Don't Stop Till You Get Enough

The music stopped yesterday.
Michael Jackson, the best known entertainer of my lifetime departed this life.
It gave me pause for thought in many ways.
For one, we all know that he was a musical genious and his talent and ability to move every nation to their feet trancended all that we have ever known. I'm not sure that there will be another performer to match that as long as I live. Many will try, I'm just not sure that any will compare to the legend that is Michael.
I had mixed emotions when the news hit yesterday evening. For one... DISBELIEF. With everything we have seen and heard about MJ over the years, this just wasn't one of the headlines you expected to see so soon. But on the other hand, maybe subconsciously we did.
I think his death calls for sadness and rejoicing. Sadness for obvious reasons. It hurts to lose such a force. Especially one that proved to the world that anything was possible. He captured the W-O-R-L-D through his art. That's nothing to dismiss lightly.

His passing also calls for rejoicing because now he's free from his shadows. Michael lived his life to the fullest, but he was forced to create a surreal world that in many cases only he understood.
MJ had no childhood. He achieved mega success at an early age and it never dissipated. His housemate for years was a monkey that he shared space with in an extreme gated community. His ENTIRE life was dedicated to the stage. No privacy. No escape.

It made me start to think about the balance of life. Can we really "have it all" Or does the universe find ways of balancing us out so that we truly remain human and equal? Of course we know that no one is perfect, but can we really have extreme success with minimal vices?
It's the same question that I reference when I think about extremely smart individuals. They are genious in their own right... yet they lack social skills. Some people reach great heights but don't know how to nuture healthy relationships. Is there a trade off in this life?
Maybe the interference comes in from the development of our cultures. Privacy would be possible if there was no Paparazzi, but would "celebrity" still exist without them? Fanfare causes larger than life situations. We dehumanize people because they have used their abilities to a greater level than ourselves. We put talented and successful people on a pedestal by creating false fantasies of their lives. It hurts us all.

On our end we miss that we are just as powerful in some form. Maybe we're not singers, dancers, professional cooks, etc. But instead we are powerful motivators, excellent caregivers, philanthropists, or practical entrepreneurs. We dim our own lights while we miss that we are one in the same. On the end of the very successful person that we have put in a superhuman category, we strip their freedoms by putting too much spotlight on their gifts. It affects people differently. Whether it's addictions, extreme seclusions, destructive or dismissive behavior... something gets lost in the translation.

How does one remain humble in an overexposed world? I guess that's part of the quest in this life. Maybe having it all is just finding peace in the noise. It's us as a society that has made it material.