and vision.”

Given his immense performer’s charisma on video, it was no coincidence that Jackson’s popularity in India grew side by side with the spread of television; national broadcasts and colour television began in India in 1982, the year of Thriller’s release. Curiously, while his music reached Indian shores in intact enough condition, the depth of his personal deterioration and the seriousness of his alleged misdemeanours never percolated down quite as efficiently.

Indeed, Jackson’s Indian fans could always be relied upon for plentiful supplies of sympathy. “When he was facing those cases of child molestation in 2003, I composed an anthem of support and uploaded it on my website, expecting probably 10,000 downloads,” says Nikhil Gangavane, a Pune-based photographer who helped found the official Michael Jackson fan club in India, with a current enrolment of roughly 13,000 members. “So far, though, it has had over a million downloads.”

When Gangavane was in the eighth grade, he heard Black Or White and Thriller, and he told his parents that he wanted to become Michael Jackson. “Of course, they said it was an absurd idea—you know what a middle-class Indian family is like,” Gangavane says. “But I do perform music now, and I perform a lot of his music.”

Hearing that an upcoming series of concerts in London would be Jackson’s curtain call, Gangavane had bought tickets to a show on 28 August. “This was my final chance,” he says. “When he performed in Mumbai in 1996, I had my XIIth grade board exams, and my parents said I couldn’t go. That was the most disappointing thing.”

Jackson would perform in India just that one time, as a part of the HIStory World Tour, in a concert organized with the oddest of partners, the Shiv Sena. (“We would like to accept that part of America that is represented by Jackson,” Bal Thackeray was quoted as saying at the time.)

Rokade was too young to attend that concert, but he insists that he knows what the energy and electricity of a live Jackson show must feel like. “He’s the god of dance, after all,” he says. “Even today, when I get on a stage to perform, I think first of him.”

Vidhya Sivaramakrishnan in Chennai contributed to this story.

http://www.livemint.com/2009/06/26231212/Michael-Jackson--He-inspired.html?h=A1

 

[MJJLaugh]

Meeting Michael Jackson
My friend MD lead a private visit of the Louvre for Michael Jackson and family. This is a testimony of a once in a lifetime experience.

My friend MD was working at the Louvre. One day he received a phone call asking him: "hey, could you please take charge of Michael Jackson for a private tour of the Louvre?". You bet he could! And this was an experience of a lifetime. When Michael arrived with two children and body guards, MD didn't know what to expect. He already had the experience of stars like Mick Jagger, Bruce Willis, and countless politicians requesting private tour. This one was very different. Different because Michael Jackson had the spirit of a child. He played in the escalators of the Louvre, trying to run opposite way, he had fun in the corridors, playing hide and seek. "He was a very smiley and gentle with everyone" MD said, "I've never met someone like him ever". "I couldn't believe how sensitive he was. When he liked a picture he was so moved he started crying. Like facing the Mona Lisa, we had to make a break for him to recover".
Now that Michael Jackson has left us, it might be time for us to think of our collective share of responsibilities in the way he became. Little boy Michael never had the chance of leading a normal life. He hardly had to open a door, someone opening it before him. We are not even sure if he ever had a choice. He could have had the normal life of a little kid, being a singer and a dancer without this worldwide show business pressure upon him. Was he someone to be envied, or just an unlucky boy swallowed up by the system because of his incredible and unique talent?
"He just had an amazing and immense charisma", MD recalls. "I can't believe I found myself waving my hand back at Michael Jackson, twisted on his taxi seat waving at me like I was his friend. I instantly became a fan, he was just an extraordinary human being".
Now MD working in another museum, shared with us the image of the empty corridors of the Louvre where Michael Jackson would be to never come back again.

Louvre






Source:

http://meetingmichaeljackson.blogspot.com/2009/08/meeting-michael-jackson.html

 

[4veryoung]

'Blues Away: Five Reasons Not to Be Sad about Michael'

&#8216;Show me a hero and I&#8217;ll write you a tragedy.&#8217; &#8211; F. Scott Fitzgerald

When I heard about Michael Jackson&#8217;s death, I was sitting in a bar with a friend. I was already on the way to being drunk; not half an hour before I had been gushing about how much I was looking forward to the O2 concert. Sky News was on in the bar, so I saw the story tick across the bottom of the screen like an unbelievable nightmare&#8230;

THERE ARE UNCONFIRMED REPORTS THAT MICHAEL JACKSON HAS DIED

I didn&#8217;t need the reports to be confirmed. I knew it was true.

Shock. Like a bullet. I began getting texts immediately. I ran outside to call a friend, who was in Spain but would still always be the first person I called. I was bent over against a wall outside the pub. I later asked my friend what I said on that phone call; she told me I just announced that he was dead, and then cried.

I straightened up, went inside. Drank some more with my friend. Cried a little. Tried to think of other things.

It was when I left my friend that grief really broke loose. I walked to my dad&#8217;s office, which was nearby and where I often stayed, collapsed onto the floor and just forgot I had any responsibilities to anything.

