What Kind Of Life Did Michael Jackson Really Have

June 27. 2009

Yesterday, I rhetorically wondered a few times, what kind of life the late pop singer Michael Jackson really had. What real quality of life did he have during his 50-years.

I would not have wanted to be him. I don't mean it derisively, but his fame was so out of control for decades, it turned into hero worship, though he was a flawed human being, just like everyone else.

Who could live up to such expectations, after all, as human beings, we are mere mortals, not God. As people, we are prone to error.

Throw a young, naive child into the cesspit that is Hollywood, heap success, failure, praise and criticism upon them and something bad is bound to happen. I keep wondering, did he feel it was worth it, because from where I'm standing, it doesn't appear to be.

Yes, Jackson had a talent for entertaining, but the nightmare it turned his life into at times, could not have been worth the pain. I often thought he would have been happier had he never been famous and was allowed to live in anonymity.

You can tell which pop stars prostitute themselves for press. They send out press releases with made up stories for publicity. They constantly email newspapers, websites and blogs, fabricated stories to keep their names in the press. They degrade and expose themselves for attention, in ways no self-respecting human being would.

At the click of every flash bulb, they're there showing you all their teeth, no matter what the weather or situation. For further reference see Madonna, Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, Rihanna and Beyonce.

But Jackson was a recluse. At times he seemed overwhelmed and distraught by the attention that he simply fled.

Being accused of child molestation, which I do not believe he did, had to have made his little enclosed world that much stranger and smaller for him. The controversy grew so loud and terrible at times, you forgot he was a singer.

I didn't agree with certain things Michael did, but when he died this week, I felt sorry for him, because his life was plagued with so many problems, some of his own making and many others heaped on him.

No amount of chart success could compensate for enduring such heartache in one's life. It is sad that he, like many others, saw multiple prescription medications, as the way out of his troubles. The belief is it isn't hardcore drugs, as doctors and prescriptions are involved, but it is still addiction and abuse. I hope others will learn from this tragic story.