Michael Jackson and the God Feeling

The irony of Chopra's article juxtaposed against the world we all share now that Michael Jackson is gone is how President Barack Obama and all of the media-created glory around him will never inspire a fraction of the hope, love and peace that Michael Jackson did in glancing moments of his brilliant and sincere lyrics. As significant and historic a loss to black America that Michael's passing was, the silence from President Obama was deafening and extremely telling of how Obama, not Jackson is the "sad and tragic" figure here. Michael Jackson allowed the black community to join his humanitarian causes and help those in need. Barack Obama pandered for votes with no real commitment or connection to African Americans.

That's why ordinary Americans are still reeling from this loss and not looking to the White House for inspiration.

I just want to add that the post made by "Posted by: filipek7 | June 30, 2009 4:07 PM" entitled "Reflections on Light and Darkness", was the most profound, insightful, and genuine comment of all the comments I have read to date surrounding his death. Thank you (filipek7) whoever you are...JB

Hi,
Stunned by the wisdom, insight, and clarity, in Deepak Chopra's, "Michael Jackson and the God feeling." So much so, I read it twice...and the analogy, Manichaeism:

"...the struggle between a good, spiritual world of light, and an evil, material world of darkness," as the Wikipedia entry puts it. Manichaeism pictured the destiny of the world, and each soul, in terms of black versus white, and so potent is the idea that it has permeated race relations, cultural divides, wars, and the whole tendency to demonize "them," those people who are different from us and therefore exist outside the light..." (D.Chopra)

Isn't this our struggle, day-to-day, minute-to-minute as we (learn/ or don't learn, our lessons) in this lifetime? The struggle between light and evil?

Michael Jackson transcended time and place.. when he danced; he connected to his divine source; he was etheral. This is how I will remember him.

PoppySue85:

You are absolutely correct, I'm certainly in no position to determine the fate of Mr. Jackson's soul. My use of "salvation" was inappropriate, as my intent was merely to say that in the end, from most accounts, it seems Mr. Jackson was without hope and in every sense, in the red - financially, spiritually, socially, physically, etc.

When I heard about MJ's death, I was struck speechless. It was the first time in my life I felt really OLD, in a way I hadn't before- he was always around in one form or another, even when we weren't sure we wanted him to be. I was never as big a fan of his stuff as my siblings were. There's no mistaking his talent. But his music was often just not my cup of tea. But To NOT have him physically around, even as a target of rumors/charges/etc, doing weird things, just seems somehow fundamentally wrong to me right now. The world without him just seems more foreign to me now.

He got what he wanted, though. Immortality.
He's going to be bigger in death than he ever was in life. Early death is the perfect career move for someone as big as he was who really didn't seem to have much of a shot at regaining his former glory, no matter what he did. Look at Elvis, Marilyn.

I think he was a very shrewd man- playing up the weirdo angle as much as possible for the public because of the old saw that there is no such thing as 'bad' publicity. This was a guy who studied folks like Howard Hughes and PT Barnum. I bet a lot of it was for show. Everyone look at the freak. We've been played for suckers, and we took the bait. I think he knew exactly what he was doing. His kids have paid the price for this, though- and my heart goes out to them. They're going to be crushed underfoot by the media vultures for the rest of their lives if they're not VERY careful.

He tried to recapture an innocence he saw in children that he was denied and look where that got him. Things only started to really go downhill was when the accusations started- then maybe he started to realize that his own children could be taken away from him as a result of his actions.

The only thing he ever said publicly that he wanted was to stay young forever, and now he's going to get his wish.

He died very young, and what we're witnessing now is the deification of a pop star. All this eulogizing and trying to figure him out- this is how religions get started. Myths are created around a complicated personality and then a person becomes sanctified for one reason or another. Regardless of whether you loved him or hated him- we're seeing the creation of a modern day deity, and I'm fascinated by this. It would be a great sociological experiment to see how this all plays out.

The past is history and the future mystery, today is a gift - that's why it is called the present.

Just ignore the Haters.

(sorry if this is a duplicate post)

The past is history and the future mystery, today is a gift - that's why it's called the present.

Just ignore the Haters.

I am sick of hearing about Michael Jackson's life and death. His death has consumed the news. There are many more important things to report than Jackson's passing.

It is my opinion that Jackson was a child molester. He had boys coming to his Neverland ranch regularly. He admitted to Barbara Walters that he had boys in his bed, but said that it was totally pure. That is very weird, and I don't believe for a minute that any of it was pure. What normal man has boys in his bed? Everything about Jackson was weird. Jackson paid a settlement to one family, so his lawyers must not have thought they had a strong defense. In another case, Jackson was found not guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. He was not found innocent. The only reason that the suspicion of child molestation has been buried is that Jackson was famous. If he had not been famous, people would be saying good riddance to such a person.

There is no doubt in my mind that Jackson needed intensive mental health treatment long ago but never got it. He descended into absolute madness.

It figures that Jackson would have a feel-good con artist like Chopra around him. Jackson would be a sucker for such a con. Chopra is nothing but a con artist. This article by Chopra is nothing but drivel.

Chopra is feasting off of Jackson's death as are so many others.

End this story. Jackson is dead. That is it. The world goes on.

Earth to Deepak, Earth to Deepak, come in Deepak....

Perhaps you've been hanging out with the celebrity set in L.A. too long?

You have got to be kidding with statements like: "But the other aspect of Manichaeism was also there, an evangelical desire to bring light and healing to the whole world."

The guy was a recording artist, a greatly talented singer/entertainer. Not to belittle his talents, but spare us the Christ comparisons, please? Bruce Springsteen is another hugely talented singer/composer, but we don't hear these half-baked musings directed at the Boss.

