Whose the real Michael Jackson

Last night I was able to watch a few minutes of an NBC special on Michael Jackson in between failed attempts to make my three year old son stay in bed.  It was fascinating and a bit bizarre as the camera and reporter followed Michael into an upper end antique store where he purchased millions of dollars worth of furniture simply by pointing to it and saying “that one”.  I don’t think he ever stopped to look at the price tag which the reporter did stating that the vase or light set or whatever they were cost around $250 grand.  It was like following the emperor and the reporter made the remark that the stuff had the feel of royalty. 

There are many opinions and theories about the eccentric and iconic life of Michael Jackson.  What gets lost amidst the dehumanizing jokes and screams of sickeningly over adoring fans is the humanity of the person who lived like a king.  Behind the mask whether it was real or fake is a human being created in the image of God with the capacity to love and be loved. 

It’s hard to see Michael’s humanity amidst the crazy media circus and bizarre lifestyle.  Still it exists while at the same time being hidden by our attempts to latch on to and squeeze to death the very icon that we’ve created.  Michael and the Jackson family made their choices.  But, the choices were offered by us, the one’s who followed the stories, bought the albums and attended the concerts.  Even if we weren’t fans, I wasn’t, we participated in this demigod creation through the pop cultural system that most of us allow to speak for our ideals as much as we use it to smother ourselves in false identities to escape the pain of the real world. 

The icon of Michael Jackson became a false reality that hid the real man.  We might not like it, we might actually hate it, but Michael Jackson was more than a pop star, a wealthy artists, and all the other stuff; he was a human being.  One who allowed the fame and wealth of the pop cultural world to create a false person hiding the real one.  And still it was there.  But, there is not where we are in our screams of adoration and curses of hate for an icon of America’s desires to possess the hearts of the masses only to realize the more you have, the more you possess, the more your face is an icon of fame the more you die not knowing who you really are. 

Let us not continue to demonize but love even the wealthy and powerful among us so that the iconic demons of pop culture can be overthrown in the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  It’s not the pop culture that’s the problem but the worship of something that is a lie and distorts not only us the worshipper but dehumanizes the artists.  Artists are human beings too just like you and me.

tears of forgiveness

I once had an altercation with a very close friend who was also a member of my congregation.  The details of this argument are murky, lost in the emotions of the experience.  Like many an argument it was the product of miscommunication, misunderstandings and mistakes.  I was at fault as much as anyone else for the role that I played in this devastating conflict.

The two of us basically had it out with each other, accusing each other of disrespect each other and not supporting one another.  When it was all said and done there was an emptiness; an I can’t believe we just did that.  Is it possible to turn back the clock.  To go back and not let it come to this.  We were both devastated and assumed that our friendship was over. 

I walked away and cried.  My friend asked if he could talk to me again and so not knowing what he was going to say I agreed.  He grabbed me and gave me a hug and we both stood there hugging and crying.  It sounds kind of cheesy for two grown men to cry and hug like that.  But, what’s really cheesy is letting our own selfishness destroy a friendship and distance two people. 

Those tears were the release of all the frustration and separation that had come between us.  They were the sweet tears of forgiveness and I would gladly shed them again to bring healing and peace.  What’s not important is whether we sinned but that we forgave and allowed God’s grace to bring healing and wholeness to our lives and our relationship. 

Too often we focus on whose at fault and whether or not some action was a sin.  Basically, we’re trying to justify ourselves and trying to find a way to get out of a situation without having to give up too much.  In other words, we’re being selfish when we look for whose to blame and whether or not there are consequences.  But, my friend and I put all that aside and simply forgave each other acknowledging that we both were at fault and we both were victims needing the grace of God to heal us and forgive us. 

Those tears were the very essence of forgiveness revealing a reality that went beyond words.  The tears were filled with the life of Christ healing the wounds that we had inflicted upon each other and restoring our friendship with one another.  Whenever there’s a conflict let the tears roll from the heart and heal the wounds of selfish pride.

Iran: Do people want freedom?

It’s easy for us as Americans to interpret the current political and social crisis in Iran through our own historical and ideological lenses.  We find empathy in any context where people rise up against a perceived tyranny just as our forefathers rose up against tyranny and established the United States.  But, is this perception an imposition of tyrannical ideology upon others whose situation, context, and history are vastly different from our own? 

