Michael Jackson.
He has influenced me like no other. He has shaped the person I am today and I thank him endlessly for that. It's because of him that I value individuality, doing what you believe in no matter what the rest of the world thinks, and not giving up even when life is cruelly tough and unfair.

He was more than a singer and dancer.
Please understand that he was much more than that.
There is a reason why Michael Jackson has the most loyal fanbase in the world.

Do not compare his death to Elvis'.
Elvis made people around the world rock to Blue Suede Shoes.
But Michael Jackson brought people from Japan, China, Africa, the Middle East, the West together. He brought the world together, he challenged the world's perception of appearances, prejudices and priorities.
Before Oprah, Obama and Tiger Woods...Michael Jackson broke barriers for African-Americans. He brought people of different races and backgrounds together - self-willingly. Something politicians can't even do.
But he didn't stop there. He wanted to bring the world together through his music. It wasn't a mere want. He made it his purpose in life ever since he was a teen. "Can You Feel It", "Heal The World", "Man in the Mirror", "Cry" - it's time for anyone who hasn't done so yet, to finally listen to those lyrics.

They accused him of things Elvis or Diana never had to experience. And the world believed every false word of the media. They slandered his character and accused him of being a person he was totally the opposite of. That's why it hurt so much.
Put the average human being in that position and they would have committed suicide long ago.
But he stayed strong...and, something I still can't understand and probably never will, he continued believing that the world still deserved his help - even 'til his very last day on Earth.

The world didn't deserve him.

Michael Jackson, the person, never changed. As a child, he was soft-spoken, gentle, sensitive and serious about his work...and he was exactly the same at 50 years old.
People act like his personality changed as his appearance did - overnight. No, his inner self is the part of him that he has remained true to all this time.

Instead of listening to what the media say about the man, or what your friends hear on the news...why not listen to he man himself?

Like I said, I've lost a dear friend who made me the person I am.
He will be a part of me forever.

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Thankyou, Michael.

Carina.