How can someone who hates himself bring light and healing to the world, Deepak? Someone who felt compelled to surgically and chemically alter his appearance, someone who was not able to be in a mature adult relationship. This is not Christ-like.

Can you talk a little about the distorting effects of so much money and fame on an already troubled youth? You ought to be quite familiar with that syndrome, seeing how prevalent it is in your celebrity cocoon world.

Deepak, you've lost me. You should dial it back a notch or two. Some of what you say and write is interesting -- sometimes -- but it's become too much.

The concept, I suppose, is "over-exposure". Less is more, sometimes.

adult assaulting children = child molester!

come on, a kid in an adult's body???

would you say that if this was your kid abused?

The saddest aspect of Michael's life is that no matter how much he ached for, chased after, and spent many millions on attempts to retrieve his lost childhood, it was all to no avail. I don't believe that he was a child molester---he wanted to BE a child, a stage of life he was cruelly robbed of. In this mortal life, every moment and every stage of life that passes by is gone forever in the twinkling of an eye and one can't go back in time to reclaim it. It's a real challenge to attempt life as a balanced adult when some part of yourself is missing.

I would love to see the mainstream media question Jordan Chandler as to the molestation charges alleged against Michael Jackson. Mr. Jordan has come forward stating his father was behind the false accusations. WHY HAVE YOU NOT PURSUED THIS STORY? You were instrumental in destroying the life of Michael Jackson, can we now get you to help bring out the truth.

He was a God to you, Chopra. He was a man and a pop legend to us.

Obviously, you envied this man, which is one of the so-called seven sins.

Even though Michael is now gone, you still wish you were him, don't you Chopra, even jealous that Michael is now in heaven after having lived a wonderful "dream" life here on earth. Jealous huh.

Impressive - a wacko writes a pretentious, and need we mention wacky, column about another wacko, and a whole army of wackos rises to the surface of the earth to comment! The WP has really set itself aglow with glory with this one!

Enough has been said and analyzed over the past 5 days. It is time to stop.

Now all kinds of pundits are getting in to the act.

Chillout!!

This "God Feeling" is something people gin up inside themselves; they project it onto any alpha personality who happens to be handy. The target can be a prophet, a dictator, a president, or a performer. He or she can ignore it, use it to inspire people, or use it to acquire power - sometimes enormous power. Whichever option he or she chooses, the people always seem to believe it's the leader who's doing something to them, rather than they doing something to the leader. Jackson might have learned that in the end.

POSTED BY: TELESONIC
===========================

This is a very succinct statement describing a phenomenon we witness over and over again in all areas of life. I wonder why some people are so susceptible to this kind of worship, while others are self-contained. Telesonic, you are very astute. Thank you for adding this truth to the discussion.

www.oldelmtree.com

Reflections on Light and Darkness

“There is a crack in everything; that’s how the light gets in” (Leonard Cohen)

There are no doubt millions of fans of Michael Jackson’s music who remain baffled by what little they have known of his behavior, character and appearance. There are millions more who are totally indifferent to the music and, if anything, repulsed by what they perceive as an offensive eccentric at best or dangerous deviant at worst. In the days immediately following his tragic death, almost all commentators chose to emphasize this ostensible polarity of Michael’s legacy: “a genius in his art, but a disturbed human being.” It seems like there was always a “but.”

If mainstream gurus are good at anything, it is turning truth on its head and, in the process, eviscerating all that is pure. It is not in Michael Jackson’s musical artistry that his foremost greatness consists, but it is in fact in his wonderful humanity. His music is only just one expression – just one manifestation – of that humanity. These misguided eulogies, therefore, have it all backwards. Michael’s legacy is not limited to an artistry that is somehow soiled by a troubled and troubling life. Michael’s greatest legacy is his loving character and the lessons it teaches us, through his ultimately tragic life, about the true face of an often brutal and ugly world.

In Michael Jackson, we see an innocence and purity rarely seen in an adult. Jackson’s “childlikeness” is perplexing to many people, but it is precisely this trait that sets him apart from an adult world that has learned so effectively to be cold and calculated, smart and shrewd, proper and professional. Adults seeking to better themselves ought to become more childlike. If Michael was guilty, his sin (borrowing Dylan’s prophetic words) was that he knew and felt too much within. Unfortunately, it is typical for those who feel deeply to seem to others utterly odd and insane. Hence the proverbial Pierrot, buffoon or idiot, whose superficial lunacy conceals a deep understanding of the human heart. Michael’s intense capacity to feel allowed him to be a loving, caring and responsive human being. He was far more capable of love than are most adults. Because of this acute sensitivity, what we also see in Michael is an utterly vulnerable, susceptible man.

Michael’s bizarre appearance and eccentric behavior were, paradoxically, far more sensible than the “normal” behavior of most “normal” people within the confounding context world that is itself upside down. All of Michael’s strange gestures and attitudes make perfect sense given one profound premise – that the world is pure, innocent and harmless. Of course those of us who have “grown up” have learned that the world is not “pure, innocent and harmless.” Hence the tragedy of Michael Jackson. His actions, whether holding his baby over the balcony or jumping on top of a car to wave to adoring fans or spending millions of dollars on a single shopping spree, seem irresponsible and disturbing when seen and interpreted through the categories of a deranged world. In fact, his actions were selfless and harmless.

