
We have all been bombarded and inundated with the news of
Michael Jackson - The King of Pop passing so suddenly on June 25, 2009. The posts of this site has mostly been a review of yogic texts like the
Yoga Sutras of Patanjali and
the
Bhagavad Gita. So one might think it odd to see this post regarding Michael Jackson.
With Michael passing so suddenly, it was like a wake up call to me (and the world). It brings the role of death very much to the fore front. It is like a spiritual teacher of mine stated "You never know when death will come!" This major event ( it may not be major to you and one could say that people die everyday) had put me in a very contemplative frame of mine. It made me so grateful to have an understanding that "the essence who one really
is never dies". The gratitude to this knowledge also shows how important it is to have some spiritual understanding about life. To not let the outer impressions make one deluded, crazy or upset and depressed.
This is where reference to the Yoga Sutras comes in handy. Like the review of
Five Obstacles -YS II-3 and
Abhinivesa - Fear of Death YS II- 9From the Bhagavad Gita in
Bhagavad Gita Chapter 1 - The Depression of Arjuna... Arjuna is crying and upset about participating in a war that his family members, and relatives will die. We could compare this to people mourning over the death of a loved one - like Michael. It is with the study of the other chapters of this insightful text that can help one keep our eye on the truth of who we really are and why we are here on earth.
A realization that has come from my contemplation with Michael's passing is that we are all instruments of the One, of that great creative force (the Self, God, Allah, Divine Creator, Krishna, Atma, etc.) We all came here in this lifetime with a gift. One thing Michael really did well was display and share his gifts with the world. What are we doing with our gifts? Do we even know what the gifts are? I want to thank Michael for being an instrument of the creator despite the human obstacles in his life. We all have them and what are we doing?
My contemplation lead me to see one of the socially conscious music videos that Michael made a contribution to the world.