By Rene Lizada
Papa's Table

MICHAEL Jackson is dead. And naturally the tributes have started coming. Main media networks have been broadcasting his videos and his music. Friends and fans remember. The radio stations have been playing his songs. Major newspapers have him in the headlines.

Music stores report that his albums are being sold off the shelves. The world remembers and honors Michael Jackson because Michael Jackson is dead. What hypocrisy this world has.

Cebu inmates' tribute to Michael Jackson
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When he was alive Michael Jackson was the target of countless jokes, insults and abuses. He was vilified, shot down, lampooned, laughed at, cursed and insulted. Now that he is gone people honor him. What hypocrisy.

But that is not surprising at all. What the world does not understand, what the world cannot understand, it destroys, it vilifies, it shoots down, it lampoons, it laughs at, and it curses. It insults.

Of course when I heard the he had died, I was surprised. A sudden death usually stupefies us. Leaves us bewildered, perhaps even groping. But after the shock had subsided I started feeling a different emotion. Two emotions actually. One of gratitude and one of happiness.

I felt grateful because it was in my generation that Michael came to be. I remember the Jackson 5. I remember the songs, the shrill voice, and the afro hair. I remember Never Can Say Goodbye. And of course as the years went by who in my generation cannot recall Ben, Happy, Music and Me. And Off the Wall and Beat It and She's Out of My Life.

Of course there was Billie Jean and Heal the World. We remember his patented Moon Walk and his hand on the crotch dance move. We remember his beads and his hair. We remember the child that yearned to break free and we remember the struggles and the demons that he had to face.

And yet we are grateful, I am grateful because the soul of this person shone through in his music, his dance steps. He changed us forever. We screamed in delight, we danced to the beat and we cried in the silence. I may not have known him but he knew me. And for that I am most grateful.

And yet I am happy that he is gone because I would like to believe that he is in a better place. To a place where he is not judged or abused. Where he is respected for what he truly is. I would like to believe that Michael is now where he had always wanted to be. In his Neverland of dreams. In his childhood where everything is as it should be. This world was too good for Michael Jackson

Sometimes I wonder about all this. Some people when they hear about the death of someone who died young, the usual response to it is, "sayang, ang bata pa nya." Of course that is understandable but it misses the point entirely. We all equate life with longevity. We think that to fully live we must reach old age.

We think that the quality of our lives have something to do with the years that we spend. But that is not the issue. That is not what matters.

I have seen so many old people waste their lives in things they thought were life itself. The tragedy of living long is not living at all. We see them doddering and trying desperately to find meaning in things that do not have meaning. There are old people who have everything but have nothing.

Their age has instead become a curse instead of a blessing. The years, instead of being gifts have become burdens. Wasted lives have no direction or depth. Living has nothing to do with life. You can exist but not live.

Compare this to persons who died young but who have lived fully. I know of a doctor friend who died in his forties. When I found about that several years ago, I was shocked at its reality.

But looking back at that, I remember him as someone who gave his life freely, who smiled often, who always had a cheerful demeanor, who would not hesitate in helping others, who pursued his own dreams and desires. He was happy and fulfilled. Whenever we met he would give his smile and make jokes. His family adored him, his friends liked him. He was respected and loved. That guy lived. He embraced life.

I would not know how it would feel to sing and dance in front of millions of people. I would not know how it would feel to have your voice heard across the globe. I would not know how it would feel to have millions of people adoring you and your music.

But I do know that when Michael Jackson stepped on that stage, life tingled. And as his voice lighted the concert halls, and as his dance steps electrified everyone, life exploded into song and dance and lights.

Let me share with you one of my favorite Michael Jackson songs. It is called:

The greatest show on earth

"Love is like a circus and a carnival is beautiful to see
Love can turn your mind around like Ferris Wheels and spinning carousels
You'll be a part of the world of make believe
Flying high like a man on a trapeze

Oh, everyday is a holiday Get your tickets right away
Love, love, love
Is the Greatest Show on Earth

The fantasy you see is like a child again through rainbow colored eyes
Step right up its circus time and get your money’s worth of love today
You'll be a part of the world of make believe
Flying high like a man on a trapeze

Every day is a holiday Get your tickets right away
Love, love, yea
Is the Greatest Show on Earth."

Michael Jackson is gone. Long live Michael Jackson.