The truth is, Michael had the eyes and heart of a child who saw in one dimension – that of pure love. When he saw that someone desired something from him, he gave selflessly, paying no heed to logical consequences or reasonable caution. The dictates of propriety and convention were, as they ought always to be, totally subordinated to the dictates of love. It made perfect sense to him to give joy to others, even if this exposed him and his own actions to spiteful or selfish manipulation by others.

Michael was not willing to assume, as most adults are conditioned to do, that someone he approached could have a tarnished nature. He gave others the benefit of doubt, approaching them as if approaching angels and children. When he met demons, thus, he was utterly exposed and likely devastated. This, no doubt, brought him much suffering, i.e., not so much the suffering that was inflicted upon him by the malice of others but only just the sudden realization (played over and over again anew) that the person he had hoped was an angel could in fact be so malevolent. Michael never allowed himself, it seems, to draw the seemingly rational and sensible conclusion that most adults have drawn from repeated experience: the world is generally just this way. In other words, Michael’s purity was such that if he met nine people, all of whom turned out to be vile, he would still greet the tenth as an angel. This defies reasonable human “logic,” but it remains steadfast in an adherence to the greater logic of divine love.

Michael surrounded himself with children not because he was perverted, but because he saw in them the hope for a world which had grown to be far too mature. What he loved in children was the proof and justification of the “purity of heart” of which we hear in the Beatitudes. He tried desperately – in only seemingly irrational ways – to protect this adolescent purity from a world whose hideous cruelty he felt in his very own flesh. If the fact that he saw nothing wrong in expressing love toward children in emotionally intimate ways attests only to his purity, our inclination to assume that he was a pedophile and our willingness to assume that love is a pathological deviation can only attest to our essential impurity. In a world that has fallen to pieces, it only makes sense that (to quote Dylan once again) what’s bad is good, what’s good is bad. Thus, love is a pathological disturbance, whereas cold, rational remoteness defines the new “humanity.”

Michael created and surrounded himself with a world fit for a child because he felt that this is the ideal the entire world should aspire to - an ideal that the world so woefully fails to live up to. It was also, incidentally, a way for him to compensate for the pain that was so ever-present to him – the pain of his past and present, the pain of his visceral, personal experience. Michael was sensitive – perhaps hyper-sensitive – and in so being, he felt the pang of every brutal truth far more directly and deeply than most others would. The harm that was inflicted upon him and others was so real to Michael that it induced in him an absolute and immediate moral response. This response - this Neverland world that eradicated the pain of reality through one sweeping contradiction - however unrealistic and idealistic it might seem to a practically minded adult, was totally reasonable for Michael. Michael was the perfect mixture of a child’s innocence and an old-man’s sagacity. He saw both much less and much more. Quincy Jones was therefore profoundly astute and when he famously described Michael as both the oldest and youngest man he knew.

Michael’s innocence is strangely evident in his infamous shopping spree that evoked such a furor when shown in Martin Bashir’s exposé. My own socially and environmentally conscious logic is tempted to condemn and rebuke such wanton excess. And yet, I can only smile when I see Michael in the store. Why? Perhaps because what I really see is an innocent child grasping for an ideal utopia – pleasantly oblivious to the ugliness of a consumptive and destructive society concealed behind a façade of harmless, pretty, enjoyable products. Michael sees only what is immediately there – the potential for a beautiful world wherein children and adults alike have what they need – the joy and inspiration, the peace and beauty. There is really no concern here for stuff. What allows me to smile rather than to cringe is that Michael’s thoughts and actions flow so naturally and effortlessly along these ideal and pure categories, which seem so improbable to my rational mind. He does not see the horror and the ugliness. These do not factor into his thinking. His urge to buy is not inspired by an egoistic urge to amass stuff for his own gratification. Nor does it arise from being manipulated by an insidious system that wants you to buy for its own impure interest.

The Bashir Interview: Casting Pearls before Swine

When I first (only recently) watched the notorious Martin Bashir special, which was shamelessly aired again and again on MSNBC after Michael’s passing, I could not help but cry. At times I felt as though I was witnessing the public humiliation, flogging and crucifixion of an utterly helpless and harmless child. My first thought was, “why did Michael agree to do this? He should have refused!” Upon some reflection, however, I realized that Michael was willing to expose himself (repeatedly) to Bashir’s sadistic onslaught precisely because of who he was. Michael thought that Bashir’s intentions were pure. He wanted to believe that Bashir would not manipulate what had been said and that the journalist’s quest was simply to share the truth with the world. Why not believe this to be the case? Why assume that the interviewer’s instincts could be self-interested and impure? Would that not be admitting that the world is ugly – that the world is not and will never be Neverland?

The contrast between Bashir and Michael really could not be greater. Bashir went out of his way to appear reasonable and measured. Michael, on the other hand, had little regard for how he appeared. His main concern was the truth of how he felt and what he believed. To many people he appeared “crazy.” The truth, of course, was just the opposite. Bashir was consistently cynical, sardonic, judgmental, and seemed to exhibit a pathological indifference when, again and again, he picked at Michael’s raw, open wounds. He showed no regard for the human heart and its anguish. If he had any concern for Michael’s torment, perhaps he was too proud to show it. Bashir concealed his cruelty behind a façade of intelligent, reasonable and intellectual professionalism, as if he were just a skilled journalist in the disinterested pursuit of truth. But it is when things sound perfectly civilized and appear so prim and proper that we should be most wary and suspicious. If we pay close attention, we see that Michael possesses the genuine and good heart and is quite reasonable in all he stands for, whereas Bashir is the true sociopath.

