Gone Too Soon

I was seven year's old when I first began scavenging through the audio CD's at home, and the very first album I listened to was MJ's 'Dangerous.' Then, I didn't know how he looked, or who he was in person. The only clue I had was his eyes on the cover of the album. The CD, of course came with a booklet that contained the lyrics to every song in the album. As much as I enjoyed the beat and liveliness of Jam and Black or White, I was heavily influenced by the lyrics of Heal The World and Gone Too Soon. I would listen to the CD all day and sing slong, eventually memorizing the flow of words. Soon after I caught his music videos and concerts on TV, exposing me to his holistic talent as an entertainer. I idolized and hailed him.. then as a great entertainer, now as the greatest ever. I never had much of an interest in his personal life, and never will. I believe artiste's (with and without the 'e') deserve only to be judged by their art, and on that basis alone - Michael Jackson epitomizes the 'complete artiste.' He was well and truly a master of his art; the art of entertainment.

Consciousness expresses itself through creation. This world we live in is the dance of the creator. Dancers come and go in the twinkling of an eye but the dance lives on. On many an occasion, when I am dancing, I have felt touched by something sacred. In those moments, I felt my spirit soar and become one with everything that exists.

I become the stars and the moon. I become the lover and the beloved. I become the victor and the vanquished. I become the master and the slave. I become the singer and the song. I become the knower and the known. I keep on dancing and then, it is the eternal dance of creation. The creator and the creation merge into one wholeness of joy. I keep on dancing... and dancing... and dancing, until there is only... the dance.

'The Dance' by Michael Jackson (from the inner front cover of 'Dangerous')