Apparently by this time my family were in a panic trying to reach me. My dad eventually found me in the office; I got sick all over the floor and later in my dad&#8217;s car.

My dad took me home. I slept for a few fitful hours then got up and went into work, still drunk and shocked, and now feeling like I was coming down with the flu. I was printing out the wrong things in work, finding it hard to speak coherently on the phone. I left as soon as I&#8217;d done what I needed to do that day.

I spent most of the weekend in bed, wallowing in the TV news coverage. I couldn&#8217;t listen to his music or see his face without sadness swelling inside me.

It was Monday before things began to change. My best friend, returned from Spain, was going to come up the following Friday to watch some MJ DVDs with me, and I found myself looking through my collection to see which particular live version of Billie Jean I&#8217;d show her, whether we&#8217;d look at parts of Moonwalker or Ghosts&#8230;

Some of the videos I hadn&#8217;t seen in some time, though I still knew them inside out. And I discovered I couldn&#8217;t help but smile as I watched the man dance, saw that perfection he touched time and again in his performances. There were so many reasons to be sad, but mostly I just felt grateful that I had become a fan and known MJ&#8217;s music and life that way for the last 13 years.

This is a time of profound change for Michael Jackson fans. We&#8217;ll no longer have our idol&#8217;s physical presence to follow. But we can take heart in many things. Here&#8217;s my two (or rather five) cents.

1. He made the best use of himself

None of us, except perhaps the most troubled, choose when we leave this earth. And so all we can do is make the best use of ourselves in the time we&#8217;re granted: whether it&#8217;s through the art we need to create, the kindness we show to others, the legacy of a family, or simply finding a line of work that we were born to live in. Michael Jackson made the best use of his life: his endless humanitarian and charitable work; his devotion to his children, as corroborated by anyone who knew him. Most of all, he was constantly creating music and using his stunning talent right up until the end.

2. There&#8217;s still music to look forward to

Ironically, the world will see more &#8216;new&#8217; Michael Jackson material now than we have in the last decade of his life. Every unreleased recording, every demo tape, every concert on film will be dusted off, packaged and appear on record store shelves. There&#8217;s already talk of producing a DVD from the footage of the London concert rehearsals, which includes a professionally filmed full dress rehearsal two days before he died. Former Sony Music CEO Tommy Mottola describes the archives of unreleased MJ songs as &#8216;endless&#8217;, and we know over the last few years Michael had been recording with contemporary artists for a new album. If the few previously unreleased tracks on 2004&#8217;s Ultimate Collection are any indication of what&#8217;s in the Sony vault, Michael left much greatness still unheard. While the endless commercialism will no doubt prove nauseating, there is some comfort in the thought that we&#8217;ll discover even more of the deep, rich musical legacy left to us.

3. The world remembers how much it loved him

For more than ten years, in the mainstream media, Michael&#8217;s music has been a footnote to the scandals; now, the scandals have become the footnote and the music and the man are the story. Of course there is still the tabloid/TV circus and the detractors are still there, but the tenderness and compassion with which MJ has been treated is astonishing: praise and appreciation has come pouring in from all sections of the media and the public at large. All of a sudden he was &#8216;Michael&#8217; and not &#8216;*****&#8217;. The surge in sales of his music has been covered everywhere. In the days following his passing, MJ albums accounted for 15 of Amazon UK&#8217;s top 20 albums and all of the top 10; HMV in the UK saw an 80 times increase in sales of his albums overnight &#8211; the largest for any artist ever; in the UK chart MJ had five albums in the top 20, including the number one spot for Number Ones; on the Big Top 40 chart show in the UK Man in the Mirror reached number one 20 years after its original release and he had 12 other songs in the top 40; 43 of the top 200 songs in the UK were MJ tunes; at one point 50 of the 100 most-downloaded songs on iTunes were MJ songs; his songs topped iTunes downloads in every country except Japan; he sold a record 2.6 million downloads in one week, making him the first artist ever to sell over a million in seven days; in the US alone, nearly half a million of his albums were sold in the week after his death; in the States, the top nine albums on Billboard&#8217;s catalogue pop chart were his; In Ireland currently, Michael has seven albums in the top 20, including the one, two and three spots, and 16 of his songs are in the top 40 singles; in the global chart, he has four albums in the top 20 and 11 songs in the top 40 singles. On a personal level, friends have been sharing stories of their favourite songs, albums and videos, the things that soundtracked their lives &#8211; even pals who had little interest in MJ are discovering and rediscovering things they liked about him. On the bus in and out of work this week, so many times I have heard people, mostly teenagers, listening to or singing Michael Jackson, and chattering about him in glowing terms. A whole new generation is finding and downloading him. The world truly loved this man; it forgot that for a while, but it will never forget again.

4. He came back

After his trial four years ago, Michael Jackson was an empty man: you could see it as he left the courthouse. He spent years as nomad, travelling from country to country, before announcing his comeback gigs in the O2. The night before he died he told Randy Phillips of AEG Live, promoter of the London shows: &#8216;Now I know I can do this.&#8217; Look at the rehearsal video that was released and you&#8217;ll know he could have too. Michael looks better, stronger than he has in ages. He&#8217;s not playing full out, but you can tell it&#8217;s there, waiting behind the tentative motions of a rehearsal: his timing and precision are perfect. Michael died doing what he was born to do: ready for the stage again. He came back. There was nothing more to prove.