Bashir conducts his hurtful interviews all the meanwhile adhering to the highest professional protocol and journalistic etiquette. At one point in the broadcast, Bashir reflects: “Confronting Michael wasn’t going to be easy, but now it had to happen,” as if this shift to difficult personal subject matter were the result of some inescapable logic, perhaps some imagined standard of journalistic professionalism, which dictates that the truth must be uncovered, whatever the human toll. It is not relevant or important to Bashir how personal the truth may be, whether it has any important humane or useful significance to the audience, or what the consequences of the pursuit of that truth might be. The single thing that matters is the successful exposure of facts, which will secure for Bashir pride among his peers. Are we to admire this journalist’s professional ardor, persistence, and his supreme objectivity in the pursuit of his goal? Is it of no importance that a human being must be sacrificed on the altar of this professional ideal?

In yet another disingenuous attempt to establish his superior ethical and professional credentials, Bashir explains to his audience that his line of questioning is inspired by a “worry” for Michael’s children. Meanwhile, Michael sits and writhes in obvious pain and discomfort. Seeing this, Bashir, ever the objective scientist in hot pursuit, does not desist but rather intensifies his inquest. Michael, the victim, is increasingly desperate and begins to crack. His humanity is bared for all to see. Michael’s legs tremble with anxiety. Under duress, Michael opens up and his emotions spill over. Defenseless because of his innocence, and so pure that he cannot even fathom the foul logic of reason, Michael describes the act of sharing one bed with a child as an expression of care and love. How fair-minded propriety dictates that care and love are in fact deviant behavior is rightly incomprehensible to him. Desperation ringing in his voice, he explains that he cannot abide a crazy world wherein guns and computers have, for children, replaced human contact and compassion. “Why does it mean so much to you?” asks Bashir. The question seems to embody concern, but there is a just barely palpable accusatory tone: Wouldn’t a normal, rational person care less…? Perhaps you care so much because you are demented or perverted…?

The proper question, of course, is how anyone could ever be indifferent to the plight of children in an alienating world? How could anyone care less? Bashir’s rationality has itself become a pathological deviation. Bashir stands in judgment over a phenomenon he cannot understand, because he has grown up beyond where he could ever comprehend the simplicity of a pure heart. His logic is far too sophisticated and proud. When we have grown up to the point where we are actually capable of dispassionately analyzing a tragedy without breaking down and crying about it, we have then truly lost our humanity. Erecting ideals like Neverland in an effort to cope with dismal reality is not a moral failure. Properly seen, it is just a symptom of or testament to the pathological state of the world. The moral failure is the dismal reality in itself.

Bashir is the sort of person who could stab a person and, with cool and calm demeanor, go on to ask why the victim is in pain. He is “disturbed” by Jackson’s ostensibly eccentric behavior and “concerned” for the children, all the meanwhile inflicting psychological torture on the father of these children. Perhaps Bashir even understands that Michael’s sensitivity will make him susceptible to manipulation. He throws Michael off balance and then points to his angst as evidence of character flaws. Bashir is especially interested in the personal and largely irrelevant matter of plastic surgeries, and here his interrogation borders on sadism. Knowing the topic will open painful wounds, he pries into Michael’s demons. Bashir’s interrogation can only bring to mind an SS officer with his cool and scientific method. Perhaps what Bashir was really looking for in his ideal subject was a cold hard rock rather than a human being. What he found instead was an angel.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1196009/Im-better-dead-Im-How-Michael-Jackson-predicted-death-months-ago.html

The above is the name of the site. It is from the United Kingdom Michael's friends name is in the article.

I agree with Joe from Durham, NC

Last night I read extensive articles about what was really going on with Michael J. I read six total. They were written from a friend who knew Michael since he was 11 years old and followed him through his career.

Michael's father Joe J. play's an enormous role in messing up Michael's head, as well as his four brother's who followed in their father's "selfish sexual ways". At a very young age, somewhere around 9-14, Michael witnessed group sex by his father and brother's. Michael tried to stop one woman from going near his brother's. He had a very confused idea about women and relations with women.
The article also admitted that early on Michael admitted to his confidant friend that he did not want all the attention he was getting. He wanted a normal life.
It was also revealed that the people around him could see...doctor's, supposed friends could see he was anorexic!!! NOBODY FORCED HIM INTO THE HOSPITAL?!?!?!?

EVERYBODY AROUND HIM USED MICHAEL J. for Money. It was clearly obvious that he was extremely sick and incapable of performing any longer. BUT- the greed thugs around him continued to push, push, push him, until he died. He lost all of his hair, and had been wearing wigs for some time. His stomach was empty with the exception of pills. He was physically and emotionally sick and NOBODY took him to the hospital to be admitted. I think every doctor, or so called doctor, that went near him should be held accountable.

Calling someone Disturbed would be a Judgement...I would not be willing to make...

I think that it is a sad day when one can be described as disturbed after being aquitted of the charges he was falsely accused of - when will the media let him at peace - not even in death???

If there was any disturbance in Michael it was caused by the huge non-stop on-slaught from the Media circus.

The Media brought forward the stress and the fraility which he was trying to overcome. We all know that - just ask Farrah.

Michael Jackson: Born a crossover, or a woman's soul caught in a man's body. Like all crossovers, Jackson would have the rest of his life choosing how to deal with the conflict and the feminine feelings he had while living in a male body. Many crossovers choose to transgender the body to cope, and are called "transvestites. Others don a woman's persona at the local gay dance club and are called "drag queens". Perhaps the most secure just hook up with other crossovers and live their preferences out in the world. Michael never officially "came out". Yet his cosmetic surgery would suggest he was slowly transgendering his face to fit his persona.

