Warrior Extraordinaire

Michael Jackson was cautioned by the elders of his childhood church about the pitfalls and difficulties of fame and notoriety. According to many interviews and reports by those who knew Michael well, he conscientiously strove to uphold honorable behavior throughout his private and public life. I can only imagine how undoubtedly difficult this must have been for him to wade through the mire of rampant criticism and sometimes harsh, unfounded ridicule which followed him like a stalking enemy for most of his adult life. Michael’s caricature generated bundles of greenbacks for greedy gremlins and mean, media moguls at the expense of his reputation and dignity.

When Michael went on the BAD World Tour in 1987, he agreed to answer one question from PEOPLE magazine journalist Todd Gold. Todd asked Michael what misconceptions the public had of him.

Michael Jackson gave this written reply:

Michael's handwritten note, published in People Magazine ~ 12 October 1987

“Like the old Indian proverb says, Do not judge a man until you’ve walked two moons in his moccasins. Most people don’t know me, that is why they write such things in which most is not true. I cry very, very often because it hurts, and I worry about the children, all my children all over the world, I live for them. If a man could say nothing against a character but what he can prove, his story could not be written. Animals strike not from malice, but because they want to live, it is the same with those who criticize, they desire our blood, not our pain. But still I must achieve. I must seek Truth in all things. I must endure for the power I was sent forth,  for the world,  for the children. But have mercy,  for I’ve been bleeding a long time now. MJ.“

It makes my heart bleed to read Michael’s tender and vulnerable plea. The thought that his heart was bleeding long before the two malicious extortion attempts occurred is sobering. As if these false allegations of child molestation against him weren’t trouble enough for one man to endure, let’s briefly examine the suffering that he experienced during his entire adult life.

Go back in time to the early 1980′s when Michael was in his young 20′s, just embarking on his solo career. This is when he discovered his inherited skin disease called vitiligo, which ultimately resulted in the complete loss of pigmentation over his entire body. I can imagine it took much humility and courage to accept his rapidly changing appearance. This would be especially difficult for an entertainer with naturally dark skin, whose career hinged around being admired by millions of people around the world. Michael was a very private man, so he kept this condition under wraps, figuratively and literally.

Now, let’s fast forward a few years to 1984 when Michael’s hair caught on fire while filming the infamous Pepsi commercial when the pyrotechnics malfunctioned. Several surgeries and skin grafts were needed to treat the severe burns to his scalp . This resulted in permanent hair loss and scarring that would force Michael to wear wigs for the rest of his life. More humility and more demands for acceptance challenged him. This photograph was taken in the ambulance with bandage on his head, and trademark, sequined white glove, which he initially began wearing on the right hand to cover up his blotchy, fading skin.

In his early autobiography, Moonwalk, he described the accident, “…bombs went off on either side of my head, and the sparks set my hair on fire. I was dancing down this ramp and turning around, spinning, not knowing I was on fire. Suddenly I felt my hands reflexively go to my head in an attempt to smother the flames.”

As a result of this technical malfunction Pepsi gave Michael $1.5 million dollars, which he donated to to the burn unit of the Brotman Medical Center in Culver City, California. Henceforth the unit was named the Michael Jackson Burn Center for Children. For the rest of his life, Michael showed a special compassion to burn victims, especially children.
                                                                        It is important to note that these extreme set-backs occurred during the time when Michael’s star was rising, and brilliantly lighting up the entire musical skies with his unparallelled talent. Michael Jackson was a giver. He sacrificed his pain to give joy to others by singing and dancing, and generously donating money and gifts. For two decades he gave gifts of compassion to hundreds of thousands of children worldwide by visiting orphanages and hospitals while on tour. Over the span of the same 20 years, Michael invited hoards of disabled and ailing children to visit his marvelous and magical Neverland Valley Ranch in the foothills of the San Ynez mountains of southern California.

Michael was an extraordinary warrior of L.O.V.E.

Twila Paris’ song, The Warrior Is A Child, is sung in this video by Gary Valenciano.
The lyrics remind me of Michael Jackson.

When Contemporary Christian songwriter Twila Paris was 22 years old, she wrote the lyrics to her popular song, The Warrior Is A Child.  These were inspired after being counseled by the pastor in her home church. Twila was cautioned, as was Michael Jackson by his church elders, about the stresses of her growing fame in the music industry. In an interview with Christian Music Magazine she explained that her pastor talked about the notion of vulnerability. She said, “He used the metaphor of the army, God’s army. No matter if we’re a general in the army and have been serving God for years, and have all this experience, and He’s given us lots of responsibility, before Him we’re still a child. So boy, I took that to heart and I went home, and with just the beginning experiences, and the little bit of understanding I had, I wrote that song.”

Initially Twila said she considered that this song would be just for her. She felt it was “too depressing” and that “everyone is going to misunderstand it, and they’re not going to like it.” It became a famous classic, crossing over into other music genres.

The Warrior Is A Child ~written by Twila Paris

Lately I’ve been winning battles left and right
But even winners can get wounded in the fight
People say that I’m amazing
Strong beyond my years
But they don’t see inside of me
I’m hiding all the tears

They don’t know that I go running home when I fall down
They don’t know who picks me up when no one is around
I drop my sword and cry for just a while
‘Cause deep inside this armor
The warrior is a child

Unafraid because His armor is the best
But even soldiers need a quiet place to rest
People say that I’m amazing
Never face retreat
But they don’t see the enemies
That lay me at His feet

They don’t know that I go running home when I fall down
They don’t know who picks me up when no one is around
I drop my sword and and cry for just a while
‘Cause deep inside this armor
The warrior is a child

They don’t know that I go running home when I fall down
They don’t know who picks me up when no one is around
I drop my sword and look up for a smile
‘Cause deep inside this armor
Deep inside this armor
Deep inside this armor
The warrior is a child

This entry was posted on Thursday, September 22nd, 2011 at 4:43 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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