5. What more could he give?

This final point returns to the first. Both life and art are about a constant striving for perfection. We are always following an ideal, whether it&#8217;s the image we have in our head of the perfect book we want to write, or our dreamed-for life: three kids, a beautiful wife, and enough money to provide &#8211; whatever the dream may be. We all have to be content with pieces of perfection, things we find as we take pleasure in the journey, always pursuing the ideal but never realising it, at least in quite the way we imagine. Perhaps we get to kiss the girl we love so much, but not marry her; perhaps the song we wanted to write in our head turns out to be very different on paper; perhaps, as Michael Jackson found, being the most successful person on the planet is twinned with inevitable tragedy &#8211; the loss of a childhood, innocence never to be recaptured. There is no pure perfection on this earth; if there were, the world would end, for it is the tension between triumph and tragedy that actually keeps the world moving. No great creation without madness. No great learning without suffering. No progress without loss. We must love people as they come (and leave us) and in the end not ask for more. Far easier written than done of course. Michael Jackson goes down in history as the most successful entertainer of all time (according to the Guinness Book of World Records), selling 750 million records; Thriller &#8211; the biggest selling album of all time; he was inducted twice into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame; he won 18 Grammy Awards, 22 American Music Awards, 12 World Music Awards and endless other accolades including Artist of the Decade, Artist of the Generation, Artist of the Century and Artist of the Millennium; he broke musical and social boundaries of colour and genre, gaining unprecedented global influence and appeal; he supported more charities than any other entertainer and set up the Heal the World Foundation. He became, quite simply, the king not only of popular music but of global popular culture. Not bad for a half century. And MJ was breaking records right up until &#8211; and even after &#8211; the end. He set a record for the fastest London ticket sales with his O2 concerts. After his death so many people were searching for him that Google interpreted it as an automated attack &#8211; at one point 70 percent of all searches worldwide were for his name. Michael Jackson lives, and will continue to live, until the earth crumbles to dust. For all that makes him a legend, however, perhaps the most wonderful thing is that &#8211; according to those around him &#8211; in his final days, this man was so happy. He&#8217;d given so much to earn it. It&#8217;s nice to remember him smiling.

http://everydayirishman.wordpress.c...way-five-reasons-not-to-be-sad-about-michael/

 

[Miche]

 

[MJJLaugh]

Michael Jackson In His Own Words




Today someone told me this story:

"There once was a little boy who had a bad temper. His father was very concerned for his son’s future and thought hard about how he could explain to his son why relationships are so important and controlling his temper is a key factor in this.

After much thought his father gave him a bag full of nails and told him, “Every time you lose your temper, hammer a nail into the back of the fence.” His son did not understand but knew that his father was wise so he agreed.

On the first day that the boy received his bag of nails he ended up driving about 37 nails into the fence. Each day he learned little by little to control his temper. He discovered it was easier to hold his temper than to drive those nails into the fence.
Finally the day came when the boy didn’t lose his temper at all.

He was very proud of himself and went to share his good news with his father. His Father was very proud of him and offered a challenge to his son. “Why don’t you pull out a nail everyday that you are able to hold your temper?”

As there were many nails in the fence it took the boy sometime to finally remove the nails from the fence. But eventually that joyous day arrived. He was so pleased with himself and he wanted to share this with his father.

His father was so proud of his son, but he wanted him to understand that holding his temper was more than just being able to add or remove nails from a fence. He took his son’s hand and showed him all the holes that were left from the nails. “As you see my son, this fence will never be the same, the fence is scarred with holes from your temper. Think of these holes as the words you have spoken in anger, the wounds you have left in people’s lives. Words really are like weapons they leave a wound, that does not heal easily. Son, your family and friends will make you smile and encourage you to succeed, they will lend an ear, share words of praise and they always want to open their hearts to us. Always remember the fence before you speak words of anger.”

Michael was hurt by words in his lifetime as well, but if you read his words, and listen to his words captured in the video, what do you notice ? His words uplift, inspire, bring joy and delight. Now of course Michael wasn't a saint and he may have said a bad word once or twice, but all words have impact and cause ripples in a pond. What kind of ripples are you creating ? What will be your legacy ?
~ MJJLaugh

Friends, the foundation of all human knowledge, the beginning of human consciousness, must be that each and every one of us is an object of love. Before you know if you have red hair or brown, before you know if you are black or white, before you know of what religion you are a part, you have to know that you are loved.- oxford speech

But I remember once when I was about four years old, there was a little carnival and he picked me up and put me on a pony. It was a tiny gesture, probably something he forgot five minutes later. But because of that moment I have this special place in my heart for him. Because that's how kids are, the little things mean so much to them and for me, that one moment meant everything. I only experienced it that one time, but it made me feel really good, about him and the world. -oxford speech

The greatest education in the world is watching the masters at work



in the end, the most important thing is to be true to yourself and those you love and work hard. Work like there’s no tomorrow. Train. Strive. Really train and cultivate your talent to the highest degree. Be the best at what you do. Get to know more about your field than anybody alive. Use the tools of your trade, if it’s books or a floor to dance on or a body of water to swim in. Whatever it is, it’s yours. That’s what I’ve always tried to remember.