That being said his music and dance set you free. Anything that set's you free and exhilarates the soul is very "Godlike". So long live the music and the videos that shall ever record this crossover's passionate and joyful performance.

Had MJ used his talent as a "gifting" to fulfill God's plan for his life instead of as a gift to try to fill the void left by having his childhood robbed by an abusive dad, he wouldn't have reaped so much hell. The fact that all media has been obsessed by MJ's passing must arouse the jealous nature of a God who wants us o exalt and worship Him, not some mere mortal, who can only let us down - and did just that.

I find it somewhat facinating that all people see in Michael Jackson was an entertainer, a pop star. He was more than that. He was a philanthropist and gave way more than anyone of his critics may think. He's been derided as someone who had too much money and who lavished expensive gifts upon himself. Some of that maybe true, but let's not ignore his contributions that go outside of the entertainment world. He's given more than $300 million to charities and charitable organizations.

http://www.jacksonaction.com/?page=charity.htm

And let's look at how we demonize people. All it takes these days is an accusation of child abuse to condemn a person. I would go so far to say that this is one of the reasons that you see fewer and fewer male teachers in schools these days. Does anyone here remember the McMartin trial?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McMartin_preschool_trial

I don't know for sure if Michael molested children. I have strong doubts. Ask yourselves,would you settle out of court if a wealthy individual molested your child? I would hope that the answer would be no. Any real parent would see the trial through and make sure that this person would never get the opportunity to commit this crime again. Afterwards, would be the time to file a civil suit for monetary compensation. Not before. It's that kind of thing that leads me to believe that these incidents were about money and nothing more.

Just like Michael Jackson's philanthropic efforts occured without any fanfare, please don't guess as to what his relationship to God is or was. It's that kind of thinking that is making people turn from Christianity. All the judgmental hypocracy. Michael's contributions to music and entertainment and charity are all reasons why people all over the world cared about the man. He will be missed and with good reason.

Michael was a great talent but a troubled sick soul

"...the paradox of how one person could be so innocent and so disturbing..."? Because its a FICTION, Chopra! it's NEVERLAND. Walt Disney originated theme parks. You can go on and on and on like everybody else, but in the end, the dude was just an entertainer. He could not fly. And just because you knew him for twenty years doesn't make him "so innocent".

Lets look at the reality...112 lbs, bald, nothing in his stomach but pills. Puncture wounds throughout his body, bruises, scars...he was a walking dead man who was ready to lie down. He knew he could never do 50 shows and had no plans to, he also knew his time was up. Goodbye Michael, fame destroyed you...and like youth, never stays. He tried, but realized too late, he could never go back.

white's say one thing black's say another micheal will always be a hero for black people and we will always love him regardless of what white say. totally slit in decision of opinions. why?? because white's hate blacks and lts obbivios the man had alot of money and didn need whites for anything like Oprah still in white folk pockets. l stand up for him . We Love U Micheal Forever . U R ONE OF Us. Forget Oprah

Michael was an addict of too many chemicals to list here. It also most likely made him creative for about 10 years and allowed him to come up with new music, style of dancing, etc. The point is that drugs being used for any other activity, especially sports, when found out the users loose medals and liability and get canned for the rest of their lives. The same should have been done with Jackson. Basically he faked it. His last ten years of insanity and poor health were the results of the drugs (but don't tell the kids that, they may stop buying his music).

it was a surreal life he lived from world point of view. it was not that his talent was so huge, many have equal or greater degrees of 'talent', it was the mega-celebrity that fed upon itself that makes us think he was 'special'. for gods sake, oscar peterson has 10 times the talent and the world will not question his human foibles. deepok, you are are a member of the same 'tribe' as mj and paris hilton et al. i preferred your earlier spiritual talks, but wish you much peace, as i know your intentions are loving.

An oil painting of Michael Jackson and Jesus Christ

Hello Deepak,

I wouldn't say Michael Jackson inspired the "god feeling" in me, but he did inspire me to want to dance, inspired me to see the absolute joy in the movement of the body.

His talent elicited great excitement from his fans, he was a master performer at the age of nine.

Watching the BET Awards show the other night brought home just how much his talent, creativity, and performances have been missed and will be missed forevermore. There wasn't a "Star" in the house who came close to his brightness and he was shining that bright at nine.

I loved how he acted out the perfect gang mentality with body movement in his video "Beat It." Michael's personality was so soft spoken off stage but on stage, in that video, he looked and acted like he had been leading a gang for years. Michael was intelligent enough to know that, the gang persona was easy to "put on," and, call your own, but very hard to take off, as an identity. He had the gang member in him and he chose to play and create with it rather than live it. He was a human being inspired, inspiring, and depressing, as we all are, in our lives.

Really, it's not such a mystery.

We humans love our drama, our victims, our heros, and our underdogs, we love to build them up and we love to tear them down, we see it everyday talking back to us via the media. The mass human personality isn't any prettier than the individual personality, it has it's needs and it's needs are mostly getting it's nose into someone's business and then talking about till it is talked to death.

I see Michael Jackson as that nine year old boy singing his heart out with as much professionalism as a 30 year old who had been in the business for 20 years and I see the adult who "mooned walked across the stage" and stunned an audience of millions with a move so original and fun and energetic that it will always leave you in awe watching it, no matter if a hundred years passes by, and, I, completely understand that this individual had "star quality" and no wonder the pitfalls were many on his journey.

No, Michael Jackson's story is way to common for it to be a mystery, but his talent and creative genius was one in a million or 50.

Innocent?

I'm sorry. No.

Not innocent.

Michael's father Joe Jackson is in the hall of abusive show-biz parents, along with Murray Wilson, father of top Beach Boys creator Brian Wilson. At least Brian didn't bother any kids.

