Michael's influence on my life has been massive.
I am 28 years old, have two kids, I work as a nurse and inhabit this Earth. Trying to navigate between all these very different roles was quite difficult as I hadn't had any role models to look up to while growing up, so I kind of raised myself and figured things out by myself too.
I felt stretched thin like a paper leaf because of the demands of those roles and I didn't know how to center myself, so to speak. And every day there are news about the horrible state of this planet, mortifying acts of abuse done by humans to other humans or animals, or I just happen to see abuse and neglect around me because of the nature of my job and even just walking down the street.
So I found comfort in listening to Michael's songs, knowing he was worried too, and he did something about it. He raised awareness and gave so much back, huge amounts of money to better the lives of others.
And he himself was good to the core. That's what HE could do. And that is what I strive to do. There is not a single thing I can do, as an ordinary person, other than try to be a good person.
It takes only one person to influence everyone they come in contact with. I try to give my all to my patients. MJ wrote in Moonwalker that one should strive to be the best they can be at what they do. So I am constantly reading up on latest research and finding out what goes on in the medical field so that I could be a really good RN. I give to charities when I can, because every little counts. And somebody might see me donating, making them donate too, out of inertia
. I also try to be the ray of hope to people around me, in the street or at a store or wherever. I try to never judge. Keeping in mind that a kind word from a stranger can do a world of good, I try to be as polite and caring as I possibly can to everyone around me. Because that is what
I can do.
It is not always easy, I admit it. It takes constant work to remind myself to not succumb to used patterns and keep an open mind, and to go on and keep educating myself. But I can already see how I have grown doing this. I have Michael as my phone wallpaper to always remind me to do my best, to be kind. And I am considering maybe getting a ring made with a message on it, so that it would always be in my sight to strive to be as good as I can.
One last thing, adopting this kind of mentality and reading huge amounts about Michael now that I am an adult (I grew up listening to him, as a kid I made a big banner for my room saying "I (heart) Michael Jackson" and with all his song titles written on it, and I also hung it up in my dorm in uni. And even in this remote corner of Europe, I still had to defend MJ so much), has given me a sense of purpose and with that has eliminated all fear.
People are just inhabiting this earth as best as they can, some are better at it than others. But as long as each and every one of us tries to be good and kind to everyone and everything around them, we truly could heal the world. And I am doing my part as best as I can and I am teaching my children to do the same. Because that is what I can do.
So, thank you, Michael Jackson, for being here and giving your all so that others could be inspired to do the same. Your message has been heard and people are doing good in this world every single day, even when it is difficult to see in the midst of so much hatred. Always be kind.