If you could for one moment know This spark of creation, this exquisite glow You would come and dance with me Kindle this fire so we could see All the children of the Earth Wave their magic and give new birth To a world of freedom with no pain A world of joy, much more sane Deep inside, you know it’s true Just find that child, it’s hiding in you.-Magical Child


People ask me how I make music. I tell them I just step into it. It's like stepping into a river and joining the flow. Every moment in the river has its song. So I stay in the moment and listen.


But the night before the taping, I still had no idea what I was going to do with my solo number. So I went down to the kitchen of our house and played “Billie Jean.” Loud. I was in there by myself, the night before the show, and I pretty much stood there and let the song tell me what to do. I kind of let the dance create itself. I really let it talk to me; I heard the beat come in, and I took this spy’s hat and started to pose and step, letting the “Billie Jean” rhythm create the movements. I felt almost compelled to let it create itself. I couldn’t help it. And that – being able to “step back” and let the dance come through – was a lot of fun. -from Moonwalk talking about Motown 25

<iframe width="640" height="510" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/k3uL9S-OSDI" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>





Source:

http://its-all-for-love.blogspot.com/2010/04/michael-jackson-in-his-own-words.html

 

[Ashtanga]

^^^

Beautiful! :wub:

 

[MJJLaugh]

[size=+1]Michael Jackson's Unfinished Dream[/size]
by Anand Krishna

My mention of Michael Jackson on my Facebook status startled many, especially as I invited them to pray for him. Within minutes dozens of friends were commenting on my status, most of them were fans. More personal messages were dropped in my mailbox or emailed directly, and these were messages from my annoyed friends: "What have you got to do with Michael Jackson, a child molester, blah, blah, blah?"

This is a very big question, a huge question, since it can be rephrased in innumerable ways. What have I got to do with you? What have I got to do with the publisher of this paper? What have I got to do with President Obama?

Or, what have I, or you, got to do with this world? Perhaps the best answer is: "Because I live in this world." This is the point. The fact that you and I live in this world connects us to all other citizens in the world.

I remember the great Sufi mystic poet Saadi: "Human beings are members of a whole, In creation of one essence and soul. If one member is afflicted with pain, other members uneasy will remain. If you have no sympathy for human pain, The name of human you cannot retain."

But human pain and suffering cannot connect me with my fellow human beings, if I do not have some kind of "feelings" for them. I have an emotional tie with my family members, so I can easily feel their pain. But, I may not have such a tie with you, and therefore I may not feel the same way about you, your pain and your suffering.

Not so with Michael Jackson, he could feel the pain of a suffering humanity. He raised and donated millions of dollars for humanitarian causes. He was not compelled to do what he did. Indeed, there are people much richer than him that did not do anything to alleviate suffering.

Michael Jackson differs from them because of his "feelings". We can still hear the echo of his compassion through his songs and writings, such as this passage from his album "Dangerous":

"Consciousness expresses itself through creation. This world we live in is the dance of the creator. Dancers come and go in the twinkling of an eye but the dance lives on.

"On many an occasion, when I am dancing, I have felt touched by something sacred. In those moments, I felt my spirit soar and become one with everything that exists.

"I become the stars and the moon. I become the lover and the beloved. I become the victor and the vanquished. I become the master and the slave. I become the singer and the song. I become the knower and the known.

"I keep on dancing and then, it is the eternal dance of creation. The creator and the creation merge into one wholeness of joy. I keep on dancing...until there is only...the dance."

Such feelings are indeed very "dangerous", for then you can no longer shut your eyes to what is happening around you. Michael was in a very vulnerable condition, even before penning such thoughts, he was already singing: "We are the world...the world must come together as one.. It's time to lend a hand to life."

He felt connected with the world not just physically, but also spiritually. He did not stop at recognizing and acknowledging the pain and suffering of people; he wanted to make a change.

In "Man in the Mirror", he actually saw the reflection of his soul and sang with an added fervor: "If you wanna make the world a better place, take a look at yourself, and then make a change." It was an advice given not to you or to me, but to himself: "I'm gonna make a change, for once in my life it's gonna feel real good, gonna make a difference, gonna make it right..."

His realization that he had "been a victim of a selfish kind of love" made him all the more obsessed with the idea of spreading the right kind of love to heal himself and "Heal the World" to "make it a better place for you and for me". He dreamt of a world where "Black or White" either did not matter at all, or mattered equally.

In "The Earth Song" he wept together with Mother Earth: "What have we done to the world, look what we've done." Frustrated with all the happenings around him, he continued: "I used to dream, I used to glance beyond the stars; now I don't know where we are, although I know we've drifted far."

Back in the late 1970s, I had the rare chance of meeting philosopher J. Krishnamurti (1895-1986). He suffered from a similar frustration too. Later, in a documentary made on his life, those who were close to him during his last days discussed his frustration.

