MJ Still Dead

The MJ memorial is over and if one were to believe the media, the entire world, except for a group up in a small town in China, stopped to watch and Celebrate His Memory.

I’m going to catch all kinds of grief for this, but hey.  Look, he was an entertainer.  A very good one.  Very creative, very skilled and very talented, no question there, but he was still merely an entertainer.  He didn’t cause world peace to break out, he didn’t invent the artificial heart, or develop a new medicine to cure stupidity.

Which gives me pause today.  Our modern society is so focused on the superficial banalities of ‘celebrities’ that I occasionally despair of us.  Certainly, we need bread and we need circuses too, but have we wobbled too far into the banal to come back?

What we might be missing is something called ‘perspective’.  A moment of time to reflect and think about issues, how we feel about them, what our opinions are and what we might consider doing about the issue in front of us.  Obtaining perspective is difficult, as it requires two things:  Some time and some thought. 

Time is a premium commodity today, as we working endless hours accomplishing less than ever before at a furious pace, falling exhausted into the arm chair at the end of the day. 

Thought is harder.  You have to actually use the brain, asking questions and listening to your answers.  For example, Jacko’s Memorial?  I found it mawkish, embarrassing and needlessly cloying, so after a few minutes I tuned it out.  Jacko is still dead.

Perspective on the Garbage Strike in Toronto?  Until it reaches the 14th floor in Mississauga, I don’t care as much as others might want me to.  Both the City and Unions are suffering from a serious case of Rectocrainial Syndrome.

The same with Prime Minister Steve-O Harper either taking Catholic communion or palming the wafer during Romeo LeBlanc’s funeral.  The mere fact that Harper is our PM makes me want to disgorge the contents of my stomach off the balcony daily.  If he takes communion (Harper self-describes as an Evangelical Protestant) or drinks human blood only on Tuesdays, I don’t care and I suspect God doesn’t give a rat’s ass either.

The Starving Children in (Insert Name of Distant Country Here).  Yes, it’s sad.  Yes, the government in (Name of Distant Country) is incredibly corrupt and is stealing all the aid money and food we send over there while the poor children die in the streets.  Yep sad.  I already give to charities to help them.

Hockeybasebasketfoot-ball?  My lips are chapped; don’t make me laugh.  The Sens have sold the rights to Sergei Wakemoff for a cappuccino maker and next years’ draft pick.  Ho Hum.

What is important is keeping things in perspective.  What can I (and you) fix, modify, improve or remediate is the real question.  The list is much smaller but some of it can be accomplished with modest efforts for modest gains.

Civility is easy enough.  As an example, an elderly Sikh gentleman was at the crosswalk near the apartment.  He was hesitant about crossing at the four-way stop and I was already stopped.  He looked at me and I waved him across.  He tottered across the road, shuffling in that ancient way and gave me a wave of approximate ‘thanks’ as he crossed. 

Cost to me?  Perhaps five seconds out of my life.  Impact on him?  A moment of civility and respect.  An anecdote to tell over lunch with his family; “Then the crazy white guy waved me across the intersection!  Who knew they could be nice.  Pass the chutney please…”  It’s a small deposit in the bank of positive karma. 

Will it Change The World?  Not in a measureable way for all the inhabitants but for a couple of seconds, two or three people might have a nice moment. 

That we can all do.