There is an increasing globalization of the idea that people have the right to choose their lifestyle; their economic and political context.  The idea of choice has made democracy a potent force in the past few decades.  But, this doesn’t mean that people necessarily want the version of democracy found in the United States or agree with the lifestyle and culture that dominates the United States.  People want a democracy that enables them to choose how they will live. 

I think we need to tread carefully in our assessment of the Iranian situation.  President Obama has been careful and wise for the most part in staying on the sidelines so that the Iranians can wrestle with their issues without a biased and unjust meddling from a superpower.  Instead we need to understand and respect that many Iranians values the ability to choose their leaders in as much as they value their Islamic revolution.  The protests in the streets is not a protest against Islam but demand for justice and choice within Islam. 

People want and need freedom to pursue those things that provide humanity with dignity and significance.  Americans often equate freedom with the ability to live anyway a person desires giving rise to our destructive consumptive lifestyle.  True freedom is not about living any way the heart desires which leads to anarchy since our hearts can deceive us in the pursuit of selfishness.  Instead true freedom is a reality when all people have the ability to pursue those things that provide human dignity; having access to housing, food, education, a clean environment, living peace, etc. 

True freedom comes in the dignity of love.  Not a love of self but love for others as much as we love ourselves.  Jesus taught us that the golden rule is to love God with all our heart, mind and soul and to love our neighbors as ourselves.  When we live out this kind of love we have freedom from the tyranny of consumptive lifestyles and the strength to oppose oppressive theocratic regimes. 

Let’s pray for the people of Iran to have freedom to choose the outcome of their history and live in a peace with significance and human dignity.

IRAN: when elections are more than advertising consumption

The recent protests over Iran’s disputed election results demonstrate the importance politics plays in the life of many people in the world.  The stakes are high and some people have been killed by Iranian militias during a rally that attempted to storm the militia’s compound in Tehran.  People are not just protesting the injustice of a system that they feel has stolen their vote.  They are fighting for the demand to have what many Americans take for granted; basic liberties that provide the substance for a society’s significance. 

The basic liberty to choose the leader’s of one’s nation in a fair and just vote is taken for granted by Americans who display contempt and cyncism towards politics.  The source of this malevolence towards the political system is the contrast between the messages that bombard the consumer through PR stunts, advertisments, and stump speeches and the human significance found in having the liberty to create enjoyment in life that is peaceful and just. 

 The American voter is not voting to ensure a better society with significance for the nation as a community.  Instead politicians are appealing to the American voter on the basic human level of fear and self indulgence.  Advertising and consumerism do not manipulate the person as much as they appeal to the self indulgent desires of the person attempting to convince them that those desires will be fulfilled by the product or idea being offered to them.  It’s the consumer’s own desire that fuels the whole system.  In politics this means the message and vote are not about creating a better society but what appeals to the basic desires of the voter in order to get their commitment and win the election. 

The contrast between the consumer voter in the US and the Iranian voter is vast.  In Iran people are voting for politicians who embody a reality, an ideal that will mold their country in particular ways that either provide them with the kind of significance in life they’re searching for or will strip them of that significance.  Of course, which politician provides this significance depends on one’s perspective; that’s what an election is all about.  But, the vote carries a significance for the people in and of itself because it provides them with the means to wrestle with contemporary issues and embody a vision for their nation that gives them purpose and direction. 

The significance in the Iranian vote is the reason people are willing to risk their lives at mass demonstrations.  While Americans can become vocal and bitter about the results of an election and even contest the fairness of one in the courts.  It’s doubtful Americans would stand up to political oppression in order to guarantee their vote was heard because it doesn’t have any significance for them.  The general attitude is that we can always vote again in four years and besides, politicians do whatever is expedient for them anyway so there’s no real substance to the vote. 

Violence is never the answer to any act of injustice.  May God be with the Iranians to find a just and equitable resolution to their political crisis that ensures their vote continues to have significance in setting the course and vision of their nation.  But, may God also be with us to transform our consumer vote into something that is truly worth voting for.  Instead of appealing to our selfish desires or even fears but instead to make a vote count by having politicians who are willing to risk their careers (life?) for what is good for this nation.