Video by SuperMindMusic, no copyright violation intended.

This is an interesting article. I have a few things to say about it…

Why, oh why, do people assume over and over again that religion and science have to be mutually exclusive? (Except for fundamentalists who use the Bible as a book of science, but I’m not going into the flaws in that here.)

There are problems that religions cause, when people assume that theirs is the only right one and that everyone should obey their beliefs. There is no doubt that institutionalised religion has caused a lot of atrocities. But maybe it’s a sad fact of reality that human nature alone causes these problems too. There are wars and child abuse and genocides that are not in the name of religion. I’m not saying that’s ok, but I think sometimes we’re too quick to find a scapegoat for all society’s problems. When we look closer, religion does have good things to offer. Religion helps a lot of people get through life, religion has inspired people to help those less fortunate, to set up entire education systems, to give people hope. So there’s a danger that we may throw the baby out with the bathwater if we’re too quick to say religion should be abolished (as if anyone’s decision could bring that about anyway). However, from the perspective of someone who was brought up Catholic and ends up attending Mass on Christmas Day (for the parents’ sake), I believe the church needs a serious overhaul. People are not buying into it anymore; huge changes need to be made if any part of the church is going to survive.

My other issue with this article is that it never mentions the fact that people can be charitable and thoughtful and kind and loving without being guided by a religion. People have a moral compass; they don’t need religion to tell them how to live. Too much of religion and the dogma that goes with it is based on fear – fear of a vengeful god, fear of our own human nature, fear to embrace our humanity.

I think we can learn from both of them – from mistakes and judgments that religion has made, as well as from the love of religious leaders like Jesus, Krishna, Buddha (if you call Buddhism a religion), and so on. We can learn from science how the world works, we can learn to be logical, but we can also realise that we never have the full picture.

You see colors no one else can see
In every breath you hear a symphony
You understand me like nobody can
I feel my soul unfolding like a flower blooming

When this whole world gets too crazy,
And there’s nowhere left to run,
I know you give me sanctuary
You’re the only truth I know, you’re the road back home

Can you see me? Here I am
Standing here, where I’ve always been
And when words are not enough
I climb inside your heart and still find
You’re my safest place to hide

My safest place to hide

I know I promised you forever
There’s no stronger word I can use
To reassure you when the storm is raging outside
You’re my safest place to hide

Video by emo0ohibo0, no copyright violation intended.

This quotation really resonates with me. I’ve learnt a lot about myself in the past few months, and the consistent factor through all of it has been pain. Emotional pain can be excruciating, never-ending, and exhausting. It’s hard to think outside it when you’re going through it. You wonder if you’ll ever be able to move on. But there’s also something cleansing about it. It’s like you can’t move to the next level of understanding until you’ve come through all that pain. This quotation reminds me of something Barbara Kaufmann said in Inner Michael; (to paraphrase) that your heart breaks again and again until it remains open. Open to compassion, open to love, open to connecting with All There Is. Somehow, pain is the way that has to happen. When I’m going through something like that, I try to focus on what I’m learning. When you can find some reason or lesson in it, it makes it a little easier to keep pushing through, knowing that at some point it will get easier. And it does, I think. Gradually, you get through it, and you see how far you’ve come.

I still miss Michael. I still wish that things hadn’t turned out like this. I wish he didn’t have to go through what he went through. And as pointless as that is, sometimes I have to let myself cry it out.

On Monday shortly after the verdict (and errrrbody on facebook, especially those who didn’t follow the trial or Michael’s life, started expressing their opinions), a friend of mine posted something really nasty about Michael. And I saw red. I was about to lash out, but I took a step back and remembered that being spiteful is not me. I remembered that Michael wouldn’t have behaved like that. So I responded in a level-headed, informed fashion. I realised that this person’s energy did not need to control my behavior. But it still hurt. Especially on that emotional day, the last thing I needed to deal with was ignorant, rude comments about Michael.

I don’t know how Michael did it. I don’t know how he got through every day knowing how many people believed lies about him. I don’t know how he didn’t lash out or give up. And when I feel even a tiny fraction of his pain, it increases my admiration for him and for the strength and dignity he lived with.

Let’s put our attention on healing and peace and forgiveness.

Let’s not be caught up in blame or anger, because that doesn’t get us anywhere, except to a place of more hurt. Let’s remember that Love always prevails, even if the world doesn’t recognise it.

As Michael himself said in They Don’t Care About Us, “Don’t you sit back and watch, defeated.”

Video created by Secretkisz, no copyright violation intended.

…I’ll love you, forever
Anytime that we find ourselves apart…

Just close your eyes
And you’ll be here with me
Just look to your heart
And that’s where I’ll be
If you just close your eyes
‘Til you’re drifting away
You’ll never be too far from me
If you close your eyes

I know I’m gonna see you again
But promise me that you won’t forget
‘Cause as long as you remember
A part of us will be together
So even when you’re fast asleep
Look for me inside your dreams
Keep believing in what we’re sharing
And even when I’m not there to tell you

I’ll, I’ll love you, forever
Anytime that I can’t be where you are…

Just close your eyes
And you’ll be here with me
Just look to your heart
And that’s where I’ll be
If you just close your eyes
‘Til you’re drifting away
You’ll never be too far from me
If you close your eyes

Is there anywhere that far?
Anytime you’re feeling low
Is there anywhere that love cannot reach?
Oh no
It could be anywhere on earth
It could be anywhere I’ll be
Oh baby if you want to see

Just close your eyes
And you’ll be here with me
Look to your heart
That’s where you’ll be
Just close your eyes
‘Til you’re drifting away
You’ll never be too far from me

How do we create our reality? How much is affected by our perception? Is there even a reality, or just an experience of perception? How much do we simply choose to believe, because the other options are scary? How long can we believe in something when it seems the whole world is telling us we’re wrong? Do we base our beliefs on our own experiences, our own intuitions, or on what we’ve been brought up to believe, what has been drilled into us, what a lot of society claims is the only reality? How much of our reality and experience can we control by viewing it through certain lenses?

Being aware that we’re all viewing the world through different filters and various experiences helps us to be more compassionate to others. I’ve learnt that you never know what someone else is going through or what they’ve been through when you meet them.

Realising that how we think about a situation can really change how we feel and act can be very empowering.

Recently I’ve been missing friends and family who live on the other side of the world. As someone who has lived in a number of countries, it’s been a pattern in my life of meeting wonderful people and becoming close to them, and then one or both of us moving away. It’s not easy when suddenly you only see your best friends every year or two. I know other people who deal with the same experience, and it sucks, to be honest.

But I’ve realised that feeling sorry for myself is probably the lowest vibration you can give off to the world, and I decided to change my attitude. I decided to be grateful for the wonderful technology that lets me see them regularly or speak to them as if we’re in the same room. I’ve realised that being far from the people I love means that I cherish every minute I have with them. What a gift that is!

Sometimes focusing on the silver lining can completely change how you view a situation. And often, you have to concentrate on looking for the silver lining before you see it.

“Man Behind the Myth” was produced by Walking Moon Studios for inclusion in the “Words and Violence” free Education Packet for middle school high school and college curricula at Voices Education Project.

I am so grateful to the creators of this video for making such an accurate, eloquent, touching piece about Michael and the truth of who he is. I have already shown it to friends of mine who are not fans of Michael and who have never thought to look further than what the media told them about him. They are stunned.

Getting the word out about how powerful the media is, and how they can influence our perception of a person or situation is of utmost importance. If we learn not to just accept what we are told, but rather to dig deeper and find out the Truth, the world will be a brighter place.