If it's your job to protect children from people like Michael Jackson, a lot of this hoopla is very disturbing. Great musician, though.

DANGLE_G:
You are 100% correct to question how Chopra could position himself in such a way when Michael Jackson died as he did. However, who are you to position yourself to say that he died without salvation- or how flawed he was? At least Chopra actually knew Jackson- did you?

Micheal Jackson was human and like all humans he had his faults. His talents and ingenuity made people look at him as some super human being. As a result they wanted him to be perfect, flawless and ideal. To compund that is his tumultuous upbring filled with pain and sadness. Every one judges MJ based on what they wanted him to be, not what he wanted to make of himself or what circumstances allowed him to be. Before morons run their big mouths judging MJ ask your self how many right decisions and how wrong decision you have made in your life and most importantly what was the intent behind those decisions. I am sure he made some really bad decions, so what? He was human after all. Even Jesus has to defend every decsi0on he mad with some phylosophy. LET MJ REST IN PERFECT PEACE.

truth is in the eye of the beholder.
rest in peace Michael Jackson-

It is a complexity and that means quick conclusions are likely to be wrong.

It's interesting that the writer goes to such great lengths to make Michael Jackson out to be some sort of modern pop messianic figure but fails to mention false prophets and idolatry in the same piece. Clearly, MJ is a very poor stand-in for the one, true Messiah: Jesus Christ.

It's not a mystery: BEATING children, scolding, hazing, treating children cruelly TURNS THEM INTO pathologically-deficient human beings. The abuse is integrated into the child's psyche and grows with him into adulthood, coloring everything he sees subsequently. These children never mature, never.

Chopra writes "The paradox of how one person could be so innocent and so disturbing at the same time remains a mystery."

I don't think this a paradox so much as it an immutable fact of human nature. If history and literature teach us anything it is that all human beings are capable of triumphant virtue and abjectly horrific behaviour.

What a nonsense this article is. It's amazing people can write this kind of analysis seriously.

A pop guru writing about the death of a pop star.

Yeah, music and religion are pretty much the same. They are both entertainment and escape. To take either too seriously is dangerous, and leads ultimately to madness because the pleasure is transitory and subject to the always-changing tastes of the marketplace. At least with music we acknowledge that our idols have been created by mankind...

The innocence was feigned, the perversion was reality......

One sick waste of color-changed skin.

MJ - is the epitome of a quote from Jesus - What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his own soul ?

As far as the "G-d feeling" is concerned, the human heart is an idol factory, it will always find someone or something to idolize as long as it is not the one true God of the universe.

Truth is devisive and convicting.

"The flaws in this God feeling are obvious. It doesn't last. Strangers are brought together for a moment, usually through mass media, only to return to being strangers once the moment is gone."

This is the same way I feel about Mega-Churches and experiential churches that are all about singing or speaking in tongues. It's the same entertainment factor and feeling that many people got from Jackson concerts, a transcendent feeling of sharing that is superficial.

Being one with God is often mundane and takes more than a rapturous feeling. In the US, we're are becoming a people that embraces entertainment vesus substance.

Michael was a deeply flawed man, an entertainer and a father, and now he is dead. The vultures circle around his corpse hoping for one last peck before he is swept away to make room for the next man/singer/entertainer of the century.

In spite of all the advice MJ got from various spiritual advisers, in the end, he died in torment and without salvation. This sad fact causes me to look beyond a candle-in-the-wind moment for something lasting, something eternal.

I would submit to Mr. Chopra that positioning yourself as a spiritual guide has consequences, and the 108 lb. corpse lying cold and flat on a gurney in California should give you pause when you speak with such authority about matters that are way out of your pay grade.

Perhaps truth is the mystery. The truth, that is, that people--adorers--cannot speak of.

Michael Jackson was gay. Surprise? And with that came all the mystery you need for a sensitive artist. Yes, all the self-loathing, that made him change his skin color; all the guilt that made him hide and rationalize what mischief he was doing with the kids parents entrusted him with; all the defiance and anger that worked itself out in his music. And, yes, his idealism and dreams, that played out in all his endeavors.

When folks use the "Freak" label, it says more about them than it does MJ -- you really don't know why he did the things he did, so you cover up Your lack of knowledge with a label. And regarding skin color, you don't know what's behind that move either. Everything is speculation right down to the child abuse charges. But when anyone (child or adult) throws up just when their father enters the room, my heart goes out to them. I hope his will states that the father (and mother get nothing) but money is left to Janet to care for her mother so the father gets NOTHING !!

First of all Manichaeism is nothing more than a lame take on Zoroastrism. Secondly isn't it apparent that innocence - lack of knowledge - always leads to dire consequences. As has been said, "We can chose our actions, but cannot choose their consequences." I'm sure Jackson didn't know any better than to sleep with young boys, but that doesn't make it right for him or anyone else. AND it is not dual nature if there is no intent either way - good or evil.

Wonderful tribute.

Some comments indicate they did not understand the underlying theme.

Some people did not question the fact that Bush felt he talked with God as he ordered mass killing of Iraqis. It definitely was not God who told him that. But Bush and his supporter wanted to believe that.

Most people liked Michael because he was the greatest entertainer ever. Others took it differently. But most of those present in his concert did feel joy that we could not experience in other situations.

I think Chopra is confusing "God Feeling" for "Gay Feeling". Face it, Jackson was an insecure, ungrounded FREAK who tried to make his hair and nose and skin (I don't buy the vitiligo crap at all) look white and was a traitor to his own race. He could not even play a musical instrument and hadn't had a hit song in over 15 years. He was an aspiring (if not actual) PEDOPHILE and I, for one, will not miss him or his music for one second.