Both, philosopher J. Krishnamurti and artist Michael Jackson spoke of change, of the ultimate freedom from bondage, from the old-rotten old paradigms. And, as rightly put by Mahatma Gandhi, both realized the necessity of "being the change" that they wanted to see in the world. Yet, both of them died frustrated, as did the Mahatma. Gandhi who could not accept the idea of India's division based on religion.

J. Krishnamurti let out his frustrations through his writings and discussions with people around him. Gandhi let out his frustrations by withdrawing from political life and going back to his commune in Gujarat. Michael Jackson, the star, let out his frustrations by experimenting with his body. He turned his body into a laboratory.

From a strict diet to several plastic surgery operations and his involvement in unpopular "ventures", his love and sex lives - can all be seen as manifestations of his innermost desire to change. Change was both, his dream and his obsession. When he "felt" that he failed to bring about change, or at least it was not the kind of change he desired, he withdrew and shut himself away from the outer world. This was a grave mistake. By doing so, he closed all the outlets to let go of his frustrations. And, he died a lonely man.

Yet, a man, a star like Michael Jackson is too big to die. Indeed, he is too bright a star to fall. He shall shine for many, many years. His legacy of songs, his unfulfilled dream of the world to come, and his obsession to change shall be remembered by generations to come. Michael's dream shall remain alive, for his dream is not a loner's dream, his dream is the dream of all those who are capable of dreaming something big.

Jackson, we share your frustration and we will turn this into a source of energy to realize your dream, to "make a better world for you and for me". I shall not bid you good-bye my friend, for in your dream our meeting continues..

Anand Krishna, Jakarta | Sat, 07/04/2009 1:04 PM | Opinion

Note: This article was also published on Jakarta Post

ANAND KRISHNA - Spiritual Activist
http://www.aumkar.org








Source:

http://ezinearticles.com/?Michael-Jacksons-Unfinished-Dream&id=2564820

 

[4veryoung]

MJJLaugh....your Amazing, Thank u so much for your post. Always makes me cry.....so Inpiring&#9829; Much love & God bless always! May we continue MJ's legacy....Long live his legacy.

_________________________________________________________________________

GENIUS

THE EXTRAORDINARY ARCHITECTURE OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE
When I walked the streets of Rome, I felt like bowing for the incredible universe; humble, grateful, and impressed smiling from within. Absolute amazement was written on my expression. I felt small at the feet of the vastness of life &#8211; of the masterpieces our predecessors have created in a fashion we cannot begin to fathom, despite the modern technology of today. Pure wonders of life stands strong through history.

THE BREATH-TAKING SERENITY OF HIMALAYAN NATURE
Hiking in the unspoiled deep of the Himalayan mountains, the same state of marvel once again surfaced. I recognized the feeling from that of walking the streets of Rome. The crisp and raw Himalayan forest surrounded by far-reaching mountains and patterned carefully with the most clear river streams, leaves you in awe. All colors of the palette would appear more profound and colorful than ever, as was it here the actual colors originated. Spending time in the remote Himalayan nature is in my opinion one of those experiences where you must bite yourself in the lib or pinch your arm, just to assure you are not dreaming. And its grandeur and rough serenity cannot but make you realize, that you have been flirted with by life and makes clear the overshadowing power and beauty of life in the now.

The Genius of Michael Jackson&#8217;s musical being

Then, the familiar feeling of sincere awe and marvel &#8211; of feeling small by the feet at something much larger &#8211; occurred again in a completely different and most surprising circumstance &#8211; not by extraordinary architecture, not by impressive nature, but by witnessing the strike of genius within a human being. When I watched the movie &#8220;this is it&#8221; on the last months of music rehearsals by Michael Jackson before his passing; there it was again the marvel! &#8220;This is it&#8221; was such a fitting title and frankly all I could stutter afterward. I am not particularly a Michael Jackson fan at all, so this experience truly took me by surprise. Intrigued by the experience, I went twice again to see it on the large screen in cinema. Sure enough, the awe and marvel was still there. I somehow found the movie portraying a glimpse into the creative work-process of Michael Jackson, held a similar power and energy to that of the historic architecture of the Roman Empire, and the impressive Himalaya mountains. In its core these three phenomena are the same: pure genius.

Watching the movie I was inclined to believe, that there was some shade of genius over Michael Jackson. He was an unbelievable gift the world through the creation of novel music and showing to other mortals, how much &#8216;in-tune&#8217; a human being actually can be. It seemed as if the music and he was one. The creation of nodes, the noticing of the most delicate nuances came to him almost intuitively before thought. It reminds me of Osho&#8217;s writing on creativity, when it comes from the truest place of all. It might be that Michael Jackson suffered in his earthly life as many geniuses often seem to do, but could it be that by his very nature, he also set others free? By being music, by being rhythm in his core, he mastered something beyond what is understandable. He created extraordinarily and gave in his music way above 100%. In this perspective, he might just have been a rare blessing to the world. I find that being so completely a character is an inspiration, and if it wasn&#8217;t for people like him, the world would be rather mundane.

