5 Things Michael Jackson Taught His Fans

Written by Maryann Reid

The recent death of Michael Jackson on Thursday, June 25th, 2009 will never be forgotten or written about enough. Stay tuned for the tell-alls, scores of books, and entire franchises built around his death a la Elvis Presley, John Lennon, etc. But Michael gave his fans more than music, he gave them a way of being in the world. Not perfect or totally relatable, like most of us, he was unique. He taught his fans 5 things:

1) Compassion--Due to his many court cases, his fans were taken on a world wind type of tour that had little to do with flashing lights, at least not the kind that Michael shined under. With each court case and trouble, his true fans believed in his word of innocence, and they stood by him time and time again, though at times, with questions, but steadfast.

2) Individuality--Michael was a true celebration of what it meant to be an individual. He was getting plastic surgery when nobody else really knew about it. Whatever reason caused him to change his appearance, was his own reason, a private, personal matter that only Michael would understand. He dressed differently, spoke differently, and was a sort of a pseudo-spokesperson for anyone who ever felt unloved, or out of place.

3) Possibility--His modest background as a child in Indiana to a superstar known in every corner of the world is a fairytale story. It shows his fans that dreams are possible, anything is achievable, and there are no excuses.

4) Dance--Anybody can dance to a Michael Jackson song from the 2 year old to the 85 year old Mongolian monk. There was a different tune, a different groove in all of his songs that made it easy to move to from rock to ballads.

5) Kindness--Michael was one of the most charitable entertainers in the world donating millions to organizations for children, etc.

Before we judge or criticize, take a look at the "man in the mirror." That's what Michael would say.