The TRUTH hurts, don't it? 8-)

THEREAL CAL GAL you stated that you knew someone with vitilago and their skin didn't change all at once. Surely you know that no illness produce the same symptoms in two people. There's no proof that Micheal bleached his skin. It is ludicrous for people to say he was trying to be white.

As for Micheal, he truly seemed like a tortued soul. Hopefully now he can rest in peace.

Healing our demons for an hour is not a healing. It's an illusion.

I do think, though, that you have touched on something vital here -- the feeling of being alive. This is something that Jackson brought with the power of his music.

On a more practical note, Jackson's "philosophy" that "it doesn't matter if you are black or white" is shown to be hypocritical simply by the fact that he chose a white person's skin cover-up to smooth out the patches of vitiligo as opposed to a black person's cover-up. So he preferred to be "white".

That's the same type of hypocrisy as someone promising that he could not hurt a child at the same time as being accused multiple times, by different people, over the years, of abusing children, -- or on a perhaps more concete note -- of refusing his own children a relationship with their very own mother.

I do agree with you, Mr Chopra. The sensation MJ inspired all around the world is really religion-like. People cry for him, and worship him as a God. Actually in China where I come from, many fans call him 'Michael the God'on the website.
Yes, everyone is struggling, for better, and for worse. It's just Michael's struggle is more painful than any of us because of his enormous wealth and fame. He has to make decisions, desicions which ordinary people even dont have the opportunity to make.

All due respect, but Deepak Chopra rarely has anything of value to say. This article is certainly no exception...

"The paradox of how one person could be so innocent and so disturbing at the same time remains a mystery."

What mystery? We are born, encounter troubles and joys and sorrows in life, are influenced by them in different ways and seek solutions available to us. That's it.

The division good/bad, black/white that we tend to make, as is the sense of unity, is ancient and has nothing to do with a special group or with God.

What troubles me is watching Michael Jackson's father, who I do believe abused his children badly, walking free and being met with respect.

"His skin changed from black to white because of vitiligo"

I've known people with vitiligo, and their skin didn't all change at one time. I happened in blotches. I don't know if I believe this about MJ, but even if so, he could have used makeup to stay darker rather than to "go white."

And what about all the plastic surgery? He had his first nose reduction at a relatively early age, and it was definitely to make it less "black" and more "white."

I still think there was a lot of self-loathing there.

"God feeling" my aching नितंबों!
Deepak Chopra has long benefited from his association as some sort of spiritual mentor to "The King of Pop", now it appears that this "king" turns out to be a grotesque drug addict, a debt ridden child molester whose nose had fallen off. Some "king", some "spiritual mentor"!

All this news is bad for the "Michael Jackson industry" and also for the "Deepak Chopra industry".

I'm afraid that with this article, Mr. Chopra is just covering his नितंबों

There is no cosmic war between dark and light, as I see it. Only one reality exists, and it's the human mind that judges and categorizes. We blow our own manmade suffering into grandiose cosmic schemes, and then we bow down and worship effigies to our own self-judgment.
---------------------------------------------
It seems the 'cosmic war' then is between youth, innocence and naivety vs. age, growth and wisdom, and perhaps with wisdom, a recognition that in the eye of 'God,' time is irrelevant -- indeed time is inherent to the realm of humanity and our planet.

When one dies, there is no waiting for the 'last day' for the promised resurrection of the soul, for with death, time in the human understand of that term ceases to exist altogether. All but the very worst of humanity are resurrected, perhaps some into another life, perhaps on Earth, so they can continue their spiritual quest in the flesh thru rebirth, while some [though perhaps very, very few] achieve the ultimate state of 'God' consciousness in one lifetime.

The public image of Michael Jackson apparently was not fully consistent with the private reality of duality, which all human beings share to a greater or lesser degree.

But then Jesus Christ also exhibited such dualities, did He not?

So when will the Messiah come again? And the answer is that He will come today, if you will hear His voice. But then you already knew that.

I wish Mr. Chopra and his daughter would please just shut up about Michael Jackson.
He was a deeply troubled person who was also a pop star. End of story.
Please stop using MJ to keep yourself in the spotlight. You are just like the other leeches trying to hang on. Let it go, he's dead.

God had gifted MJ with enormous talent. He wasted it by giving more importance to his looks etc. and other pleasures of life. The result was a tormented soul. He needed all kinds of medications, for what and why. I do not see any spirituality in this.

DR DEEPAK CHOPRA ! . . . . .
I Also Read Some Of Your Books With The Message For A LONG LIFE That Brought You Lots Of Money ! One Of Your Profound Statements May Well Be True In That The HEART THAT HELPS IS A HEART OF HEALTH ! You Never Replied To My Letters Over 15 Years Ago To Help In Stopping This GREAT HUMAN RIGHTS CRIME That Goes To The Heart Of Your Philosophies And You Did Know That I Was Waiting For You One Night At The MELBOURNE CITY THEATRE IN AUSTRALIA And You Found Out That Public Trust People Involved With This GRAND CRIME GAME Were Also Supporters Of DR DEEPAK CHOPRA ! You Made Another Profound Statement . . . . . DO NOT TAKE ME TOO SERIOUSLY ! I Have Not Stopped For One Hour Day And Night In Fighting This GRAVE HUMAN RIGHTS CRIME And My Doctors Are Very Impressed That I Have A Very Healthy Human Heart And That I Have Survived Terrible Crimes And Repeated Attempted Murders ! Here Is My Message For You . . . . . HUMANS HELP HUMANS And HUMANS RIGHTS - RIGHTS HUMANS . . . . . And This Is The Reality That Concerns The Entire Record Of HUMANITY !
MICHAEL PATEK - SOCIAL RESEARCH SOCIETY -
P O Box 818 Civic Square ACT 2608 Australia

I do not understand what Deepak Chopra is talking about. MJ was plain and simple an entertainment genius but certainly not someone who inspired "God feeling". This feeling only comes from contemplating on the mysteries and contradictions of universe and on unexplained events in ones own life which force one into total surrender before an unknown power.