Geniality in all its form touches us at our core. It might be that it awakens or pokes to that same essence which lies within all of us. Michael Jackson gave absolutely all he had to the world trough music; he dared and used it all. What he poured into this world is beyond measure, its brilliance and true power is a treasure. We &#8211; the people of the planet &#8211; need rare and special characters like his; not matter whether we like to hate them, gossip about them, or cheer for them. It&#8217;s a flavor the world needs. True creativity is the deepest source if inspiration; it is divine; it sets us free and makes us dip our toes into our own true and vast potential.

|Denmark 2009

http://agrainofall.wordpress.com/2011/04/30/genius/

 

[MJJLaugh]

Smile

“Let us always meet each other with smile, for the smile is the beginning of love.”
~ Mother Theresa of Calcutta


“Smile, it is the key that fits the lock of everybody's heart.”
~ Anthony J. D'Angelo


“A smile happens in a flash, but its memory can last a lifetime.”


“If someone is too tired to give you a smile, leave one of your own, because no one needs a smile as much as those who have none to give”


“There are hundreds of languages in the world, but a smile speaks them all.”


“A warm smile is the universal language of kindness.”


His Sweetest Smile (Michael Jackson)


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Source for the quotes:

http://thinkexist.com/quotations/smile/2.html

 

[Ashtanga]

Smile

&#8220;Let us always meet each other with smile, for the smile is the beginning of love.&#8221;
~ Mother Theresa of Calcutta


&#8220;Smile, it is the key that fits the lock of everybody's heart.&#8221;
~ Anthony J. D'Angelo


&#8220;A smile happens in a flash, but its memory can last a lifetime.&#8221;


&#8220;If someone is too tired to give you a smile, leave one of your own, because no one needs a smile as much as those who have none to give&#8221;


&#8220;There are hundreds of languages in the world, but a smile speaks them all.&#8221;


&#8220;A warm smile is the universal language of kindness.&#8221;


His Sweetest Smile (Michael Jackson)


<iframe width="853" height="510" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/mS0JxCL5fkA" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>


Source for the quotes:

http://thinkexist.com/quotations/smile/2.html

Smile.... or eyes? :thinking: LOL All of Michael's beautiful and lovely. :girl_sigh: :heart:

 

[MJJLaugh]

Michael Jackson on the roof of Woolco in Memphis, Tennessee 1977
Author:
Robot A. Hull
29 Jun 2009


When Michael Jackson appeared on the roof of Woolco in Southgate Shopping Center in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1977, he had no idea that one day he would be wed to the daughter of the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll and that he would even vye for the King’s throne.

Then, Michael was not yet the beknighted King of Pop. In fact, he was more one of the Five, and not yet the grand amalgamation of pop cultural touchstones that he would become.

As the story has been told, the Jackson 5 were appearing that evening in concer and had just visited the South’s great R&B radio station, WDIA. Michael and his brothers were eager to please their fans, and that would mean going into the community to sign autographs. So WDIA planned a remote broadcast at a Woolco in the Southgate Shopping Center on South Third.

Although Woolco was selling Jackson 5 recordings, the manager of the store had never even heard of the group. As a result, nobody at this particular Woolco had anticipated what would happen when they opened the doors of the store despite the fact that the store was actually selling tons of their records.

Of course, hundreds, then thousands, of fans rushed in to meet the young pop icons. One estimate is that at least 10,000 people had been waiting in the parking lot to see the group.

The WDIA handlers decided to put the Jackson 5 on the roof for everyone’s safety.

Up there, Michael and his fans waved and dropped autographs down to the crowds. People were screaming one name: MICHAEL! MICHAEL! MICHAEL!

Many of the fans were angry because they had not gotten a chance to get close to the group. The enormous crowd gathered into a storm, and people began looting the Woolco store, completely cleaning it out. The store was torn apart.

Eventually the Jackson family paid for the damages.

One eyewitness who was present at the Great Michael Jackson Woolco Riot describes the event through a similar experience that occurred in Memphis in 1977:

“The best way to explain it is like when Elvis Presley died.

I was in Sessel’s Grocery Store as a sacker across the street from Graceland when people heard Elvis died. People stopped their cars in the middle of traffic in front of his mansion and got out and prayed.

People fell out in the aisles of the grocery store in tears. There were post cards with Elvis’ picture on them. People took them and walked out of the store with the post cards and put them on the store front glass. People took fruit, busted the glass out, never removing the photo from the glass, cutting themselves.

Traffic was backed up for five miles in 2 directions. You had to drive nearly 30-40 miles to get home when you would normally just drive 2 miles.

To say that people didn’t love Elvis those days was blasphemy.

Just today a young girl heard me playing Micheal’s music. She said didn’t I know he was dead and she thought he was a freak.

Someday as you grow older you will learn the very meaning of your words and how your very words can influence a world like his did. Because When Micheal died, I lost a friend, a friend that had lost his way.”

Woolco ceased operations in the United States in 1982. Michael died in 2009. Somewhere in between Michael Jackson became bigger than life.

