Friday, June 26, 2009

Mortality

Mortal - adjective - subject to death.

Ed McMahon - June 23, 2009 - age 86.
Farrah Fawcett - June 25, 2009 - age 62.
Michael Jackson - June 25, 2009 - age 50.

Some reporter was asked how she would describe the reaction of people in the crowd that had gathered in Time Square in New York City. She said people seemed more excited than sad but not excited that Jackson had died rather about his music and art.

I thought about how I felt then.

I felt relief more than anything else. All three seemed like sad stories to me that were just becoming ever sadder.

I didn't want to read in some future article about McMahon losing his home or see him trying to earn his way out of whatever new financial problem he'd encountered. And McMahon had always seemed happy to me and I really did not like seeing him in difficult circumstances at 86.

Fawcett seemed to be suffering to me. There was very little doubt the outcome of her struggle. Had she lived there would have been more suffering. Somehow her life even before cancer seemed sad to me. Certainly she was beautiful and talented and I suppose all the other good things people said but what I knew about her seemed so full of conflict and sorrow.

I thought Jackson's life was even sadder. Even I could recognize his great talent. But there was a loneliness and a painful sorrow that I thought was always there. In recent years he just seemed to me to be someone who no longer could manage his life.

So I felt relief that at least the struggles had ended for these three figures.

Coincidentally I've been reading about King Solomon in my daily Bible reading. He was also a man of immense ability and superlative accomplishment. Yet at the end of his life he broke faith with his God.

His public life did not begin that way. He writes about it in Ecclesiastes. In the end there is one thing that matters.

So when I read the account of his death I felt the same feeling of relief.

6 comments:

dave said...

You make a good point about the sadness of their lives. Farrah resonates with me more than the other two. So beautiful, with a decent amount of talent, but her life was miserable so much of the time.
It seems like a huge waste.

¸.•*´)ღ¸.•*´Chris said...

These three individuals will certainly be missed by so many. May their families find some peace through the sadness of losing their loved ones.

Lori1955 said...

I agree that these lives were all sad. Farrah was in such pain and it was truly a blessing for her to go. As for Michael, I am sorry for the mess he made of his life but in all honesty I can't say I feel any grief at his death. I hate to be that way but that's how I feel.

arutherford said...

I hadn't connected the tragedy of all of their lives, although I certainly knew it and agree.

I have no emotions about Michael, some sadness for the other two. Mostly, I'm sorry that the media has once again become obsessed over something I consider a blip in the news.

rilera said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
rilera said...

Everyone has a purpose in life and when that purpose is completed here on earth then they are free to begin their journey to eternity. Those of us left behind mourn our loss.

Farrah was such a courageous woman while battling cancer.

As for MJ, I think that he is a tragic figure. He seemed so thoroughly devastated after his last trial. For that reason I just have this feeling that he was innocent of the charges of pedophilia. I think he truly loved children and wouldn't hurt them.