Michael Jackson: Solomon Sans Wisdom
Michael Jackson is dead at 50. And that’s the end of it. On a day already made gloomy by the death of actress Farrah Fawcett, the King of Pop’s earthly reign came to an end.
And while I’m devastated for his family, mourning alongside countless fans around the world, my heart is mostly numbed by the news. After hours of watching media coverage of Michael’s death — the replaying of his music videos, the reaction interviews with celebrities, and the speculation over what will happen with his children and multi million-dollar estate — I am empty.
My sadness seems echoic, its source distant and remote. After all, the Michael Jackson I love died years ago, back in the ’90s before pajama-clad court appearances and fatherhood foibles turned him into a shadow of the king he once was. That Michael, the one from Off the Wall and Thriller who provided the soundtrack for the ’80s and inspired generations of men to float like feathers on their feet, died long ago. And though he’s periodically released new albums like HIStory or Invincible, hoping for a resurrection as if singing careers rise from the dead like Lazarus, I, like many of his fans, have been grieving the loss of the man he once was for decades.
Jon Minus Kate Plus 8: The Gosselins Divorce
So the marriage is over for Jon and Kate Gosselin, the Christian parents of fraternal twins and sextuplets that stole America’s heart when their exuberant and loving family of 10 opened their lives on Discovery Health and TLC. And though I can’t say I’m surprised to hear of their divorce–the gossip mongers have been speculating about it ad nauseum for the past six months–I am saddened by the very public dissolution of the Gosselins’ marriage. No one deserves this. To have to explain a divorce to children, family, and friends is hard. To justify that decision on national television as entertainment for an audience of millions of strangers is cruel and unusual punishment.
And what’s likely to be most disappointing about this news will be…well, the news. It’s 11:30 in New York, only hours since the episode announcing their separation aired, and already the headlines blasting alerts of the couple’s heartbreak are spinning a web of speculation, gossip and cruelty online. The media loves to eat its young and spit them out.
So in case we’ve all forgotten, I wanted to jot a quick reminder (to myself included) that these are real people. Those are actual children. 
The Gosselins aren’t a fictional family dreamed up by producers or knit together by network executives and publicists. Long after we’ve forgotten about the show, perhaps in a few years when we’re greedily consuming the next spoonful of reality drama on television, this family will still exist. We must remember that the comments we make today, the scrutiny and judgment we pass, will live on once the cameras stop rolling.
And I for one don’t need the devastation of Aaden Gosselin weighing on my shoulders. And I certainly don’t want a 15-year-old Leah Gosselin to stumble across my self-righteous words in 10 years while doing a Google search of her family and fall into some sort of crisis. It’s just not right.
So yes, Jon and Kate are divorcing. And our condolences go out to their family, as they go out to all families suffering through a divorce. We pray they find peace in the midst of mourning the loss of their marriage, and we wish them great joy as they forge ahead into a future unknown.
There is much we could say, but let’s leave it that, eh?
Photos courtesy of Michael Pilla, Discovery Communications, LLC.
Obama Challenges Youth to “Remake this World”
Much has been said about President Barack Obama’s landmark speech in Cairo. I don’t have anything new to add to the discussion as most mainstream media has covered his comments in excess. However, I do want to point out Obama’s call for a new era of faith in the world. Given the growing spirituality among younger generations, what a fantastic charge to call on the youth to “remake this world.” Read below to see what Obama had to say:
I know there are many – Muslim and non-Muslim – who question whether we can forge this new beginning. Some are eager to stoke the flames of division, and to stand in the way of progress. Some suggest that it isn’t worth the effort – that we are fated to disagree, and civilizations are doomed to clash. Many more are simply skeptical that real change can occur. There is so much fear, so much mistrust. But if we choose to be bound by the past, we will never move forward. And I want to particularly say this to young people of every faith, in every country – you, more than anyone, have the ability to remake this world.
- President Barack Obama speaks at Cairo University in Cairo
All of us share this world for but a brief moment in time. The question is whether we spend that time focused on what pushes us apart, or whether we commit ourselves to an effort – a sustained effort – to find common ground, to focus on the future we seek for our children, and to respect the dignity of all human beings.
It is easier to start wars than to end them. It is easier to blame others than to look inward; to see what is different about someone than to find the things we share. But we should choose the right path, not just the easy path. There is also one rule that lies at the heart of every religion – that we do unto others as we would have them do unto us. This truth transcends nations and peoples – a belief that isn’t new; that isn’t black or white or brown; that isn’t Christian, or Muslim or Jew. It’s a belief that pulsed in the cradle of civilization, and that still beats in the heart of billions. It’s a faith in other people, and it’s what brought me here today.
We have the power to make the world we seek, but only if we have the courage to make a new beginning, keeping in mind what has been written.
The Holy Koran tells us, “O mankind! We have created you male and a female; and we have made you into nations and tribes so that you may know one another.”
The Talmud tells us: “The whole of the Torah is for the purpose of promoting peace.”
The Holy Bible tells us, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.”
The people of the world can live together in peace. We know that is God’s vision. Now, that must be our work here on Earth. Thank you. And may God’s peace be upon you.
Disney Drama
Be sure to swing by UrbanFaith.com to find out what all the Pop & Circumstance is about. This week I’m talking about the drama of Disney’s first black princess, Tiana, from The Princess and the Frog. There’s also a sneak peek of the new season of “Run’s House” and an update on Miss California Carrie Prejean.
“Will & Grace” with an Ontological Conscience
courtesy of Sara Krulwich/New York Times
A friend just sent me a link for the play Next Fall by Geoffrey Nauffts in New York City. According to press notes, the play centers on a bi-religious couple (one is an evangelical Christian and the other is an atheist) and ”chronicles the five-year relationship between Adam and Luke as they wrestle with their respective demons. Timely and compelling, the play places the Prop 8 controversy in a human context by exploring what it means to ‘believe’ in this day and age, and what it might cost us not to.”
I’m really excited for this play. Rarely do we discuss the faith of those in the gay community. Most often we set up religion and sexuality as dichotomous entities: either you’re an evangelical Christian OR you’re gay. You can’t be both. But I love this play because it sheds light on perhaps the most isolated members of the gay community: those men and women who have faith in Jesus Christ, but whose lifestyles appear incompatible with the Christian life (as if anyone actually matches up to the expectations of the Christian life. I do recall something about “all having fallen short of the glory of God.”).
The New York Times describes the play as an “artful, thoughtful and very moving story of a gay couple agonizing over differences in their religious faiths [...] with the stinging breeziness of a cosmopolitan comedy. You can imagine its concept being pitched to a television produce as a sort of “Will & Grace” with an ontological conscience.”
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