Source:

http://www.rocksbackpagesblogs.com/...the-roof-of-woolco-in-memphis-tennessee-1977/

 

[Ashtanga]

:wub:


The picture is beautiful. :wild:

 

[4veryoung]

Never a Silent moment for MJ....

A mark of respect for a fellow human being is silence. Michael Jackson will never get it. There will be no silence for him as his body is laid to rest and hundreds huddle around remembering his warmth.
We have advanced much. With great pride, we continue to innovate new ways of creating commotion. Updates by the millisecond are at hand. Shared experiences are at the peak of their imagined potential. Michael Jackson has previously stopped the traffic in Times Square, but set another new precedent today by slowing down traffic and crashing many websites on the internet. The empirical potential of his absence is no doubt computed by interested experts. By dying, Michael Jackson has given rise to more money-making ventures for those in the business of not being silent. It will not be atypical if he is blamed for any fleecing of the grieved. The internet, the radio, the television and print media will be booming loud with new business. The air is already saturated by carrying the words announcing his death closely followed by reactions, expressions, speculations, opinions and of course the jokes.

I join the clamour now with my clattering keyboard because somewhere in the commotion, I read something which reminded me of a long-gone thought of mine.. "I hope they tell his story right". He told his story enough but it never was given due attention. MJ's Creator knows his story and that's the comfort.


There's something that surprises me, and something that does not surprise me.
What does not surprise me is all the different expert theories on the tragedy of his life. What still surprises me is that this man's life is seen by so many as a tragedy. That, to me is poignant. The tragic failing of the human spirit in so many of this world - the inability to celebrate the gifted among us. Michael Jackson never disappointed me, but it seems from most reports, that he disappointed many others who, to forgive their own hasty conclusions of his character, shamefully acknowledge his "talent" or rather - acknowledge his 13 minutes of talent - since 'Thriller' is the only thing that is ever mentioned from the fifty years of his life.


Been an unfazed fan since the days when rumours about the skin-bleaching and hormone-altered voice ruled the news after the liberalization of the Indian economy. (fan moment)"go down the liss oprah, go down the liss" (/fan moment). Went through the 1993 allegations hooked on the soulful Will You Be There while catching up with the bunny in Speed Demon. Of course I was there HIStory was my triumph and I loved how it started with a Scream to end with a Smile.

I tried fighting the usual suspects through the 'Vince Era' and it was clearly not about the music anymore as I could tell sadly, from listening to the album itself. Finally, as a result of the 2003 raid on Neverland and the - as MJ would say - 'ignorant' three million dollar bail amount, I produced an untitled 48 minute experimental documentary for my Master's Project that earned me less credit, respect and understanding than any other piece I have ever created. Months later, I took the opportunity to personally thank his lawyer and give him a copy of 'The Hindu', India's national newspaper with the acquittal news hogging the frontpage.

MJ got me listening to Gandhi, Beatles and Tchaikovsky. I learnt new words like 'paraphernalia' and 'catatonic' from hearing him talk. I celebrated his irreverant fashion sense and I really admired his way with the English language. He inspired me overnight to stop biting my nails. I learned his accent, 'Jacksonese'- a severely underrated dialect of American and I discovered a new strength in my falsetto while singing endlessly along with his songs. Of course I can Moonwalk. All MJ represented to me was creativity, simple joy and good values that I was raised with. Yet, I have received both curious acceptance and sharp rejection within different cultures because of my open appreciation for him and his lifework. A fact I find surprising to this day. Its possible I made an early bad judgement in choosing him as a source of inspirtation, but I further chose to rather find inspiration in MJ than sweat justifying my decision to the inquisitive.

Before his 2005 trial, I saw MJ as someone who handled pain very well and shared that strength with many others. After his trial, actually since the day of the 'not guilty' verdict on all ten counts, I started to see him as someone who could not handle pain very well and needed strength. I never thought this was a tragic fact about him, I mistakenly believed this was part of the general human experience and wished him well in his endeavours to overcome his troubles since, which were definitely many and mostly related to his money. I didn't realize that common human vulnerability looked like a tragic failing to some.

It is not the death of MJ that is disturbing, its the fact that he candidly shared the rawest emotions in public and yet died leaving an undying curiosity in most who care more for information on his private matters such as the mother of his children, his health, his finances, the shape of his nose, the texture of his hair and let's not forget, the colour of his skin. There is no one recognized person whose story will be believed. The clamour now will be to claim that spot as the person closest to MJ with the most intimate details to share.

I am sad for the little boy from Gary, Indiana whose dreams about making movies were thwarted. I think about the children MJ leaves behind who will forever live in the shadow of their father's presence as sadly many children in this world do. I am speechless for all the fans, who still look to MJ for needs ranging from a daily gossip fix to a remote parent to a messiah. I mostly grieve for the people who could never get themselves to see any beauty in his being here with us. How anyone could dismiss the good in Michael Jackson is and always has been a curiosity of mine.