That's the thing, I wanted to say to people.Somehow I also got same intuitions Michael was special. God sent him here with purpose.I know it is really hard to Digest but this truth;he was very much like a God.
His Earth song,Heal the word, Black or White are really amazing,that show what Michael always thought about this World.I was watching his one interview he spoke "Jesus always said love the people,so do I. I am agree with you Mr Chopra.

Pop does create a god-feeling for many of its listeners/fans. Look at the photos from the '60s of The Beatles' hysterical fans... Watch videos of U2 from the '80s and see Bono whip an audience into a frenzy... Many pop stars receive this type of adorations, right or wrong. Mr. Chopra is merely reporting the facts and analyzing accordingly. He is not assigning MJ deity status. Really, zealots, just get over yourselves already.

MJ had way too much money. Did he even finish high school? Did he ever go to any type of school? It was obvious he lacked the basics of human foundations that one gets from an education.

And one free five minute song by an unknown singer named Susan Boyle brought tears of joy to the global world. MJ's songs never did !!

Deepak Chopra is a name dropping con man, a fraud and charlatan who will say any drivel to keep himself in the limelight.

I believe in God, but Chopra is a cult looking for members.

To the guy bashing President Barack Hussein Obama... thank God he's doing his job far, far better than the previous President who was incompetent and in far over his head.

Michael Jackson's death — just another opportunity for Chopra to spew his "grandiose cosmic" drivel.

"the wider phenomenon is the "God feeling" communicated to millions of people through pop culture."

I think Deepak has gone a little tweeky .. these people distract us for a moment from the world, but hardly do intelligent people look at any them as someone to worship. And the comment regarding the "transcendent feeling" is just way too off the wall. Chopra, like Wayne Dyer, have exhausted their spiritualilty through commerce, and need to just go meditate somewhere far away.

Deepak Chopra: "There is no cosmic war between dark and light, as I see it. Only one reality exists, and it's the human mind that judges and categorizes."

That is an externalization of one’s' surroundings, necessary for survival in an increasingly contradictory environment such as poor Micheal's. "What you see is what you get" is true unless there are more than 360 degrees in the vision. Looking at several facets of a diamond gives one perception, trying to look through all of them might give him none. But you are right; there is no black and white. The mind’s eye has, or can have, the rainbow spectrum the cosmos actually does create.

This "God Feeling" is something people gin up inside themselves; they project it onto any alpha personality who happens to be handy. The target can be a prophet, a dictator, a president, or a performer. He or she can ignore it, use it to inspire people, or use it to acquire power - sometimes enormous power. Whichever option he or she chooses, the people always seem to believe it's the leader who's doing something to them, rather than they doing something to the leader. Jackson might have learned that in the end.

How dare you say that MJ inspired a flying spaghetti monster feeling!!

Elvis, Diana, Michael....we appear to be susceptible to adding content to a myth or a divinity that just did not exist. A death becomes a good career move, a revival for the one that has gone to failure. It becomes an annuity for the carrion feeders.

How one can equate a "God feeling" with a secular troubled media pop star like Jackson? Rhetorical in a way, since informed Christian know the answer - Jackson was a Godless man with untold wealth which brought him the spoils of absolute power (I can just hear Satan's laughter echoing overhead as he passed away). Jackson was was an example of a Godless life at best - bitter sweet, a life WITHOUT putting God first ...stupid~

My stomach churns the most when I think about THOSE POOR KIDS of his!!

I mean THINK about it. They arent stupid, and must feel like chattel property SOLD by their own mothers for FAT sums of CASH, so that Michael could parade around with a couple of white kids...

Their biological mothers literally SOLD their parental rights to them...

Now THAT is SICKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK and they will always be screwed up royally by that fact alone. They have had NO mother!!

A God feeling? Apparently you've read too many of your books!
Although enormously talented, MJ's demons have nothing to do with the God I worship! Your article is an insult to those of us who worship a holy God.

Innocent? Innocence must be in the eye of the beholder.

When the world is on your shoulder
Gotta straighten up your act and boogie down
If you cant hang with the feeling
Then there aint no room for you in this part of town
Cause were the party people night and day
Livin crazy thats the only way

So tonight gotta leave that nine to five upon the shelf
And just enjoy yourself
Groove, let the madness in the music get to you
Life aint so bad at all
If you live it off the wall

... so lighten up Deepak!

A God feeling is there all the time, we just have to find it.

A STRANGE STORY

I desperately wanted the 'God feeling; in President Barack Hussein Obama to give him the strength to say, "We (I) believe the coup was NOT legal."

A God feeling is there all the time, we just have to find it.

A STRANGE STORY

I desperately wanted the 'God feeling; in President Barack Hussein Obama to give him the strength to say, "We (I) believe the coup was NOT legal."

Every human being battles the light and the dark, good and evil, Mr Chopra. Michael Jackson wasnt unique in that respect. But he was just as confused as the rest of the world has been since Eden...by our own decisions...by our own actions....by our own will