The King of Pop, Michael Jackson - What Killed Him?

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The world stands in amazement at the shocking death of Michael Jackson, king of pop. I stand amazed that the world didn't see this one coming. There were signs pointing in Michael's direction like red flashing lights flickering to warn drivers of a crash up ahead on the road. What frightens me even more are the fans that were so disturbed about Michael's death they have committed suicide. What? How do you spell dysfunction?

I could rant on and on but I will now get to the question that seems to be the banner of TV and print everywhere. What caused the demise of such a creative man? Several things. Life got mixed up. Did you ever wake up and wonder "how did I get here?" We start off as energetic kids full of enthusiasm for butterflies, dancing in the rain, and riding our bikes feeling the breeze on our faces. Then somewhere, that magic is gone. We look in the mirror and wonder who is that man? And even though I too believe that we call every situation into our experience - it still hurts. Being in this body we carry with us also prohibits our sight of the truth. It is a shadow of who we are and what we know on a soul level. So, here is my take on why Peter Pan got stuck and never grew up:

1. He grew up in a dysfunctional family: An abusive Father, perhaps an enabling Mother, and a lot of kids to raise.

2. He never had an opportunity to go through all of those developmental milestones that folks like Piaget and the others taught us in psychology 101 classes all over the world. In other words, childhood is the place we practice skills and gain freedoms slowly to prepare for adulthood.

3. His immense fame and income created a bubble that did not and could not encourage the mental health of any individual.

4. He made a huge jump for poverty to wealth that is often difficult to adjust to with self imposed limits.

5. He was considered the 'golden' child, the 'money' machine and so, at times, his monetary value overshadowed his personal well being.

What killed Michael Jackson? Life, with all of it freedoms whirled out of control until there, for Michael, seemed no way out except by the ultimate escape-DEATH. Some spiritualists say every death is truly a decision on some very deep level to leave physical form. We hate to even think that all deaths are suicide-but if we have free will and are the masters of our reality, it makes perfect sense. Their job is done, their lesson learned, or perhaps it would be better acquired at some other incarnation. I believe Michael got tired. I believe there are no mistakes in the universe. God is never late, he is always on time. Good bye Peter Pan. I will find you some where between sleep and morning-Tinker Bell. Let us remember, learn, and fly with greater compassion and wisdom.

Who Killed Michael Jackson?

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Apparently the case is being made that Michael Jackson was murdered with a lethal dose of a medication administered by his doctor. Even if the doctor is indicted and found guilty of murdering Michael Jackson, in my opinion Michael Jackson was a willing accomplice in his own murder, and (to a lesser degree) so were his family members and close friends.

Michael Jackson deserves to take some responsibility for his own death insofar as he knew what he was doing when he sought out doctors who prescribed a variety of drugs in very large quantities, and he knew the lethal risks involved when he took those drugs.

The same can be said for his family members and close friends: they knew what he was doing, they knew the risks he was taking, and they knew he was on a collision course with death and tragedy. And yet no one intervened, most likely due to the fear that if they did they would incur his wrath and be cast out of his inner circle.

One might rebut that there was nothing his family or friends could do, even if they wanted to, because of his money, power and influence, but that's simply not true. Any one of them could have contacted the authorities and made the case that, because of all the lethal drugs he was consuming, he was a danger to himself, which is the criteria for someone being placed on a 72-hour hold against their will in a psychiatric facility.

Had anyone done this, it is entirely possible he would have been held in such a facility and that treatment would have been initiated that might have saved his life.

Sadly, when most of us are confronted with similar issues in our own lives and relationships, we do the very same thing that Michael Jackson's friends and family did: nothing definitive.

Fearing rejection and abandonment if we force our loved ones into life-saving scenarios they are not interested in due to their self-destructiveness, most of us choose not to do it. This is a mistake.

Just as, when we love someone we need to let them be who they are even if that might lead them to leave us, when we love someone and see them destroying themselves, it is our responsibility to do whatever is necessary to intervene and save their life, even if it means they might resent us and sever the relationship.

Bottom line: We must look at the relationships in our lives and if we recognize loved ones going down paths of self-destruction, we must use all our powers, despite our own fears of potential rejection and abandonment, to help them get on a better path, one that will heal them and help them extend rather than terminate their lives.