I will not miss MJ, he is not a part of my life in that sense but I will remember him when I see any performance stage. As a student of art, I can continue to learn from a genius who, through shared thoughts or demonstrated action provided enough lessons on, and access to, the most ready and refined appreciation for life and art. I regret that there is no photograph of the First African American President shaking hands with the Permanent President of Showbiz. MJ is deeply revered in the African American community and has shaken hands with many political leaders, including the beloved Madiba, and four American Presidents: Ronald Reagan, Jimmy Carter, George Bush Sr. and Bill Clinton.

MJ is always high-level. If his expressed level of compassion did not hit the mark, distinguished intellectuals could probably attest to this by reducing him to a Mathematical formula - taking into consideration the worth of the staggering statistics related to his various seminal works as artist and philanthropist. There is something to be explored for the sheer recurrence of majority numbers and disproved probabilities in any impact measurement study. This, despite his place in society representing that of one who was marginalized even within a perceived minority group.

Throughout his criminal trial, MJ was never put on the stand, he never had to speak a word in his own defense. I'm thankful to Mr.Mesereau for his efforts towards this. I don't believe Truth abandoned MJ, not then, nor will it now. Through all the noise around his existence, MJ maintained a dignified silence for the dreaming, record-making, record-shattering force of nature that he IS.

If he was once called a one-man rescue team for showbiz it is no credit to the title-giver, for such is the sustaining power of sincerity in his art and charity. A stage is the worshipped ground of performers all over the world. Now, with the key light gone, no stage anywhere in the world will ever sparkle as much as it could with MJ being around. The corner of darkness will always be present despite advances in technology, the talents of performers and skills of lighting experts in the times to come. And all he needed was one spotlight.

There is no need for clamour around a man's struggles. Yet there is no end to the ready discourses on the 'tragic life' of this man. MJ would have never had his say because what's to be said can only be understood in silence. Michael Jackson will never have this undisputed moment of silence. Not from this world. Not in this lifetime. This much has been proved so far, only time can tell otherwise and I suspect he knew this very well .. "Lies run sprints. Truth runs marathons" - Michael Jackson.

Being a fan of MJ, I have very low tolerance for cynicism. Yet, my prayers in this world have been for strength not peace - it's because I always thought MJ's prayers for peace had already reached the ear of God.


Satyameva Jayathey (Truth alone Triumphs)

Om Shakthi:Shakthi:Shakthi:

http://www.sepiamutiny.com/sepia/archives/005838.html#comment-242857

 

[Ashtanga]

[youtube]z8InBiDKc6Q&feature[/youtube]


:girl_sigh: :heart:

 

[MJJLaugh]

Symbolism of the Peacock

A Brief Introduction


In general, the Peacock is representative of glory, immortality, royalty, and incorruptibility. It is a possessor of some of the most admired human characteristics, and is a symbol of integrity and the beauty that can be achieved when we endeavor to better ourselves and better our lives.

In history, myth, legend & lore, the peacock is considered an emblem of protection, nobility, watchfulness, guidance, and holiness.

In Greco-Roman mythology the Peacock is identified with Hera (Juno) who created the peacock from Argus whose hundred eyes (seen on the tail feathers of the peacock) symbolize the vault of heaven and the “eyes” of the stars who watch all life unfolding .

In Christianity the peacock represents the “all-seeing” church and the holiness & sanctity associated with it. Additionally, the peacock represents resurrection, renewal and immortality within the spiritual teachings of Christianity.

In Hinduism the peacock is associated with Lakshmi who is a deity representing benevolence, patience, kindness, compassion and luck.

Similar to Lakshmi, the peacock is associated with Kwan-yin in Japan – she is also an emblem of love, compassionate watchfulness, good-will, nurturing, and kind-heartedness. Kwan-yin chose to remain a mortal even though she could be immortal because she wished to stay behind and aid humanity in their spiritual evolution.

In Babylonia and Persia the peacock is seen as a guardian to royalty, and is often seen in engravings upon the thrones of royalty.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Michael loved the peacock and its symbolism.

Back cover of The Jacksons' DESTINY album: "Through the ages, the peacock has been honoured and praised for its attractive illustrious beauty. Of all the bird family, the peacock is the only bird that integrates all colors into one, and displays this radiance of fire only when in love. We, like the peacock try to integrate all races into one through the love of music." - Michael and Jackie Jackson for Peacock Productions.

Back cover of The Jacksons TRIUMPH album which appeared in 1980, with the songs "Lovely One" and "Can You Feel It".

From "Can You Feel It"

Screenshot from the "Smooth Criminal" video. Notice the headgear of both dancing ladies adorned with peacock feathers!

The "Leave Me Alone" peacock.

Portion of the "Dangerous" album art by Mark Ryden. Amongst the many animals featured, Michael loved animals that should be obvious by now, is a.....peacock!

Screenshot from "Remember the Time". Peacock feathers on the fan.




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Thanks to my friend Debbie who did most of the research and who gave me the inspiration for this post on Michael's affinity with the peacock and its special symbolism.




Sources:

http://www.symbolic-meanings.com/2007/08/17/symbolic-meaning-of-peacocks/

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[Ashtanga]

Wow! Very interesting. :wild: